Squid Game Creator Hwang Dong-Hyuk Is Already In Talks With Netflix About Season 3
"Squid Game" season 1 is without question one of the biggest surprise success stories of 2021, earning rave reviews from critics on its way to becoming (probably) Netflix's most-watched original series ever. That "Squid Game" creator Hwang Dong-hyuk is now reported to be in talks to make not just one, but two more seasons of the show is more than a little ironic. After all, the South Korean survival drama is all about the dangers of capitalism and how there's nothing (not even something as seemingly harmless as children's games) that it can't warp into an exploitative way of serving our corporate overlords.
Having said all that, "Squid Game" season 1 did end on a sorta-cliffhanger that left the door open for a potential second season, with Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) — the "winner" of the live-or-die games in the show's first chapter — choosing to sacrifice his own happiness and skip out on his flight to L.A. (where he would have reunited with his daughter and ex-wife), to try and take down the deadly Squid Games himself. Hwang seemed to confirm that season 2 had received an official green light back in November, but Netflix later clarified that's not the case for now.
The Pros and Cons of More Squid Game
Speaking with KBS in Korea (via Comic Book), Hwang explained that his discussions with Netflix are not just ongoing, they have expanded to include a possible "Squid Game" season 3:
"I'm in talks with Netflix over season 2 as well as season 3. We will come to a conclusion [some] time soon."
As such, Hwang finds himself in the position of having created a show that, sorta-cliffhanger ending aside, works perfectly well as a limited series, yet could go on to have three seasons or more. It's not unlike the position the Duffer Brothers found themselves in when their own Netflix original, "Stranger Things," became a mega-hit in 2016. That show has only increased in popularity since then, although its quality has varied from season to season. "Stranger Things" season 2 was also clearly influenced by a lot of the feedback and responses to season 1 (in ways both good and bad), and it's not hard to imagine something similar happening with "Squid Game."
Would that be a bad thing? Not necessarily. Given how many people seem to be missing the point of season 1, another chapter or two of "Squid Game" would offer Hwang a chance to further drive home the series' social commentary and maybe even include some meta storytelling that meditates on the show's real-world success. There are also plenty of questions left for Hwang to answer after season 1. Whether people will like the answers he comes up with, that's a discussion for another day.
What Could Happen in Squid Game Season 2?
Hwang, to his credit, already has a rough plan in mind for where "Squid Game" season 2 would go. In a previous interview, he talked about wanting to focus more on the games' overseers in the next chapter, stating:
"If I do get to do [more installments of 'Squid Game'] — one would be the story of the Frontman [a former cop who now oversees the game]. I think the issue with police officers is not just an issue in Korea. I see it on the global news. This was an issue that I wanted to raise. Maybe in season two I can talk about this more."
The issue of the police and the role they play in maintaining corrupt institutions and social inequality is an all-too timely one. It's also a matter that, as with "Squid Game" season 1's allegory for modern capitalism and class disparity, would resonate with viewers around the world as much as it would those in South Korea. Coming on the heels of 2020's Black Lives Matter protests, this could put season 2 in a position to better speak to this subject than a lot of well-meaning U.S. shows (like "Brooklyn Nine-Nine") have valiantly tried yet struggled to do over the past year.
Perhaps more than anything, shining more light on the Frontman and South Korea's police would set "Squid Game" season 2 apart from season 1 in terms of both its story and themes. As riveting as the show's first season was, in the end, it didn't have that much more to say about capitalism, class, and the "one percent" than such recent films as "Parasite" did. However, thanks to its popularity, the series now has a chance to take things further in that respect.
"Squid Game" season 1 is streaming on Netflix.