There's basically no debating the fact that Squid Game was one of the all-time TV sensations when it dropped in late 2021, capturing the imaginations of countless viewers and rocketing Netflix into pole position as the best streaming service. I say countless, but in reality Netflix doubtless has a crazy dossier of all the records the show broke.
It's been a long old wait for its second season, since then, with endless teasers and hints getting dropped. The show's coming on Boxing Day this year, 26 December, and promises to step up with even more carnage than the last time out, as its first proper full-scale trailer recently showed.
It makes it immediately clear that while we'll be getting a continuation of the story from where it left off last time out (albeit with a time skip), we'll also be returning to some very familiar sights and games. Gi-Hun (Lee Jung-jae) is clearly going to be dragged back into captivity as Player 456, with a fresh batch of newcomers to play with or against.
At least one major game will be the same, too – we get a good look at the horrifying "Red Light, Green Light" doll, which is going to be the first big filter of contestants. It shows how Gi-Hun will do his best to convince the newcomers that he's seen this all before, and that while he can guide them a little, they'd better all vote to end the games as soon as possible.
It's also immediately clear that Squid Game's social satire isn't going anywhere. Gi-Hun is clearly going to have a great deal of trouble convincing people that they should quit the game, and a new slogan of "One more game" gets chanted by the crowd at one stage.
So, we're going to be looking at two divided tribes of competitors, colour-coded red and blue, who just can't see eye to eye on anything, despite the need to come together. Sound familiar? Even before the recent election result in the US, that would have been pretty on the nose.
In its aftermath, expect plenty of reaction from all over the world pointing out similarities to recent events. There's clearly plenty more to look forward to in the episodes to come, though, with more returning characters and, of course, the ongoing question of whether the games' organisers will ever get their comeuppance.
The trailer also leaves plenty of questions – who's brought the games back in the first place? How many games will we see this time? Who are the new competitors? Will Gi-Hun make it through a second time? Hopefullly all will be revealed near the end of the year.
