Without a doubt, the first season of Squid Game caught everybody by surprise and ended up as one of Netflix's biggest hits last year. That's why it comes as no surprise when the streaming giant renewed the Korean show for another season, as confirmed by a new poster being released recently. But for it to truly stand out from every show out there and ascend to legendary status, there have to be some things it should do.
4 crazy ideas Squid Game must use for season 2
Raise the stakes
The first season of Squid Game on Netflix totally captured everyone's attention, even the King himself, by taking South Korea's most popular games for children and adding the element of danger to them. Of course, everyone would remember how Red Light, Green Light, and its creepy guardian made short work on a lot of contestants or the Honeycomb game became more than just making the right choice of shape to save one's life. Plus, the suspense of Hopscotch and Tug of War certainly kept viewers on the edge of their seats as the death toll kept piling up from them.
Squid Game season 2 has to take what made those games special and make them better. They can present, not only physical danger, but attack the contestants from a psychological and emotional perspective as well. Have the stakes expand to outside the arena by putting the people competing in the games in harm's way. This will raise the stakes and build upon what the first season did. This time, though, winning will feel like a must for each game as there will be so much more to lose for each individual there.
Give Seong Gi-Hun a more complex character arc
The first season of Squid Game on Netflix ended with the mastermind dead and its main protagonist, Seong Gi-Hun, sporting a new look as he's about to enter the competition once again.
This is a perfect opportunity to turn the tables around and have him go up against people behind the Squid Game. Since he isn't the same person he was at the start of the series, the show's creators can turn Gi-Hun into a man desperate to end the competition and bring those behind it to justice, only to be presented with an offer he can't refuse in the end.
This potential plot twist is just one of the many ways Gi-Hun's arc can progress from the simple man with a lot of debt at the show's start. It would be interesting to see him become what he hates as the series progresses. In turn, this can make Squid Game season 2 far more different from the first one on Netflix.
Introduce more than one bad guy
The quiet death of Oh Il-Nam at the end of Squid Game season 1 has definitely opened up a void for the organization behind the competition's operations. But while that may be the case, this is an ideal opportunity to either build up on the other antagonists left in the Netflix show, or introduce new players into the scene.
At the end of the first season, fans are left with two individuals that can have larger roles – the Front Desk Man and the Salesman. The former had a large part in season one as he was a former winner of the game and has become the one in charge of how the operation is being run. The latter, meanwhile, appeared only in the start and in the end as he recruited people with debt for the game.
Squid Game can expand on these two guys and give them meatier roles in anticipation of Gi-Hun's more developed character. The show can also introduce more bad guys, potentially those coming from the police or government itself, as earlier hinted by Hwang Dong-hyuk, the brain behind Squid Game. In this way, the conspiracy will truly run deep and it can introduce more shades of gray into the show itself.
Whatever the case may be, adding more layers to the story via new antagonists will help Squid Game become something more as it progresses to season two and beyond.
Expand Squid Game to other countries
Squid Game's first foray into Netflix is undeniably a big win for South Korea and its entertainment industry. While its success is certain, it doesn't mean future installments of this series should be confined to South Korea alone.
The presence of masked VIPs from different countries can support the fact that this competition is present in other countries. The show's creator can expand the lore by giving fans a glimpse into the operations of another host in a different country, and potentially mix it up with the one we currently have in South Korea. This will expand the show and provide it with a lot of potential storylines for season two and beyond.
With Squid Game season two about to be unleashed in the coming year or two, there's really no reason for it to regress from its current level of popularity. If done right, the upcoming installment of this Netflix hit will be something worth buzzing about when it comes out in the future.
Follow Us
Subscribe