All The Burning Questions We Need A Season 2 Of ‘Squid Game’ To Answer
Here's hoping Gi-hun just finally visits his kid in Season 2.
With so many theories swirling online after that twist finale, it’s clear that the world is desperate for a Season 2 of Squid Game.
Rumours are that Netflix is super keen to renew the Korean drama — and it’s no surprise considering the show about a deadly, dystopian kid’s game competition skyrocketed to #1 in over 80 countries despite the language barrier.
Dong-hyuk has hinted that while he doesn’t yet “have well-developed plans” for Season 2, he is interested in making a second season eventually. Sadly, Netflix’s Global TV Chief explained that a second season hasn’t been confirmed yet because of show creator Hwang Dong-hyuk’s current work schedule.
“He has a film and other things he’s working on,” Bela Bajaria said. “We’re trying to figure out the right structure for him.”
So, while we patiently wait for Hwang Dong-hyuk to work out the specifics of what a second season of Squid Game might look like, here are all the lingering questions we still have about Season 1.
— Warning: Spoilers for Squid Game ahead. —
#1. Is There Only One Recruiter For The Games?
It seems very odd that Gi-hun spotted the exact same recruiter playing Ddakji in the subway a year after he won the Squid Game. Are we really meant to assume that there’s only one man recruiting hundreds of players each year?
If there is more than one, is the skill “must be really fucking good at flipping paper squares in train stations” listed on the job ad?
#2. And How Are The Workers Selected For Squid Game?
It seems that for every player in the Squid Game, there’s an equal amount of guards. But how exactly are these people recruited into the underground death games?
During the honeycomb round, we saw one of the desperate contestants force a guard to take off his mask after stealing a gun. But when the guard revealed his face, the contestant was confused by how young the worker seemed to be. “You’re just a young kid, what did they do to you?!” he asked before shooting himself. This means those under the masks are likely just everyday people like the contestants, but that still doesn’t explain the triangle-circle-square worker hierarchy.
However, this interaction may support the theory that the colour of the Ddakji card chosen during the recruitment process determines whether you become a player or a worker — as we saw when Gi-hun selected the blue tile and then woke up as a player wearing a blue tracksuit.
If you follow this theory, then Gi-hun “randomly” dying his hair red in the finale could also hint at him returning to the Squid Game as an undercover worker to infiltrate the game.
#3. Jun-ho Is Still Alive, Isn’t He?
Beyond Ali, Ji-yeong and Sae-byeok, one of the saddest deaths of Squid Game was that of Jun-ho, the sexy cop.
But if old man Oh Il-nam’s death taught us anything, it’s that not everything is what it seems. When Il-nam was killed, it happened off-camera and we soon found out he survived. And usually when deaths occur on Squid Game, they’re graphic and are often followed by the ‘box of death’ that would take a person to the incinerator — an experience that Jun-ho did not get.
Despite In-ho being in close range of his brother, Jun-ho ends up being shot in the shoulder, not the head. Jun-ho then falls back into what we assume is the ocean, but we never see his body. Perhaps this was a strategic move by the Front Man to allow his brother to survive a non-lethal shot. I hope.
#4. What Happened With The Stuff The Cop Sent Anyway?
Prior to getting shot by his brother, Jun-ho climbed up the mountain to try and get reception — and it worked for a moment.
Even though not all of his photo and video files successfully transferred over to his boss, Jun-ho did manage to make one phone call. So even if his boss was confused by his random rambling in the call, someone was at least aware that Jun-ho was in danger. And surely the police force would go into overdrive looking for one of their own, right?
Jun-ho even managed to give the general direction of “Southwest of the mainland” to help coast guards locate him before the call disconnected, so I suspect there would’ve been a search party looking for him.
#5. Why The Hell Did In-ho Go Back In The Game?
One of the most confusing parts of the Squid Game was In-ho being the Front Man. Sure, it was great to build conflict between the brothers, but realistically why would you return if you had already won the games in 2015?!
Also, if you won millions why would you still be living in a shitty apartment where you can’t pay your rent? How can you give your brother your kidney but not tell him you had won millions of dollars? None of the Front Man’s story makes sense.
#6. And What Happened To The Rest Of The Winners?
When Jun-Ho broke into the record room, he saw that the Squid Games had been running since 1988. This means that there have been 33 Korean winners so far, so where the hell are they?
