Squid Game (Season 2): Official trailer
The highly anticipated second season of Squid Game is finally here, and fans can look forward to meeting a slew of new players who will be joining the game.
Only four familiar faces will be returning for the Netflix show's second instalment, including Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun, Wi Ha-joon as Hwang Jun-ho, Lee Byung-hun as Hwang In-ho, and Gong Yoo as The Salesman.
Among the newcomers are a mother and son duo, Yong-sik (played by Yang Dong-geun) and Geum-ja (played by Kang Ae-sim), who will undoubtedly tug at viewers' heartstrings, given that only one player can emerge victorious in Squid Game.
Interestingly, this narrative decision by the show's writers bears an unsettling resemblance to real-life events, as reported by Slash Film. In the reality spin-off series, Squid Game: The Challenge, a real-life mother-son duo, Leann Wilcox Plutnicki and Trey Plutnicki, participated in the games.
While they had a relatively successful run, with Leann making it to the Marbles game in episode 6 and Trey getting eliminated in the penultimate Glass Bridge challenge, their fate was decidedly less dire than that of their fictional counterparts, reports the Mirror US.
In a promotional video for Netflix, Yang described his character, Yong-sik, as "an immature, shameless gambler buried in debt" who initially entered the games alone in a desperate bid to pay off his debts.
As the stakes are higher than ever in Squid Game season 2, Yong-sik and Geum-ja appear to be headed for a tragic fate.
Meanwhile, Yang has described her on-screen persona as "a resilient mother with a deep commitment to providing for her family".
Yang further commented: "The idea of a mother and son entering the game together is fascinating. Somehow, having Geum-ja and Yong-sik as a duo onscreen just gives me a sense of ease. Amidst all the terror, his mother is his anchor. She is his mom, his rock."
Fans might find solace in this familial bond, but they should brace themselves for an emotional rollercoaster as the storyline of the intrepid pair reaches its conclusion.
Squid Game season 2 is streaming exclusively on Netflix from December 26.
