Exactly everything I expected from S2 if not more! Unlike the majority, I am so glad that they flashed out the aftermath of S1 for 2 whole episodes & gave depth to many plot points & characters like Gi-Hun’s obsession to find the creators (Lee Jung-Jae performance of a trauma struck & hungry for revenge Gi-Hun deserves all the praise), the hotel converted to his ever expanding lair, the detective’s POV with their stories entangling, introduction to new characters etc. The Recruiter (Gong Yoo)’s return with focus on his back story & SPS-1 + RR was peak. Notice how at the end of E1 when both the parties finally meet each other, the face off is kept fair to games while having such thoughtful screenplay with the red light on their faces or collective reactions to the outcome of the games, kinda shows that Gi-Hun was meant to survive for a greater reason as mentioned by the Black Magician (like Haider with the gun scene)! Bread & Lottery was a beautiful mirror to the greed of even the underprivileged. While S1 had a memorable set of raw characters, S2 expands on various new interesting groups. Loved the POV of Guard 11 (Park Gyu-young): how rich is her lore with that kid or the Manager (wanna explore in S3). Jung Bae (Lee Seo-hwan)’s subtle greed but also having his friend’s back, made Gi-Hun smile after so long! Thanos (T.O.P) - a great comedic relief bully adding a purple flavour (sour) while also shedding light on personalities like people pleasers, blind fans, introverts & cleverly. 222 (Jo Yu-ri) depicts getting good riddance of a toxic relationship while also dreaming to become a good yet early mother, her innocence was unmatchable! The mom-son duo (YanDong-geun) won my heart showing till what extent our parents love us & how we shouldn’t take them for granted. 333 (Yim Siwan)’s crypto scam added a layer of social media creators. Dae-Ho (Kang Ha-neul)’s depth as an only boy child with many sisters & later discovering his PTSD. Unni (Park Sung-hoon) was my favourite: the way they wanted to express themselves while getting accepted by the underdog group was so wholesome (you’re bful Unni 🥺) & their knowledge about the guns as an ex army personal was crazy! The tension between the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun)& Gi Hun was peak, especially how much of a bluff FM was, an amazing parallel to Oh Il Nam’s bet in S1 E9 as both 001’s wanted to make Gi-Hun realise that the games will continue till the people won’t change (reference to their Limo conversation), maybe even hinting Gi-Hun becoming the next FM (notice how he wears 001 hoodie in S1’s marbles game). Detective (Wi Ha-joon) & Fisherman’s arc added a brilliant twist of how the creator’s are always 2 steps ahead, employee’s respect for his boss post the RR was incredible. The games of this season had much higher stakes, proving how both the protagonists (previous winners) are actually smart gamers. The nostalgic score brought a smile to my face while also elevating the level, especially in “Round & Round” with the strobe effect or the “Fly Me To The Moon X Lights”! My other hot take: I am a fan of the season finale, reminded me of the adrenaline from the OBX2 finale: the attention to detail with the magazines, last minute plot twists & the cliffhanger end was exactly what I needed! I also had no problems with the pacing, it lets the story flesh out smoothly! My only complaint was how at times many things were left to luck like Detective not revealing Front Man’s identity, Votes, Jung Bae not revealing 001’s violence etc. Overall, I really don’t know what else were the “fans” expecting from S2? While S1 was about establishing the world & a complete story, S2 was an amazing set up for the final showdown & this was honestly the best they could do to continue & conclude the story! I personally keep S1&2 on the same level! PS: Those who didn’t like the ending: picture how Money Heist S1 was divided into Part 1&2 + S2 to Part 3&4. That’s exactly how the final season of Squid Game was divided into 2 seasons to spread out the story properly!