"Squid Game" is our latest television obsession — and we bet it's yours,
too. The heart-pounding Korean drama has taken Netflix by storm, ranking as the #1 most-watched
show in a staggering 90 different countries, as reported by Forbes. Spoilers ahead for Season 1.
The nine-episode series follows Seong Gi-hun, a down-on-his-luck man who finds his entire
life changed when a stranger offers him the chance to join a game for an unthinkable sum
of money. However, what he thinks might just be a series of wacky games turns out to be a
horrifying experience. If you lose, you're not just eliminated from the game — you are killed.
As the season progresses, we discover the entire game is plot launched by the uber-rich who gain
pleasure from watching and betting on the participants as they fight to the death.
By the end of the season, Gi-hun manages to win the contest and the jaw-dropping prize sum of
approximately $38.4 million USD. However, taking part in such a brutal experience changes him,
and the series ends with what appears to be Gi-hun racing off to use his newfound means to
take down the entire operation. Like any good suspenseful show, though, the final episode
leaves us with some questions, and eager for a second season. Fans have taken to social media
to speculate what might become of Gi-hun's future, and one theory provides a very intriguing concept.
Will Gi-hun return to the game as a guard?
Over on TikTok, user @cloeeex provides a very interesting theory about Gi-hun's next moves.
In the last episode, after discovering fellow player Oh Il-nam was not his friend, but in
fact the mastermind behind the entire game, Gi-hun finally opts to use his prize money after leaving
it untouched for a full year. Like many people entering a new stage of life, Gi-hun decides to
mark the occasion with a haircut, swapping his shaggy, dark locks for a short bright-red style.
Throughout all of "Squid Game," Gi-hun and the other 455 contestants wore green tracksuits,
while the soldiers monitoring them were outfitted in red. @cloeeex suggests that Gi-hun's new red
hair might mean he'll be returning to the island to join the ranks of the soldiers,
perhaps in an undercover operation similar to that of police officer Hwang Jun-ho.
Of course, a job opportunity might be difficult considering that Gi-Hun ends his call with the
Front Man promising that he can't forgive him for what the organization's done.
Regardless, it's definitely an intriguing theory. It would not only give the second
season a fresh approach but also provide a natural way to explore the behind-the-scenes
aspects of the game itself in more detail. While Season 1 focused on the lives of the
contestants and even gave us a peek at the VIPs who came to watch the games play out,
the guards mostly stayed figuratively and literally behind their masks. Jun-ho offered
an intriguing glimpse at their daily lives while undercover, but he had bigger things on his mind
than exploring the rules and regulations of the masked henchmen. Having Gi-hun joining their
ranks could provide ample opportunity for a closer look at the people who make the games possible.
And even though it's merely a fan's hypothesis as of now, some recent comments from "Squid
Game" writer-director Hwang Dong-hyuk leave the door open for it to go from theory to reality.
Now, it's important to keep in mind that "Squid Game" Season 2 has yet to be confirmed and
Dong-hyuk has kept his cards relatively close to his chest when it comes to speaking about what
could possibly happen in a second outing of the show. But, during an interview with RadioTimes, he
did talk about the creative approach he might take to Season 2. Hypothetically speaking, of course.
Dong-hyuk revealed that fan reaction could play a big role in the development of a potential
next installment of "Squid Game," specifically around what he describes as "huge expectations
for season two." The director went on to explain,
"It's not that I haven't thought about season two at all,
and I also do have a rough framework for it. But I keep asking myself whether I can make it
better than season one. I do not want people to get disappointed over the new season."
"I just have to say that I'm a difficult man to please. I hope you won't disappoint me."
Meeting fan expectations, especially for a series as popular as "Squid Game," is a daunting task. Of
course, we won't know anything concrete about what Season 2 of "Squid Game" will be like
until it hopefully hits our screens. In the meantime, we'll be patiently
waiting and theorizing — and never looking at a children's playground game the same ever again.
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