Squid Game: Season 1 Recap- All You Need to Know Before Season 2

Squid Game is a South Korean survival thriller show written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk. It was released on September 17, 2021, on Netflix. The series revolves around 456 contestants facing financial hardships, who receive invitations to compete in children's games to win prize money of 45.6 billion won. Things turn dark when they get to know that eliminated contestants get killed. Its 2nd season is set to be released on December 26, 2024.

When Squid Game was released, it was highly acclaimed by the critics and was watched all over the world. In its 4th week after release, it became Netflix's most-watched series, ranking as the top show in 94 countries and garnering 1.65 billion viewing hours, surpassing Bridgerton. The show received many awards and made history as it received 14 Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Lee Jung-jae became the first Asian to win an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Before the release of the highly anticipated Season 2, let’s take a look at the recap of Season 1 of Squid Game.

Recap of Squid Game Season 1

The first season of Squid Game showcases 456 financially struggling people who become trapped in a survival competition. It involves a series of deadly versions of children's games like Red Light Green Light, Marbles, Tug of War, etc. The show explores the themes of greed, exploitation, and capitalism. The show ended with a cliffhanger, leaving audiences anticipating more from the second season. Let’s catch up with Season 1 before the release of Season 2.

Episode 1: Red Light, Green Light

The show begins when Seong Gi-hun, a gambling addict with huge debt, meets a man at a subway station who invites him to play games for a big cash prize. He accepts the offer to participate alongside 456 people without knowing what would happen next. The participants learn that they can win prize money of 45.6 billion won if they win all the six games that are going to take place in the next 6 days. The 1st game of the competition was Red Light, Green Light, where anyone who is eliminated is killed on the spot.

Episode 2: Hell

After the shocking first round, many contestants demanded to leave the game. They were given the chance to leave without any prize money. Seong Gi-hun returns to Seoul and reports the incident to the police but nobody believes him except Detective Hwang Jun-ho. His brother also disappeared after receiving an invitation to the game. But after some time, the contestants returned to the game because of their financial conditions.

Episode 3: The Man with the Umbrella

Detective Jun-ho masks himself as one of the guards of the game to investigate the disappearance of his brother. The 2nd game was Ppopgi, where contestants had to carve a stamped shape out of dalgona candy without breaking it. Gi-hun picked the umbrella shape but was able to complete the game by licking the back of the dalgona candy.

Episode 4: Stick to the Team

It is revealed that the eliminated contestants who were shot were used to make money, as their organs were harvested and sold on the black market. Things turn chaotic when one contestant kills another contestant for taking extra food. People realize that the prize money increases every time someone is killed, which leads to a riot and people start attacking each other. Gihun’s group survives the attack and exchanges their names to get to know each other better. The 3rd game was revealed to be Tug of War. Gihun’s team struggled to win against the other team, as it was a male-dominated team.

Episode 5: A Fair World

Gihun’s team wins the Tug of War with the help of Player 001 and Sang-woo. To avoid another riot they block their area with barricades and take turns to guard the people during the night. Detective Jun-ho finds out about the illegal practices of organ harvesting taking place. Everyone involved in the organ harvesting was killed except Jun-ho. The Front Man orders to find Jun-ho, who broke into his office. In the office, Jun-ho discovers that this game has been taking place for 30 years and that his brother was the winner of the game in 2015.

Episode 6: Gganbu

The 4th game was Marbles and the players were asked to pair up for the game. The contestants will win if they collect all the marbles from their partners within 30 minutes. This episode was emotional because of the sacrifices and betrayals. Sang-woo tricks Ali to get all his marbles. Gi-hun and Sae-byeok were feeling traumatized by the death of their friends.

Episode 7: VIPs

The 5th game was a glass bridge challenge where the contestants had to cross the glass bridge. The twist is that the panels are either made of tempered or regular glass. Completing the task is dependent on the player’s fate. Only three contestants—Gi-hun, Sang-woo, and Sae-byeok—were able to complete the task on time.

