Squid Game’s big comeback to Netflix rocketed the charts to become one of the biggest arrivals in the streaming service’s history. With millions of viewers once again diving into this contest with life-or-death consequences, season two brought the goods in terms of excellent storytelling and earth-shattering twists. One of the best twists that the second season gave to fans was the reveal of a traitor in the midst of the contestants searching for a better life. While a traitor was also a part of the first season’s events, the second season has raised the stakes and given viewers a figure that worked on multiple levels.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Warning. If you have yet to watch Squid Game Season 2, be forewarned that we’ll be diving into serious spoiler territory. Seong Gi-hun found himself in quite the pickle this go-around, as the previous winner of the Squid Game found himself once again entering the contest in a bid to save the lives of participants. In the first season, Gi-hun found himself forging a friendship with an old man named Oh Il-nam, who turned out to be one of the creators of the Squid Game. In an ironic twist, the “001” player of season two is also a spy, albeit one that is far more connected to the overall running of the games. “The Frontman” made the decision to go from behind-the-scenes to being an actual contestant in season two and the twist works brilliantly.
[RELATED: Squid Game Creator Explains Why Season 2 Ends After That Shocking Cliffhanger]
The Front Man’s Diabolical Status
The Front Man, aka Il-nam, arrives at the tail end of the third episode of Squid Game season two. He quickly becomes a fast-friend to Seong and even works to help keep him alive during some of the games, albeit with a fiendish glee when it comes to “throwing” one of the challenges to extend the tension for the lead character. What makes Il-nam all the more terrifying here is that he helps reinforce human nature while seemingly remaining on Gi-hun’s side.
One of the biggest changes to the games this time around is the fact that contestants are given the opportunity to leave the Squid Game following each competition. In one particularly tense moment, “001” even goes so far as to back Gi-hun in imploring contestants to vote to leave with the money they’ve made. Of course, the Front Man has a good read on human nature and knows that they’ll vote to remain, making it all the more intriguing as to how he plays his hand.
Squid Game is Capitalism
The Front Man and the runners of the life-or-death children’s games have positioned themselves perfectly to place these down and out folks against one another. Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has stated in the past that the series I meant to be a an “allegory for modern capitalist society” and Squid Game’s second season capitalizes on this fact even more than its first. With the third and final season arriving later this year, it will be interesting to see if any more traitors are placed into Seong’s path.
Want to see what the future holds for the participants of the Squid Game? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Netflix’s runaway hit and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
