The famous Netflix series Squid Game has officially released its second season. To give a short recap of the previous season, a group of 456 financially desperate individuals are invited to participate in a series of deadly childhood games for a massive cash prize. Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-hae), a struggling gambler, wins the games but is left traumatized.

The first episode begins with Gi-Hun at the airport, his hair now dyed red. He leaves and heads off to Seoul. He makes it there and goes to a convenience store. He goes to the bathroom, cutting a chip out of the back of his ear.

We next see Jun-Ho (Wi Ha-Joon) in the hospital, when he wakes up after being unconscious. We last saw him being shot by the frontman.

The time now passes two years and we see Jun-Ho again, with his former boss. Jun-Ho isn’t a police officer anymore because he wants to figure out who’s behind the Squid Game and the island.

Gi-hun is at home and hears his buzzer going off while he’s looking at security cameras. He grabs his gun and waits until the buzzing is over to answer the door. Before he opens it, a note with the Game logos slides underneath his door. He wakes up abruptly from his dream and his door begins to buzz again.

Woo-Seok is holding a class, showing people how they get found to join the game. Mr. Kim is also teaching them what to do, leading them to find certain things. The reason they are holding this exercise is to help Gi-hun find the Salesman in the game.

Jun-Ho spends the day on the ocean, searching for underwater clues to where the Island may be or any evidence that could help his case. While he’s doing that, Gi-hun is watching the messages between Woo-Seok and Mr. Kim’s groups, updating him if they’ve found anything.

It’s the next day and Woo-Seok and Mr. Kim are on break. Woo-Seok doesn’t believe that the game is real and that no one will be able to find the recruiter. As he’s expressing his feelings, they hear a slam. They both look up seeing exactly what they’re looking for: the Salesman (Gong Yoo) during an exchange. They immediately call Seong, telling him what they have seen. 

The two men follow him to a park. The Salesman begins to trick homeless individuals, having them choose bread or a lottery ticket. They mainly choose the lottery ticket, having no luck winning money. 

Gi-hun races to the park when he gets pulled over, going way over the speed limit. Jun-Ho has his partner take the lead but doesn’t realize it’s Seong until he drives off. 

Woo-Seok and Mr. Kim continue following the Salesman. They chase after him and before they can do anything, the salesman catches them and knocks them out with his briefcase. 

Jun-Ho has a flashback of when he found Gi-hun’s home and asked for help finding his brother. Back to the present, Jun-Ho looks up Gi-hun’s record and tries to find more information about him. 

Gi-Hun looks for Mr. Kim and Woo-Seok, who are nowhere to be found. The Salesmen has taken the two men hostage.  He forces them to play Russian Roulette. Mr. Kim dies and Woo-Seok is left shaking. 

Jun-Ho finds an address to Gi-Hun’s company, Sunshine Captial, and the room where the lessons are taught. 

Gi-Hun goes back home and notices the Salesman inside waiting for him. Seong tells him that he wants to speak to his boss, to “thank” him for the opportunity to join the game, since he won the cash prize. The salesman suggests that they play Russian Roulette as well. Surprisingly, The Salesman loses. 

Overall, this was a good first episode for the new season. It’s now time for Jun-Ho and Gi-Hun’s redemption. It’s exciting to see what they’ll be able to find. The only question is, what will Gi-Hun do now that the Salesman is dead? 

Rating: 9/10