Seong Gi-hun might have emerged victories in the life-or-death struggle in Squid Game’s first season but his life and his new earned fortune aren’t netting him much in the way of happiness. Looking to put his money to good use to stop the games that continue to prey upon normal people searching for a better life, Gi-hun has employed a ragtag crew in an effort to track down those running the event. While the opening salvo for Squid Game season two doesn’t see Seong jumping back into the games off the cuff, it does feature a major death that might have been the wrong decision for the series overall.
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Warning. If you have yet to watch Squid Game’s first episode, be forewarned that we’ll be diving into serious spoiler territory for the premiere. When it comes to how participants in the Squid Game are chosen, a nameless “Salesman” is the one that present a unique scenario to those who are down on their luck. After recruiting Gi-hun, the slick suited antagonist has continued to be hard at work in bringing new participants to the games. Two years after the events of the first season, the Salesman returns and has a particularly nasty game set up for Seong.
[RELATED: Why Is Squid Game Season 2 So Short (& Is Part 2 Coming)?]
Death of a Salesman
While Squid Game’s first season never saw the Salesman directly murder anyone, despite sending countless citizens to their demise, the season two premiere changed things. The Ddjaki enthusiast discovers two of Gi-hun’s men tailing him and manages to capture them. Having them play games of rock, paper, scissors that also involves the life-or-death game of Russian Roulette, one of Seong’s men survives only to tell the Salesman everything he knows about his boss.
Coming face-to-face with Gi-hun, the Salesman pulls out a gun and forces the protagonist to share in a game of Russian Roulette with him. While the game is one that will be the death of one of these characters, it gives the hero and villain the chance to clash on their philosophical outlooks on life. Ultimately, the Salesman loses and ends his own life, leaving Seong to try to continue his quest of stopping the Squid Games in their tracks.
The Salesman Might Have Been a Wasted Villain
Played by actor Gong Yoo, we discover that the Salesman went so far as to murder his own father when his parent became a part of the Squid Game in the past. This mentality apparently followed the antagonist throughout his entire life, as we witness him performing deplorable acts in a park filled with the homeless. Ironically, Yoo’s take is one of the most striking performances of any villain that we’ve seen, sharing a malicious intent behind his eyes in every scene. In his death, we might have definitely lost the makings of what could have been an all-time villain.
For those wanting more Squid Game post-season two, we have good news for you. The third, and final, season of the show will premiere in the summer of next year, so you won’t be waiting long to see how Netflix’s biggest series ends its wild story.
Want to stay up to date on this world of playground games gone awry? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on all things Squid Game and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
