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The Squid Game cast wants you to watch these scenes again before Season 2

Posted on by Taylor Reeves
The Squid Game cast wants you to watch these scenes again before Season 2

The following contains spoilers for Squid Game Season 1

It’s been three long years since Squid Game’s protagonist, Seong Gi-Hun (aka Player 456), returned to an airplane bridge and decided to end the cutthroat competition once and for all. In the aftermath, we had to wonder how exactly Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) would carry out his campaign of revenge and whether he would emerge victorious again.

Now the second season of Squid Game is upon us, and if you haven’t watched the first season recently, you’ve come to the right place. IGN recently sat down with Lee, writer/director Hwang Dong-hyuk, and most of the cast to reveal which key moments from Season 1 are worth rewatching.

Hwang Dong-hyuk (writer/director)

The creator of Squid Game reveals two crucial scenes from the beginning of the first season that he believes are worth revisiting. The first episode takes place just a few minutes into the premiere episode and depicts the truly dire circumstances that led to Seong Gi-hun’s decision to join the game. The second integrates a seemingly minor character into the main plot of the second season.

Hwang Dong-hyuk: Since I killed off almost the entire cast and all of your favorite characters from Season 1, there aren’t many characters that carry on from the first season to the next. But there are two, one of them is Jung-bae, Gi-hun’s friend. The second is Kim, the loan shark. And so I recommend watching two scenes again before starting the second season.

The first is in the bathroom when Kim beats up Gi-hun. And then the second scene is where Gi-hun tries to borrow money from Jung-bae in front of the pub he runs. I think you would really enjoy watching it before starting the second season.

Where can you see 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 Jung-bae to borrow money)

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

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Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun and Lee Seo-hwan as Park Jung-bae in Squid Game Season 2. Copyright No Ju-han/Netflix © 2024

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

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

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

Where can you see it:

  • Season 1, Episode 2: Hell

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

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Lee Byung-hun as the frontman in Season 2 of Squid Game. Copyright No. Ju-han/Netflix © 2024

At the end of the first season, Lee Byung-hun’s frontman, 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 that unmasking his character is key to what comes next.

Lee Byung-hun: For me I would say the scene at the top of the cliff when Front Man takes off his mask and he comes face to face with his younger brother. I think in this scene probably not many people can relate or even understand the type 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 have a feeling that after watching the entire second season, you’ll understand a little more what’s going on what was going on in his head and what emotions he was experiencing.

Where can you see it:

  • Season 1, Episode 8: Frontman

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

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Jo Yu-ri as Kim Jun-hee and Yim Si-wan as Lee Myung-gi in Squid Game Season 2. Copyright No. Ju-han/Netflix © 2024

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

Jo Yu-ri: Firstly, I was a huge fan of Season 1. That’s why I was so happy and honored to be a part of Season 2. And from Season 1, I would say if fans remember the relationships or dynamics that were built between Gi-Hun and other characters, that would help them understand why (he) developed such anger (and) resentment. So much so that he decided to return to the game.

Yim Siwan: I think the key to the first season is of course this protagonist Gi-Hun. So fans can find out why Gi-Hun didn’t get on the plane at the end of season 1 to understand his real motive for returning for another round of “Squid Game” in season 2.

Where can you see it:

  • Season 1, Episode 9: A Happy Day

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

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Yang Dong-guen as Park Yong-sik and Kang Ae-sim as Jang Geum-ja in Squid Game Season 2. Copyright No. Ju-han/Netflix © 2024

Also new to Season 2 are mother/son contestants played by Kang Ae-sim and Yang Dong-geun. Both were fans of the first season and believe that the key to understanding the upcoming episodes is to revisit the scenes with the disgusting VIPs who finance 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 understanding of the game. And I think when audiences think about this scene, they will be very curious and interested to see what happens in Season 2.

Yang Dong-geun I would 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 see what’s happening here. And I think that’s a really interesting scene because it’s director Hwang shedding light on a world that most of us might not have access to or even imagine. And as an audience you realize, wow, this is actually how the upper echelons of the world work. And I think that’s important context to have when watching season two.

Where can you see it:

  • Season 1, Episode 7: VIPs

These quotes have been edited for clarity.

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