Squid Game 2's ending was changed at the last minute. But we'll still be able to see it

The director of the Netflix series explains the reasons behind the biggest news of the new season

Image Credit: Netflix

It took writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk a full ten years to bring his TV series Squid Game to the small screen. At the time, it was just another K-drama, but thanks to Netflix it became a real phenomenon. And the streamer offered him something that Korean authors rarely manage to do: make a sequel. No sooner said than done: the second season will arrive on the platform at Christmas, while the third will officially conclude the story of Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) in 2025. But for Hwang, the process was not easy: 

"I wrote the first season without thinking that there would be a second. So, when I was commissioned to make new episodes, the pressure for me was immense. […] Fortunately, I think I was able to create a more captivating story, with more interesting characters and more original games." Interviewed by Deadline, the director explained that this season of Squid Game will have a big novelty, perhaps not so great for fans: seven episodes instead of nine. But, Hwang assures, there is a good reason: «I wrote the second and third seasons at the same time. While I was working on the script, I perceived a turning point at the end of episode 7, which led to an important change for the protagonist. 

So I felt I had to do justice to this moment by creating a separate season. That's why there will be only seven episodes: you will find the rest in the 3». This decision taken on the fly ended up altering the ending not only of the second season but of Squid Game in general: «The conclusion of the second came to me quite quickly. On the contrary, that of season 3 evolved in a different direction from what I had initially imagined. It happened during the writing of the script when I realized that it would be worth taking another path».

Of course, we don’t know what Hwang is referring to and what the mysterious twist will be that will change everything in episode 7. According to the premise of the new episodes, Gi-hun will sign up for a new edition of the games, but this time he will try to warn all the other competitors of the imminent and terrible death that awaits them. We can therefore assume that in episode 7 something decisive will happen: will the games end early because of his sabotage? Will Gi-hun win again, finding himself face-to-face with the Front Man? Or, on the contrary, will he be the one to succumb this time?

We will find out with the second season of Squid Game on December 26th…