'Squid Game' Season 2 must address a burning question about the past games

'Squid Game' Season 2 will be released on Thursday, December 26
PUBLISHED DEC 22, 2024
Know about the fate of past winners of Lee Jung-jae's 'Squid Game' (@netflix)
Know about the fate of past winners of Lee Jung-jae's 'Squid Game' (@netflix)

Contains spoilers and speculations for 'Squid Game'

No one can forget the frenzy that 'Squid Game' Season 1 was, as the show not only garnered major attention but also successfully opened the doors for Korean content to flourish. Capitalizing on its glory, the streaming platform is back with 'Squid Game' Season 2, which is all set to rule fans' hearts from Thursday, December 26.

While 'Squid Game' Season 1 essentially encapsulated the dark side of winning riches in a deadly game, the Season 2 trailer teased more gore and intrigue, skyrocketing the already mounting anticipation. However, there is still one question that stands still about the past winners of the deadly games.

What happened to the past winners in 'Squid Game'?

Lee Byung-hun in a still from 'Squid Game' (Netflix/@ nojuhan)
Lee Byung-hun in a still from 'Squid Game' (Netflix/@ nojuhan)

'Squid Game' Season 1 essentially captured hearts for its gritty narrative, where ordinary folks kept their lives on the line to earn riches. Yet nothing much about the origins of the deadly game is established, as the show also fails to address the past winners. While 'Squid Game' Season 1 saw Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) winning the big prize, his mental health was not the same, and guilt-ridden, the man decided to expose the games. In addition, the second winner, viewers are aware of, is Hwang In-ho (Lee Byung-hun), aka the Front Man, who is revealed to have won the 2015 edition and is now headlining the operations of the games. 

Other than these two, nothing much is known about the past winners. It can be speculated that the past winners of 'Squid Game,' just like Gi-hun, were greatly impacted by the outcome and ended up with mental health issues. I feel that despite the enormous prize, the winners were left with permanent mental scars, which might be haunting them, rendering them to keep a backseat and disappear from the public eye. Not only that, it could also be possible that some of the winners might have joined the ranks of VIPs and are now enjoying the games, like many other rich folks.

Fans speculate about the past winners of 'Squid Game'     

'Squid Game' Season 2 will premiere on Netflix on December (Netflix)
Lee Jung-jae in a still from 'Squid Game' Season 2 (Netflix)

The ardent 'Squid Game' fans also scratched their heads about the whereabouts of the past winners and shared their opinions under a Reddit thread.

A fan said, "They’d probably all have PTSD, and that would shape the rest of their lives. No amount of money can un-do that. So what will they do? Probably adopt a lot of maladaptive strategies that those of us with PTSD do. Drugs, alcohol, gambling and so on. Some of them would end up taking their own lives. Yes, therapy can help - but how do you ever explain something like this to a therapist?" A fan shared, "They live a luxurious life style but keep things on the down-low. Just like modern day lotto winners."

Meanwhile another speculated, "I feel like seeing so much death and tragedy over the course of a week would truly f*ck you for life, no matter how much money you wound up with. Gi-Hun really embodies the percentage of huge lottery winners whose lives become absolute trash after getting an obscene amount of money. I’d like to know how the Front Man was able to deal with the massive PTSD, how he even became the Front Man, and how long he’s been doing it. What would you do if you won? I’d like to think I’d donate half, give 1/4 to my family, and live off the interest on the rest. I’m also not a gambler or in crippling debt, so there’s that."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.

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