Everyone knew that Squid Game was the talk of the town when it first aired, taking the world by storm. Hundreds of millions of people streamed it on Netflix, setting an all-time high record that no show has beaten to this day. So, when the second season was announced shortly after the first one ended, people were ecstatic, eager to have their questions answered when it finally aired.

Just to preface this "review," I personally did not like the first season. I understood why people found it fresh concept-wise, but for someone who has been consuming the "death game" genre for years, the idea was nothing original. It just boiled down to how the creators would put their own spin on it.

My main issue with the first season was its inconsistent writing. You could tell the writer had incredible ideas but struggled to integrate them smoothly into the plot. There were also unnecessary elements that dragged the show longer than necessary (one example being Il-Nam's ten-minute monologue at the end of the season).

That said, I did appreciate the character dynamics and the overall simplicity of the story. I genuinely believe that simplicity was the key factor in its success, especially considering Squid Game served as many people's first experience of the "death game" genre.

When the second season dropped during the holiday season, I decided to give it another chance. I thought perhaps I had been too harsh on the first season, as I only rated it two stars. Maybe the holiday spirit would help me enjoy the new season more.

Trust me, I really wanted to like it. I truly did. I focused on a few good things during the first two episodes, but as time passed, I realized that the one thing I genuinely liked about the first season—its memorable characters—was stripped off from this one.

Although the second season introduced a plethora of new characters, none of them were memorable. They lacked depth, making them utterly forgettable. To be honest, I couldn’t even remember a single name by the time it ended.

Plot-wise, it felt as though the creators sacrificed the show’s core focus to expand the narrative. This season felt rushed, with too many things happening at once, which negatively impacted both the quality of the storyline and the development of the characters.

As for the games, while most were new, they were colorful like those in the first season but lacked the shock factor that made the first season interesting.

Squid Game, like many other series bearing the "second season curse," unfortunately wasn’t safe from landing on the red light. I attribute much of this to the abrupt, and unfulfilling season finale. But who knows? Perhaps what this season lacked might become the strongest element of the next.