Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Squid Game Season 2.
The wealthy VIPs and pitiless consumers of the Squid Game tournament are by far considered the most culpable party of the show, as they create the demand for the kind of atrocity that Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) is fighting against. But in Season 2, his focus is on the face of the games, the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) and the upper echelons of the creators, considering this is as close as he can come to attacking the elite. With all these overarching and nearly untouchable villains, the stakes in Squid Game Season 2 are undoubtedly higher. Unfortunately, the expanded scope means another integral aspect of the show was neglected.
One of the most compelling parts of Squid Game is how the players engage with each other after subsequent games and changes. Hosting a large cast, the show turns many of these characters into archetypes, which is effective in the context of the creative games, interactions, and sequences. Last season's prison-yard-gang-leader character was brilliantly captured by Deok-su (Heo Seong-tae), adding layers of imminent danger alongside the perilous games. Thanos (T.O.P.) takes up that mantle this season, but with the lurking threats of the creators coming into focus due to Gi-hun's thirst for vengeance, Thanos is unable to fulfill his on-the-ground villainous potential.
Thanos Is a Contemporary Villain in 'Squid Game' Season 2
When Gi-hun wakes up in the familiar hall of bunk beds and green tracksuits, we expectantly await the torrent of outrage and interrogation the drugged players have for their captors. The structure of the competition lends itself to a formulaic approach that we already accept, but this season of Squid Game adds a bit of freshness to its cast. The show ushers in members of a younger generation who eagerly speak out with rolling eyes, entitled sighs, and sarcastic comments. They make the games a bit more approachable to a younger audience while also giving the show a modern feel. When we are first introduced to the purple-haired rapper Thanos, he seems like another full-of-himself caricature whose only priorities are fame and fortune.
Gradually, Thanos becomes an intriguing antagonist in this season, while also giving us a more contemporary version of the prison-yard-gang-leader. Deok-su was what we typically envision for this archetype: tough, aggressive, and bull-headed. People immediately pick him out as someone to steer clear of or to flock to for protection, as seen with Mi-nyeo's (Kim Joo-ryoung) attempts at seducing him. Thanos gives a modern update to this foreboding presence as his drug habits make him unpredictable and thus untrustworthy. T.O.P. slaps on wild eyes, an eerily gleeful prance and a careless tone that renders Thanos as someone you don't mess with, simply because you have no way of knowing how he will react. It is gripping to watch his mercurial actions and everyone tiptoeing around him, and thus it feels as if he is being set up for a bigger role in the show as the games progress.
'Squid Game' Season 2 Wasted Thanos' Potential
However, his characterization is where his appeal ends, as it was wasted in the series by not giving him a key role in the events. Throughout Squid Game Season 2, Thanos' interactions with Gi-hun are limited, and he only really impacts one minor storyline. He is threatening and violent towards another player who is a YouTuber that talks about investments and cryptocurrency (how annoyingly familiar). The reason Thanos is playing in the tournament is that he invested his money as per the YouTuber's advice and lost it all. Hence, the majority of his aggressive behavior is reserved for these interactions, which later inspires the YouTuber to connect with his pregnant girlfriend. By only really using Thanos in this capacity and not in the larger narrative, it is a waste of his thrilling characterization.
In fact, he only really exerts his erratic attitude towards his own clique, from goading them into conversing in a certain way, enforcing strange labels, never learning the name of his second and abandoning certain members during games. The rest of the Squid Game participants did tread carefully around him, but it ended up feeling pointless since his actions rarely affected anyone else. If anything, only his death caused a major impact on everyone. After a tied vote, he incites a bathroom skirmish where he is killed viciously by a fork. It is the catalyst for the inevitable all-out brawl where each side tries to cut the other's numbers down. Though his demise is a significant turning point in the show, the reason it is truly shocking is because of how incomplete his narrative arc feels. We were waiting for his characterization to eventually build up to something big only for it to be cut off – he was never given a chance to live up to his villainous potential.
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'Squid Game' Season 2 Needed More Episodes
It is difficult not to question the creative decision of minimizing the prison-yard-gang-leader archetype's impact on the series, especially considering the themes and stakes of the season. One of the primary concerns of Squid Game is analyzing how the human condition reacts to extreme situations, and this character trope is vital to that. Season 2 stayed consistent with many of its archetypes and the idea of clubs forming, but it wasn't able to achieve the same tension due to the pack leader not stepping up to the plate. His unnerving presence is acknowledged but was never built up to that palpable crescendo that strung everyone's nerves out. Conflict and fear would curdle up in Deok-su's wake. In comparison, Thanos merely left a vague sense of unease.
As such, Squid Game Season 2 feels a bit out of balance as it neglects more personal rivalries in lieu of the higher conflicts. Perhaps more episodes should have been included to allow for Thanos’ bigger involvement in the show, before cutting him down in an unanticipated, grisly death scene. It would be particularly compelling if he had more of a hand in keeping Gi-hun on his toes. With Gi-hun challenging the structure of the games, having to worry about the dominant players would have aligned with the higher stakes of this season. As such, he would be facing multiple credible threats and the tension would be geared into overdrive, as he had to plan for every front. Instead, Thanos' promise petered out in a bloody pool, with the character not nearly having enough of an impact that he deserved.
Squid Game Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Netflix.
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Hundreds of cash-strapped players accept a strange invitation to compete in children's games. Inside, a tempting prize awaits with deadly high stakes: a survival game that has a whopping 45.6 billion-won prize at stake.
Release Date September 17, 2021
Finale Year November 30, 2024
Cast Wi Ha-joon , Anupam Tripathi , Oh Yeong-su , Heo Sung-tae , Park Hae-soo , Jung Ho-yeon , Lee Jung-jae , Kim Joo-ryoung
Seasons 2
Directors Hwang Dong-hyuk
Showrunner Hwang Dong-hyuk