‘Squid Game’ season 2: Every question left unanswered before season 3

Squid Game season 2 is finally available, following Gi-hun’s (Lee Jung-jae) one-man-war against the deadly competition. The season is filled with unexpected twists and shocking deaths. However, there are still unanswered questions by the time the final credits roll.

After the surprising success of Squid Game, Netflix has ordered two more seasons of the show to wrap up all loose threads. That means season 2 is only half of the sequel story writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk has crafted. So, instead of wrapping things up and leaving a single cliffhanger for the follow-up season, season 2 ends in the middle of the action, raising many burning questions that season 3 has to answer.

What is Dae-ho lying about?

Squid Game season 2 introduced new characters, including Dae-ho (Kang Ha-neul), who quickly becomes an ally for Gi-hun when the former champion rejoins the games. Dae-ho’s entire identity revolves around the time he served in the Marine; however, the season hints that the young man might be lying about his past. The biggest clue comes at the end of Squid Game season 2 when Dae-ho feels forced to join Gi-hun’s revolution. Dae-ho can’t shoot properly, doesn’t know how to handle firearms like other former soldiers, and the battle is so intense to him that he goes back to the dormitory and freezes. Season 3 of Squid Game has to clear up Dae-ho’s past, explaining what he has lied about, how much, and why.

What’s the fate of Gi-hun?

At the end of Squid Game season 2, In-ho (Lee Byung-hun) fakes his death, reclaims the role of The Front Man, and snuffs Gi-hun’s revolution. He also shoots Jung-bae (Lee Seo-hwan) in front of Gi-hun, forcing him to witness the murder of his longtime friend; however, we still don’t know what will happen to Gi-hun. Since Gi-hun has decided to sacrifice other players’ lives in the name of his revolution, the Front Man has already won their ethical battle. Still, the Front Man lets Gi-hun live, meaning he has something more terrifying than death in store for the former champion.

Will No-eul help to put an end to the games?

One of the most curious characters introduced in Squid Game season 2 is No-eul (Park Gyu-young), a former North Korean soldier who shot her superior and defected to South Korea. No-eul is trying to bring her son across the border, which leads her to get a job as a masked soldier in the competition. No-eul follows orders and helps kill the players who lose the games, but she also seems to have a heart. After all, she pities Gyeong-seok (Lee Jin-wook), a single father who becomes a player to pay for his daughter’s expensive cancer treatment. 

No-eul and Gyeong-seok have worked together in an amusement park, so the soldier knows the man’s despair. Yet the second season doesn’t give her character a whole arc, and her presence is still unjustified for the overall plot. Since Gyeong-seok died during Gi-hun’s revolution, No-eul might turn her back on the games’ administration and help Gi-hun defeat the Front Man. Otherwise, there’s no reason why Squid Game season 2 spent so much screen time on her and Gyeong-seok.

Why did Captain Park betray Jun-ho?

Squid Game season 2 explains that Jun-ho (Wi Ha-jun) has survived being shot and falling from a cliff after getting rescued by a fisherman, Captain Park (Oh Dal-su). In the years following his recovery, Jun-ho created a bond with Captain Park, who helped the former detective scour the sea in search of the island where the games happen. However, the final episode of the second season reveals Captain Park is tampering with the equipment Jun-ho’s mercenary team uses to find the island. The fisherman even kills one of the mercenaries to keep his secret. Season 3 of Squid Game has to explain if Captain Park has been working for the Front Man all along or if his betrayal is more recent.

What is the second giant doll for?

The mid-credits scene of Squid Game season 2 shows the courtyard where competitors must play “Red Light, Green Light” at the start of each competition. In the original game, a giant doll equipped with motion detectors scans the players, telling snipers who have moved, lost the game, and must be put down; however, in the mid-credits scene, a second giant doll is in the courtyard. Since the players have already faced “Red Light, Green Light,” they might play a different game in the courtyard in season 3. Or maybe the courtyard will be used to punish the players for Gi-hun’s revolution. One thing is clear: The deadly competition is far from over.