Squid Game Season 2 Recap: 5 Key Moments to Know Before the Final Season

The second season followed returning winner Seong Gi-hun, played by Lee Jung-jae, alongside police officer Jun-ho, portrayed by Wi Ha-joon and introduced a new guard perspective through Kang No-eul, played by Park Gyu-young. These interconnected storylines build a climactic finale that sets the series' conclusion. Understanding these key moments proves essential for fully appreciating the final season's impact.

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Gi-hun's Revenge Mission Against the Recruiter

Season 2 opens four years after Gi-hun's victory, showing him operating outside the games with a clear mission: revenge. He enlists loan shark Mr Kim, played by Kim Pub-lae, and his associate Woo-seok, portrayed by Jeon Seok-ho, to help track down the Recruiter, played by Gong Yoo. Gi-hun runs his operation from a car filled with phones, sending Kim's men in pairs to train stations searching for their target.

The team discovers the Recruiter playing ddakji and follows him to a park where he torments homeless people with cruel choices between bread and lottery tickets. After making contact with potential victims, he dumps the remaining bread rolls on the ground and stomps on them, revealing his callous nature. When Kim and Woo-seok attempt to follow him further, they get caught.

The Recruiter forces them to play ’Rock, Paper, Scissors, Minus One’, which combines the childhood game with Russian roulette. Mr Kim sacrifices himself for Woo-seok after Woo-seok plays two rocks. The Recruiter then takes Woo-seok to Gi-hun's makeshift headquarters, leading to a confrontation.

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Gi-hun and the Recruiter engage in Russian roulette, during which the Recruiter reveals his backstory. He shares that he was once a lowly guard who even shot his father before working his way up to his current position. He attempts to justify his behaviour by comparing competitors to animals, but Gi-hun counters by telling him he is "nothing but a dog for the VIPs." The Recruiter's luck eventually runs out, and he dies during the deadly game.

Jun-ho's Investigation Leads to Gi-hun

Meanwhile, Jun-ho has returned to police work on a smaller beat while spending his free time searching for the island with Captain Park, played by Oh Dal Soo, the fisherman who saved him from the water. During a routine traffic stop, he recognises Gi-hun's name and discovers a business address, leading him to Gi-hun's headquarters after the roulette confrontation.

Following an invitation found among the Recruiter's belongings, Gi-hun, Jun-ho, and Woo-seok combine their forces to stage an ambush at a VIP party. Gi-hun wears a tracker hidden in a false tooth, with the plan for others to follow him to the Front Man's location. However, the Front Man sends Gi-hun an empty limousine instead.

The Front Man communicates through a speaker hidden in a gold pig, reminiscent of the piggy bank above the dormitory in the original games. Recognising this might be his only opportunity to find proof, Gi-hun demands that the Front Man put him back in the games, setting up his return to the deadly competition.

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No-eul's Guard Perspective and Personal Stakes

Season 2 introduces No-eul, a North Korean defector searching for her young daughter she left behind. She works as a character actor at a theme park to make ends meet, where she develops affection for a small child whose father, Gyeong-seok, played by Lee Jin-wook, works as a portrait artist.

No-eul receives an invitation to the games while living in her car, but the twist reveals she joins as a guard rather than a player. She puts on the pink guard jumpsuit and provides viewers with an inside perspective of the games from the enforcers' side. Her character adds emotional complexity to the guard role, showing someone with personal motivations beyond simple employment.

From her sniper position, No-eul performs clean kills that other guards intentionally botch to harvest organs for black market sales. She finds herself at odds with other guards who warn her to stop sabotaging their profitable side business, creating internal conflict within the game's structure.

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Personal Connections Complicate the Games

Gi-hun awakens as player 456 once again, immediately encountering unexpected personal connections. He discovers Jung-bae, played by Lee Seo-hwan, his friend, is also in the games. A shaman named Seon-nyeo, portrayed by Chae Gook-hee, accosts him, speaking of ‘vengeful souls hovering around him’.

Unknown to Gi-hun, his tracker was thrown in a bucket of fish bait, leading Jun-ho and others to the wrong location. Realising he must play the games for real, Gi-hun tries warning other players, but they don't believe him until the first casualties occur during ‘Red Light, Green Light’. Player Hyun-ju, played by Park Sung-hoon, joins him in trying to save lives.

The games reveal multiple interpersonal connections among players. Crypto influencer MG Coin, known as Myeong-Gi and played by Yim Si-wan, finds his ex-partner Jun-hee, portrayed by Jo Yu-ri, heavily pregnant in the games. He also encounters former fans who fell into debt after his cryptocurrency promotion failed, including reality show rapper Thanos, played by Choi Seung-hyun, and club bouncer Nam-gyu, portrayed by Noh Jae-won.

A mother and son, Geum-ja, played by Kang Ae-sim, and Yong-sik, portrayed by Yang Dong-geun, discover they both entered the games to pay off Yong-sik's debts. Most significantly, the Front Man poses as a player using the fake name Oh Young-Il, participating in the first vote that allows the games to continue while moving closer to Gi-hun.

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The Devastating Finale and Jung-bae's Death

The season builds toward a rebellion led by Gi-hun's group, which joins with Hyun-ju's team plus Gyeong-seok. They agree not to participate in the nighttime violence that erupts after a tied vote creates a 24-hour break. When masked guards enter to check bodies, they play dead and fight back, taking over the dormitory with captured weapons.

Hyun-ju reveals her military background and instructs the others as they plan their rebellion. She joins Gi-hun, Gyeong-seok, Jung-bae, a young veteran Dae-ho played by Kang Ha-neul, and, unfortunately, the Front Man in disguise, in an attempt to reach the control rooms and overtake the games.

The rebellion faces overwhelming opposition from guards, and they quickly run low on ammunition. Hyun-ju and Gyeong-seok attempt to hold defensive positions while sending Dae-ho to collect more ammunition. However, Dae-ho experiences a traumatic flashback and never returns to help.

As Gi-hun, Jung-bae, and Young-il move toward the VIP area, the Front Man executes his deception. He feigns his death over the radio, returns to his uniform, and reveals his true identity by executing Jung-bae directly in front of Gi-hun. This shocking betrayal delivers the season's most devastating blow while setting up the final confrontation.

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Setting Up the Final Season

Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has promised that Season 3 will deliver the expected grief and tragedy of Squid Game while providing an ultimately hopeful ending. Teasers show Gi-hun alive but emotionally broken, suggesting both elements will play crucial roles in the conclusion.

Squid Game Season 3 premieres June 27 on Netflix globally, bringing the deadly competition to its ultimate conclusion while resolving the fates of characters who have captivated audiences worldwide.

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