Episode 8: Front Man

Gi-hun, Sae-byeok, and Sang-woo become the finalists of the game. They were given formal outfits and were invited to dinner. They were left with the steak knife after dinner. Sae-byeok was injured from the previous task and convinces Gi-hun to not kill Sang-woo as he is not a murderer. But Sang-woo kills Sae-byeok when Gi-hun is away. Gi-hun felt heartbroken and attacked him, but the guards stopped him. Meanwhile, Jun-ho was tracked down by the Front Man, who was revealed to be his brother. The Front Man tries to convince him to join them, but he refuses. The Front Man shoots him in the shoulder and he falls from the edge.

Episode 9: One Lucky Day

In the last episode, Gi-hun is the only contestant left after Sang-woo stabs himself and asks him to take care of his mother. Gi-hun wins the game, returns to Seoul, and discovers that his mother has died. Because of the guilt, Gi-hun did not touch his prize money. After some time, he receives an invitation from Oh Il-nam and it is revealed that Il-nam is the one who created the game to entertain rich people. In the end, the show ends with a cliffhanger as Gi-hun talks to the Front Man on a call while traveling to the airport to fly to Los Angeles to meet his daughter.

Key Highlights From Season 1

• When contestants accepted the invitation to the game and woke up in the dormitory, they were not aware of what was going to happen next. In the first game, Red Light, Green Light, the contestants started playing casually but soon discovered that those who were eliminated would be killed. It was a shocking revelation for them.

• In episode 4, Gi-hun makes alliances with other people for the tug of war. At first, everyone thought his team was weak because it included women and an old man, whereas the other team was male-dominated and included gangsters. But in the turn of events, his team wins because of the old man’s strategy and Sang-woo's intelligence.

• The alliances fall apart when they get paired for the marble game, which showcases betrayals, the will to survive, and the greed of the contestants. The highlighted scene of the episode is when Sang-woo betrays Ali to win the task. The viewers were heartbroken by Ali’s death and expressed their opinions on social media.

• In episode 7, during the Glass Bridge challenge, Mi-Nyeo takes her revenge on Deok-Su. At first, Mi-Nyeo thought Deok-Su was the strongest contestant in the game, so she hooked up with him to get close to him and asked him not to betray her. But when Deok-Su got a tip from another player that the next game would require strength, he didn't take her onto his team. So, in the Glass Bridge challenge, Mi-Nyeo grabs him and takes him down with her to get revenge.

• In episode 8, the reveal of the Front Man was a shocking moment for the viewer. Detective Jun-ho was shocked to see that the Front Man, who was operating the game, was his own big brother who disappeared a few years ago. In a turn of events, the Front Man tries to recruit him, but when Jun-ho refuses the offer, the Front Man shoots his own brother in the shoulder, causing him to fall off the edge into the water.

• A year after Gi-hun won the game, he received a card with a location. When he reaches the location, he finds that Il-Nam is alive and he is the one who invited Gi-hun. Il-Nam reveals that he is the one who created this game 30 years ago for rich people like himself.

What to Expect in the Upcoming Season 2

• Season 2 of Squid Game is set to be released on December 26, 2024. The official synopsis of Season 2 by Netflix states, “Three years after winning Squid Game, Player 456 gave up going to the States and comes back with a new resolution in his mind.”

• Gi-hun will be participating in the deadly survival game again to find the people behind this game and stop this vicious cycle.

• The upcoming season will feature new characters with different backstories to add a fresh perspective to the show. The new additions to the show include Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Park Sung-hoon, etc.

• There will be a new set of games in the competition, to add suspense, thrills, twists, and turns in the show.

Conclusion

After the success of Squid Game, the makers, along with the upcoming release of Season 2, announced in August 2024 that the third and final season of the show will be released in 2025. The upcoming seasons of Squid Game are highly anticipated by fans all around the world after its historic wins in the awards season of 2022. Fans are excited to see what will happen to Gi-hun in the next season and whether he will be able to find out who is behind the game.