‘Squid Game’ Creator Reflects On ‘Heavy’ Death In Season 2 Finale

The lethal stakes of “Squid Game” have all the time been matched by their emotional weight, and Season 2’s finale delivers some of the gut-wrenching moments but.

In a latest interview, “Squid Sport” creator Hwang Dong-hyuk opened up about crafting this pivotal scene, the emotional weight it carries, and why it was the proper second to ship such a devastating blow to each the characters and the viewers.

Warning: Main spoilers forward for the Season 2 finale of “Squid Sport,” now streaming on Netflix.

“Squid Sport” Season 2 wraps up its intense seventh and last episode with a devastating blow: Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) witnesses the brutal execution of his closest ally, Jung-bae (Lee Website positioning-hwan). The deadly shot is delivered by The Entrance Man (Lee Byung-hun) after Gi-hun sparks a insurrection among the many remaining gamers.

Whereas Jung-bae’s dying is already a surprising and gut-wrenching second, it carries a fair heavier weight for viewers. Not like Gi-hun, the viewers is painfully conscious of The Entrance Man’s true identification: In-ho, a former Squid Sport champion who has since risen to turn into the enigmatic head enforcer of the lethal competitors.

All through the sport, In-ho has been masquerading as Participant 001 beneath the alias Younger-il, embedding himself inside Gi-hun and Jung-bae’s inside circle. By constructing belief and feigning loyalty to their trigger and rebellion, he expertly manipulates their bond.

However in a chilling flip, In-ho sheds his disguise, reassumes his function as The Entrance Man, and delivers the deadly shot to Jung-bae—an act of brutal punishment aimed instantly at Gi-hun.

“Squid Game” Season 2 concludes with a jaw-dropping cliffhanger as The Entrance Man (In-ho, disguised as Younger-il—although Gi-hun stays unaware) mercilessly kills Jung-bae proper earlier than Gi-hun’s eyes. Held down by the pink guards, Gi-hun is compelled to look at in horror as his good friend bleeds out, his screams echoing in despair.

“After I first wrote the story of Seasons 2 and three it was one lengthy story arc,” “Squid Sport” creator Hwang Dong-hyuk advised Variety. “And I used to be initially planning to jot down this story throughout a span of about eight to 9 episodes, however as soon as I completed the story, it got here to over 10 episodes, which I assumed was too lengthy to include in a single season.”

“And so I wished to have an ample level the place I might give closure as a second season after which transfer on with the third. And whenever you take a look at Gi-hun’s story, all of his makes an attempt that he places in to cease the sport: the primary one being getting these mercenaries and making an attempt to plant a monitoring system, that goes to fail; the second try of making an attempt to influence individuals to vote in order that they’ll depart the sport, that goes to fail as properly; after which the third and final try of bringing individuals collectively and inflicting the insurrection, it additionally all goes to fail.”

Hwang Dong-hyuk went on to elucidate how all of his failures “result in this heavy, heavy disaster of getting to lose his easiest good friend, Jung-bae, by the hands of The Entrance Man.”

“And when you consider Gi-hun’s journey, I assumed that that was an ample second to place a cease and provides him a little bit little bit of closure alongside that lengthy story arc,” he continued. “After which from that second on, within the third season, having that sense of giant guilt and sense of failure weighing closely on him — how is Gi-hun going to hold on his mission? That’s the story that’ll additional unfold.”

As of early November, “Squid Sport” Season 1 has amassed a powerful 330 million viewers and over 2.8 billion hours watched since its premiere on September 17, 2021.

“You watch the present, and you may’t assist however begin to surprise — how would I react if I had been put in considered one of these conditions,” Josh Simon, Netflix’s VP of client merchandise and stay experiences, stated. “The video games within the sequence and the unscripted present are primarily based on easy, well-known video games that individuals play rising up, so the foundations aren’t tremendous difficult. It’s extra concerning the stress of that setting.”

The streamer additionally reported a 60% surge in Season 1 viewership following the discharge of the primary Season 2 teaser on October 31. Season 1 beforehand earned six Emmy Awards, together with Finest Lead Actor in a Drama Collection for Lee Jung-jae.