Hwang Dong-hyuk (Writer/Director)

The Squid Games creator reveals two crucial scenes from the beginning of season 1 that he deems worth revisiting. The first takes place just a few minutes into the premiere episode and sets up the truly horrific circumstances that led to Seong Gi-hun’s decision to join the game. The other ties a seemingly minor character into the main Season 2 plot.

Hwang Dong-hyuk: Because I killed almost the entire cast and all of your favorite characters from season 1, there aren’t many characters that carry over from the first season to the next. But there are two, one is Jung-bae, Gi-hun’s friend. The other (is) Kim, who is the loan shark. And then (there are) two scenes I recommend watching again before going into the second season.

The first one (is) in the bathroom when Kim looks up to Gi-hun. And then the second scene(s) is where Gi-hun goes and tries to borrow money from Jung-bae outside his pub that he runs. I think it would be really fun for you to check them out before going into the second season.

Where to watch it:

• Season 1, Episode 1: Red Light, Green Light (Gi-hun gets beaten up by the loan shark)
• Season 1, Episode 2: Hell (Gi-hun asks to borrow money from Jung-bae)

Lee Jung-jae (player 456 / Seong Gi-hun) & Lee Seo-hwan (player 390 / Park Jung-bae)

Both Lee Jung-jae and Lee Seo-hwan agree with Hwang Dong-hyuk that the scene where Seong Gi-hun asks her friend Park Jung-bae for money is the key to understanding Season 2. Jung-bae appears only briefly in Season 1, but enters the game fully in future episodes.

Lee Jung-jae: So it goes quite naturally from Season 1 to Season 2, but one thing to keep in mind is the character of Jung-bae. He’ll be making more appearances in season 2, so keep an eye out for him.

Lee Seo-hwan: I will have to talk about my character Jung-bae. In Season 1, there is a scene where Gi-hun tries to get money from the ATM. He forgot his mother’s birthday so he struggles to get the money out of the ATM. And I cursed at the person standing behind him, “how can you not know your mother’s birthday?” And I used a very strong swear word then. So I was at home in my bathroom trying to figure out what swear word would really fit my situation and I practiced the swear word. And when I met Gi-hun again in Season 2, I wanted to use the same curse word, but it’s a pretty strong word in Korean, so I decided to use a more common curse word that we usually use with our friends.

Where to watch it:

• Season 1, Episode 2: Hell

Lee Byung-hun (Frontman / Hwang In-ho)

At the end of Season 1, Lee Byung-hun’s Front Man, the masked mastermind tasked with overseeing the game, is revealed to be the long-lost brother of Detective Hwang Jun-ho. Front Man is back for Season 2, and Lee insists his character’s reveal is key to what’s next.

Lee Byung-hun: For me, I’d have to say the scene at the top of the cliff when the mask comes off Front Man and he comes face to face with his younger brother. I think in that scene, not a lot of people probably relate to or even understand the kind of emotions he’s going through. You may have (been) wondering “why is he making that face?” and “what’s with the hand gesture?” And I feel like once you’ve seen the whole second season, you’re going to understand a little bit more of what was going on inside his head and what emotions he was going through.

Where to watch it:

• Season 1, Episode 8: Front Man

Jo Yu-ri (player 222 / Kim Jun-hee) & Yim Si-wan (player 333 / Lee Myung-gi)

In addition to returning cast members, Squid Game Season 2 is full of new faces. Yim Si-Wan plays a young man who gets caught up in a catastrophic crypto scheme that affects several other players, including his ex-girlfriend played by Jo Yu-Ri.

Jo Yu-ri: First of all, I was a huge fan of season 1. That’s why I was so happy and also feel honored to be in season 2. And from season 1, I would say if the fans remember the relationships or dynamics that were built between Gi – She and other characters who would help them understand why (he developed) such anger (and) anger. So much so that he decided to go back to the game.

Yim Si-wan: I think the key from Season 1 is obviously this main character Gi-Hun. So the fans can explore the reason why Gi-Hun didn’t (get) on the plane which was the end of season 1, to understand his ultimate motive (to go) back for another round of Squid Game in season 2.

Where to watch it:

• Season 1 Episode 9: One Lucky Day

Kang Ae-sim (Player 149 / Jang Geum-ja) & Yang Dong-geun (Player 007 / Park Yong-sik)

Also new to Season 2 are mother/son contestants played by Kang Ae-sim and Yang Dong-geun. Both were fans of Season 1 and believe the key to understanding upcoming episodes is to delve back into scenes with the repulsive VIPs bankrolling the game.

Kang Ae-sim: There are so many great scenes in Season 1, but one that comes to mind is a scene where we see the VIPs and their approach and their understanding of the game. And I think if the audience thinks about that scene, they will be very curious and interested to see what happens in season 2.

Yang Dong-geun I’d say it’s the same scene where the VIPs are talking. In-ho’s brother (Detective Hwang Jun-ho) is able to sneak in and kind of see what’s going on here. And I think it’s a really interesting scene because it’s director Hwang shedding light into this world that most of us might not have access to or can really imagine. And as an audience, you realize, wow, this is really how the upper echelon of the world works. And I think that’s an important context to have (while watching Season 2).

Where to watch it:

• Season 1, Episode 7: VIPs

These quotes have been edited for clarity.