If the Front Man is anything to go by, winning the games doesn’t always mean a life of luxury. Perhaps, the top dog “square” workers are previous winners? Or maybe the winners return to the games in later years after burning through all their cash. Hell, some might just learn how to budget and live their life out happily.
But if that’s the case, how does someone just ~forget~ killing hundreds of people so they can become super-rich? That blood money has to weigh heavy on the soul as we saw happen with Gi-hun.
#7. What About Everyone Who Left After The Vote?
In the 2020 games, we saw that 14 people chose to not return after seeing what the Squid Game was like. If the allure of ₩45.6 billion ($53 million AUD) wasn’t enough to entice these people to risk their lives, what’s stopping them from going to the police like Gi-hun did?
I understand that hearing one person ramble on about an underground deadly game ring may sound crazy, but surely the police would start investigating if all 14 ex-players reported the games — and that’s not including anyone who might’ve left from the previous years.
It’s not like any of these ex-players were being given money to stay silent, so what’s stopping them from taking down the Squid Game?
#8. Do Families Ever Wonder Where Their Loved Ones Go?
If we know the games in South Korea have been running since 1988 and the 2020 games had around 450 players, that’s 14,400 people who have vanished without a trace in Korea.
Are you telling me that the family, friends, and bosses of 14,000 people haven’t once stopped to question where the hell their loved ones have gone? Has there really not been a single missing persons report on any of the people who competed in the Squid Game in the last 30 years?
And that’s not even mentioning the international versions of the game either which likely drives that yearly death toll way up.
#9. Speaking Of, How Does The International Squid Game Work?
When the VIPs came to watch the final round of the Squid Game, they remarked that “the games of this edition have been amazing” and that “the contest in Korea was the best”.
This implies that there are other editions of the Squid Game that are played around the world. But the question is which countries hold this deadly competition, which VIP hosts these editions, and what childhood games are played during it?
Of course, we already know Australia would feature handball and bullrush. But what about the other countries?!
#10. Oh, And Who Replaces Oh Il-nam As Host?
Now that we’ve officially seen Oh Il-nam die on screen, the question remains: Who becomes the new South Korean VIP?
Is it a hierarchy thing, where the Front Man steps into the position and one of the square masks replaces him, or was Il-nam able to select who his successor will be? On that note, where the hell is Il-nam’s son and wife, and why weren’t they at his death bed like Gi-hun was. Unless the father-son theory is true and he technically was at his bedside!
#11. Is Il-nam Actually Gi-hun’s Dad?
One of the biggest Squid Game theories is that 001 is 456’s father, with Il-nam personally pulling Gi-hun back into the games so he could reconnect with his estranged son.
People believe this is the case because whenever they both spoke of their past, there were a few details that lined up a little too well. For example, when Gi-hun spoke about only drinking chocolate milk, Il-nam said that his son was the same and “just like you”. Then, during marbles, they both shared that they grew up in a “neighbourhood just like” the one the game was set in. And when it came to dates, Il-nam said his son’s birthday was coming up on the 24th and Gi-hun’s debit card pin, that was based on his birthday date, was 0426.
Also, Gi-hun’s father is never mentioned or shown and Il-nam didn’t get a backstory, so we never got to see who his wife and son were… because it very may well be Gi-hun!!
#12. Are Game Winners Always Being Monitored?
At the very end of the Squid Game, we saw Gi-hun decide to not board the plane to go visit his daughter in LA after seeing the recruiter playing Ddakji at the station again.
But when he called the Squid Game number as he turned from the boarding gates, the person on the other end of the line knew that he was at the airport — and more specifically, right at the plane door. This implies that Gi-hun was constantly being watched after he left the game, which seems like a lot of work while currently recruiting for the new batch of contestants.
With Korea having at least 32 winners and knowing that the Squid Game likely spans across numerous other countries, are we just meant to assume that every winner gets surveillance like this?!
#13. And Finally, Will Gi-hun Ever Man Up And Be A Good Dad?!
The biggest takeaway from Squid Game is that Gi-hun is a terrible dad and Ga-yeong deserves so much better.
Despite winning more than enough money to keep his daughter in Korea, Gi-hun just didn’t touch his winnings and let her go. In the end, all Gi-hun had to do was get on the damn plane with the ticket he already bought, and he could even do that. Shameful.
Squid Game is currently streaming on Netflix.
Michelle Rennex is a senior writer at Junkee. She tweets at @michellerennex.