Simply in time for late-stage capitalism’s Christmas hangover, Netflix will drop the second season of Squid Sport. The pandemic-era hit present garnered Emmy acclaim with wins for main man Lee Jung-jae (The Acolyte) and its director Hwang Dong-hyuk. Hwang, who additionally created the present, took a while to develop the remainder of the imaginative and prescient for Squid Sport as the primary season was impressed by the Korean monetary disaster, and the continued social economical unrest within the wake of a worldwide pandemic served as the premise of seasons two and three.
In an interview with Deadline, Hwang mentioned how the worldwide occasions which have transpired for the reason that sequence grew to become successful actually introduced out extra of the discourse he explored in his authentic idea. “Do we now have the willpower and power to attempt to make the world a greater place? Does humanity have what it takes to alter the course of the world, and may we actually let go of our greed, our needs with a purpose to create a greater world collectively? These had been among the questions that I needed to pose, not a lot about who or how these folks behind the video games like what they’re like,” he shared. He’s extra taken with how the faceless enemies driving late-stage capitalism have continued to punch down on decrease lessons much more within the wake of a pandemic, somewhat than discovering out who they are precisely.
What are the themes of Squid Sport season 2?
“The one factor that I had most in thoughts was this present world and the way it makes all of us divided, it separates us from the opposite group, creates completely different sides to change into hostile,” he mirrored. “There are such a lot of issues that divide us at present, whether or not it’s race, faith, language, the haves and the have nots, the generational divisions … We take a look at the political division, the left in opposition to the suitable, the conservatives in opposition to the progressives, and issues like this result in such a division the place it nearly looks like there may be this line that completely can’t be crossed. Plainly the world leaders are creating these partitions and divisions and it leads us to suppose that everybody who’s on the opposite facet, who doesn’t suppose as you do, is an enemy that can’t ever be forgiven.”
Hwang described how current political occasions spurned by the pandemic’s aftermath factored into the allegory of the Squid Sport—and the way a brand new degree of judgment within the type of votes among the many members in season two mirrors cancel tradition. “Much more so than the stress that comes from the video games themselves, I felt extra intense emotions of suspense and stress from these votes, since you can not however marvel what’s going to occur if the video games are going to go on, who’s going to vote,” Hwang defined. “That results in the folks within the video games considering no matter [is chosen], I’m proper, you’re flawed. I’m an angel. You’re absolute evil. All all through season two, I used to be specializing in that challenge of, is there actually hope for us?”
Why is Squid Sport season 2 solely 7 episodes lengthy?
“Season one got here out through the pandemic, and it’s been about three or 4 years, and now, when you see the world and the setting that we stay in, I believe it’s spiraling downwards. It’s not getting any higher,” the Squid Sport creator advised Deadline. “We nonetheless see gaps between gender and the poor exacerbating and we see wars across the globe, and we now have conflicts between races, faith, class. Taking a look at all that, and I additionally really feel just like the younger folks simply desire a jackpot as a result of they don’t have that ladder they will climb up, they don’t have that anymore. I believe as a result of these items are nonetheless occurring in our world, I might be influenced by that, and I might create a season two.”
The center arc of Squid Sport, which runs simply seven episodes (season one was 9), units the stage for the sequence’ remaining season. “I wrote seasons two and three on the similar time, and we had been in manufacturing for each concurrently, and at the moment we’re within the post-production course of for season three,” Hwang shared. “Once I was writing the script for the 2 seasons, I felt like there was a giant turning level or an inflection level, and that was the top of episode seven, so I assumed that it will do it justice to have a separate season after that. That’s why I had first seven episodes as season two after which the remainder of season three.”
In season two, we’ll be getting a extra rounded view of everybody trapped within the system put in place by these on the high working the video games. “In season one, I used the cop who infiltrated the sport, Hwang Jun-ho, as a strategy to introduce the lifetime of the employees there,” Hwang mentioned. “This time round, you’ll be able to see a sneak peek into the lives of the troopers and managers and the way they got here to be who they’re.”
Squid Sport season two drops December 26 on Netflix.
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