Get ready for an epic showdown between the first and second seasons of "Squid Game"! We're breaking down which season reigns supreme across five intense rounds, comparing everything from deadly games to jaw-dropping twists. Who will come out on top in this battle of survival?
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're pitting the first and second seasons of Squid Game against each other to see which takes the giant piggy bank of cash.
00:12Major spoilers for both seasons will ensue.
00:15Round one, games.
00:22Season one created an instantly iconic image as a group of unsuspecting players lined up for the world's deadliest game of red light, green light.
00:29It set a precedent for an anxiety-riddled show where childhood games become a deadly survival competition.
00:40Whether the players were tasked with meticulously carving an umbrella shape from honeycomb candy, collecting enough marbles to live, or walking across an elevated glass bridge,
00:59season one kept finding dementedly inventive ways to raise the stakes.
01:10The titular Squid Game might not be as creative as what came before, but it's every bit as sadistic in what boils down to a bloody brawl to the death and an internal morality struggle.
01:27While season two takes its time returning to the island, there's still room for fatal games of chance like rock, paper, scissors meets Russian roulette.
01:44When the games officially get started again, Song Gi-hun and the audience know what awaits as the players step into the red light, green light arena.
02:06That doesn't make it any less intense as contestants are gunned down, despite Gi-hun's warnings and guidance.
02:13At the risk of revealing too much, season two also adds a few new games like Six-Legged Pentathlon and Mingle.
02:25The latter two emphasize teamwork, but the longer people play, the more likely somebody will eventually be thrown under the bus.
02:37Season two only features three official games, one of which we already saw in the previous season.
02:47The first season not only included more games, but each of them left a greater impact than the ones introduced in season two.
02:54Round one thus goes to season one.
03:04Round two, action.
03:06Between Red Light, Green Light and the final game, season one opens and closes with heart-pounding set pieces.
03:20Yet the season isn't quite as action-heavy as you might expect.
03:24Most of the games, such as Pop-Gi, put more pressure on the player's mental state, focusing on slow-building suspense rather than adrenaline.
03:33Even the more physically challenging games like Tug of War only offer so many possibilities in terms of action choreography and staging.
03:44As over-the-top as season one might have been, it could also be surprisingly intimate, with the action taking a backseat to what was going through the characters' heads.
03:52Although season two has fewer games, it compensates in the action department.
04:06The six-legged pentathlon and mingle require the players to be on their toes at all times, but the most action-packed moments are not the games themselves.
04:15When the remaining contestants are torn on whether or not to keep playing, a heated confrontation turns a bathroom into an all-out war zone.
04:27The season saves its most impressive action set piece for last, as Gi-hun's team stages a rebellion against the masked enforcers.
04:34The sequence makes impeccable use of its environment as the armed players attempt to take control of this colorful madhouse.
04:46Even if they don't succeed, it feels like the rules have been forever changed.
04:58Ironically, season one may have more games, but season two goes bigger whenever it can, delivering grander action that goes off the rails.
05:07This round belongs to the sophomore season.
05:15Winner, season two.
05:23Season one introduces us to the games through the eyes of Sung Gi-hun, one of the many contestants who doesn't realize what he's signed up for until he's running for his life.
05:31Even after getting a taste of the games, Gi-hun struggles to stay away.
05:39Each episode keeps us guessing what unspeakable horrors await the players next.
05:44Between the games, season one takes time to touch upon what makes the players tick while gradually revealing what's happening behind the scenes.
05:56This balance of character development, moral quandaries, mystery, and spectacle makes for a riveting season of television without a dull moment.
06:04It builds to a killer finale, with the games truly just getting started.
06:15Although season two hits several familiar beats, it doesn't rehash the same formula.
06:20The first two episodes primarily take place off the island, allowing more time to flesh out Gi-hun and his new allies.
06:37Finding the only way to end the games is from the inside, Gi-hun returns to the island.
06:43While Gi-hun has played before, the rules have been modified somewhat.
06:47Namely, players can vote on whether they should continue playing between games.
06:56Desperation and greed repeatedly trump common sense and humanity, stressing the show's central theme.
