When the second season of Netflix’s massively popular death games drama “Squid Game” was announced, die-hard fans were desperate to get their eyes on the new characters who would be risking their lives for a shot at a fortune. Part of why audiences find themselves hooked by “Squid Game” and other death game media like “The Hunger Games” is their connection to the story’s main players. We fall for our favorite characters and then spend the duration of the film or series at the edge of our seats, hands clasped, praying that our beloved competitors don’t get caught by a bullet or stray arrow.
But “Squid Game” Season 2 (or “Squid Game 2,” as it’s stylized) added a new ripple to this phenomenon with the introduction of Hyun-ju, aka Player 120, a trans woman competing in the death games to proceed with her transition and leave Korea to make a better life for herself. In an era where queer representation is increasingly dire, including a trans character in the world’s most popular television show seems like a positive — at least on paper.
