Chinguwa jeok

First off, I want to say I never write reviews for shows or movies or anything. The only reason I'm writing this one is to express how disappointed I am with this finale.

Season 2 was definitely a downgrade from season 1. Don't get me wrong, this season was not bad. It had great moments and great new characters, but in my opinion did not live up to the hype that was built up for the last few years. This finale, compared to the season 1's, did not feel like a finale in the slightest.

I understand the final season will be coming out next year to wrap up major storylines that were left unfinished in this season, but to end the season like this feels very abrupt and sudden. I sat watching the end of this episode wondering if the last two episodes were going to premiere in the upcoming weeks.

TLDR: Decent season, unfinished/abrupt ending.

The season ends really abruptly without any real payoff.

On its own this is a good episode but it feels like there would an episode after it but there's not. It feels like the writers didn't know where to stop to carry on for season 3 so they just cut very suddenly. It's still a good episode and I enjoyed it but it didn't feel like a season finale in the slightest.

If they added an extra 30 minutes to the episode to make it complete I think it would be rated higher.

It doesn't even really feel like a set up episode it just looks like they forgot a few episodes to release after and stopped it because they needed somewhere to start season 3.

"Squid Game 2" fails to recapture the magic of the first season. The original thrived on its simplicity, a stark, haunting intensity that drew you in and refused to let go. With a lower budget, it felt more epic - its rawness, its desperation, gave every game a weight that was impossible to ignore. Now, that tension is gone. The heart-pounding dread, the gripping uncertainty, the unexpected brilliance - it's all missing. Season 2 struggles to find the same emotional pull, leaving a series that once felt groundbreaking now feeling strangely ordinary. The spark that made it unforgettable has dimmed.

As previously said by many it's not the best ending. We finished episode 7 at 2am and decided to sleep and continue it the next night, only to realise after having made the popcorn that we had in fact already finished the season without realising it.

Putting it down to Korean vs western media and crossing our fingers that the wait will pay off in the end (also sometimes it's nice not to have everything tied up in a little bow - this truely was a first for us)

The gunfight was too long but I put that down to lazy writing and the fact that they want to keep the bar low so that they can blow us away with season 3.

What is the point of releasing a season like this? The first season was compelling throughout and complete. This one started strong and then seemed to throw paint at the wall until deciding to give up and say "tune in next time!". Why?

I'm sure I will still watch season 3, but I don't know how this can be considered a season by itself. It feels like a terrible version of movies which do part 1&2. Just delay the release until there is a complete story to tell in a season, because milking subscription months for Netflix like this is just sad. Even doing a weekly release of each episode would be preferable to splitting into 2 half seasons 6+ months apart.

The finale itself is incredibly unsatisfying and spends a lot of time on dull action scenes. I would rather have not known about this season until the rest of it is available, and wouldn't recommend watching season 2 until 3 is out.