07:02Yet watching the characters vote can get redundant as we eagerly await the next game.
07:07The ending is also a little abrupt, feeling more like a mid-season finale than a season finale.
07:19While we wouldn't call season two slow, certain sections can get sluggish.
07:24Season one is tighter and fresher with a more satisfying finish, claiming this round.
07:38Winner, season one.
07:40Round four, supporting players.
07:48Upon arriving on the island, Gi-hun develops bonds and rivalries with several other players.
07:54The standouts include a former childhood classmate named Cho Sang-woo,
07:58a street-smart pickpocket named Kang Se-byeok, and a mysterious old man who knows more than he's letting on.
08:05As engaging as these characters are, it's clear from the get-go that most of them will not survive.
08:12That doesn't make it any less gut-wrenching when Ji-young makes the ultimate sacrifice,
08:16or when Han Min-yo exacts revenge against the villainous Jung Deok-su at the expense of her own life.
08:28Although we tell ourselves not to get too attached,
08:31we can't help but become invested even when a player doesn't get much screen time.
08:39Although Gi-hun returns in season two, the roster is otherwise comprised of new players.
08:55Gi-hun recognizes one in Jung-bae, an old friend who becomes a dedicated ally during the games.
09:00Other newcomers include a transgender former soldier named Hyun-joo,
09:04a pregnant woman named Kim Jun-hee, and a mother-son duo.
09:21With Gi-hun attempting to save as many lives as possible, a strong camaraderie forms among the players.
09:31Working together, we're given hope that more than one will survive the games this time.
09:37Of course, it wouldn't be Squid Game without a few players only looking out for themselves.
09:41Enter Thanos, one of the season's most unhinged villains.
09:49Both seasons had stellar ensembles, making this a difficult round to call.
09:54With season two focusing less on the games though, more time is dedicated to exploring character dynamics.
10:00The friendships that grow under savage circumstances give the season an unexpected heart,
10:05emerging as this round's victor.
10:15Winner, season two.
10:17Round 5, Twists.
10:19From the second the red light, green light robot turned her creepy head,
10:23we suspected that season one was about to take a grim turn.
10:31We nonetheless jumped out of our seats as guns started blazing,
10:35sending the players running and freezing in terror.
10:38Every game that followed came with an alarming twist that kept us on pins and needles.
10:50I'll say it again.
10:52Each of you take your own marbles,
10:55and throw a match with the person next to you.
10:57The person who gets all 10 marbles wins.
11:03Meanwhile, an overarching mystery is unraveled as detective Hwang Joon-ho
11:07infiltrates the games under the guise of a guard,
11:10discovering what happened to his long-lost brother In-ho.
11:13As shocking as it was learning that In-ho was the front man,
11:17nothing tops the reveal that the kindly old Oh Il-nam set this all into motion.
11:26Season two has a handful of devastating deaths
11:29and brutal betrayals that threw us for a loop.
11:37The biggest question mark throughout the season is the front man,
11:40who joins the games as player one.
11:42Although player one allies with Gi-hun,
11:44we know that he's working another angle.
11:47It's the price of the lives of the dead.
11:51It's the same for the money over there.
11:55Do you really have to go that far?
11:58You didn't kill them.
12:01That doesn't mean the dead are alive.
12:04When he'll show his true colors remains unclear until the season finale.
12:09With the uprising underway, player one sabotages everything.
12:13Faking his death, he resumes his role as the front man.
12:17As a cruel final twist,
12:19the front man makes Gi-hun watch as he eliminates Jung-bae.
12:22Although this seemed inevitable in some respects,
12:25we still didn't see this jaw-dropping ending coming.
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12:56Making the front man a player was an inspired twist for season two.
13:00That said, it may have hit a little too close to season one's final reveal,
13:05reminding us never to trust anybody assigned the moniker player one.
13:15Squid Game 2 admirably maintains momentum,
13:18but the OG was a breath of fresh air that's difficult to replicate.
13:22Congratulations, season one.
13:24The 45.6 billion won is yours.
13:31Winner, season one.
13:33Which season of Squid Game did you prefer?
13:36What do you hope to see in season three?
13:38Let us know in the comments.
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