Squid Game Season 1 Episode 2: Hell

Opening Scene: The Survivors

Following the massacre during the first game, the episode opens with a chilling visual: the remaining 201 players, traumatized and covered in blood, are herded back into the massive dormitory. Panic and disbelief hang in the air. What was supposed to be a chance at redemption for their shattered lives has instead become a waking nightmare.

The masked guards begin the gruesome task of removing the dead bodies. The players demand an explanation, furious and terrified. Tension rises when one player punches a guard, only to be shot on the spot. It’s a stark reminder: this game is merciless.

Then comes the announcement. The rules of the game, explained in the previous episode, included a clause: **if the majority of players agree to stop, the games will end. The contestants demand a vote.

The Vote: Stop or Continue?

The vote is conducted in the order of the players’ numbers. It becomes an agonizing moral debate: endure the nightmare for a chance to win ₩45.6 billion (roughly $38 million), or return to a hopeless existence?

Some players, like Player 101 (Jang Deok-su), a violent gangster, are eager to continue. Others, like Gi-hun (Player 456) and Sang-woo (Player 218), are more conflicted.

When it’s Player 001’s (Oh Il-nam)turn—the last vote—there’s a tie: 100 want to stay, 100 want to leave. The old man makes the final choice… and  votes to end the game.

A collective sigh of relief. The lights come on. The doors open. The survivors are released back into the real world

Life on the Outside: Was It Better?

Now that the game has ended, the episode takes a bold turn: instead of ramping up the action, it slows down to explore the players’ personal lives, showing why they joined the games in the first place. This shift makes the episode one of the most emotionally charged of the season.

Seong Gi-hun (Player 456)

Gi-hun returns home to find his elderly mother has been hospitalized due to diabetes. She needs surgery and insulin, but they can’t afford it. He tries to explain what he’s been through, but she brushes it off, focused only on surviving day to day.

His daughter’s stepfather later tells him that they’re planning to take her to the United States. Gi-hun, devastated and powerless, begs him not to take Ga-yeong away. The man offers Gi-hun money—but with a condition: **stay out of her life**. It’s a humiliating moment, and one that hardens Gi-hun’s resolve.

Cho Sang-woo (Player 218)

Sang-woo, once a successful investment banker, is now **wanted by the police** for embezzlement and fraud. He hides out in a bathhouse, evading authorities while wallowing in shame. His mother, proud and unsuspecting, still believes he’s a respected professional. This contrast between appearances and reality is a central theme for his character.

Kang Sae-byeok (Player 067)

Sae-byeok follows a North Korean broker to locate her mother, who’s stuck in China. She’s trying to reunite her family, including her younger brother who lives in a foster home. Sae-byeok confronts the broker but is told she needs ₩40 million to get her mother out. She’s trapped: she has no money, no allies, and no legal status.

Ali Abdul (Player 199)

Ali, a migrant worker from Pakistan, returns home to his wife and baby. He works at a factory where he hasn’t been paid in months. After confronting his boss and begging for wages, Ali ends up stealing money out of desperation. He flees with his family, determined to give them a better life. But with the law surely coming after him, he’s out of options.

Jang Deok-su (Player 101)

The gangster Deok-su returns to his criminal life, only to discover his double-crossing has made him a target. After narrowly escaping being killed by his own men, Deok-su realizes the outside world is just as deadly as the games—maybe even worse.

Back to the Game

The second half of the episode sees many of the former players—over half—choosing to return to the game voluntarily. This is the powerful emotional core of the episode: the **outside world is just as cruel**, if not more, than the controlled hell of the Squid Game.

Each returning character makes their decision with a heavy heart:

– Gi-hun, desperate to save his mother and keep his daughter, calls the number again.
– Sang-woo, cornered by the police and with no escape, makes the same call.
– Ali, with a stolen envelope of money but no future, returns.
– Sae-byeok for her family’s freedom, gives in.
– Deok-su, chased by gangsters, has nowhere safer to go.

They all find themselves again at the pickup location. As before, they are gassed unconscious in the van.

Poignant Reunions

In a brief but touching moment, Gi-hun runs into Sae-byeok on the street before re-entering the game. He follows her and sees her giving money to her little brother’s foster family. Despite what happened before, he begins to realize she’s not a thief by nature—just another victim of circumstance.

Meanwhile, Player 001, the old man, is seen sitting alone in a run-down apartment. No one came to get him. Just as we think he’s been forgotten, a car arrives for him. He smiles and willingly returns.

Themes and Symbolism

This episode, titled “Hell” , delivers one of the show’s most powerful messages:for many people, the real world is more brutal than a deadly game

– Economic Desperation: Each character’s return highlights how **capitalism, debt, and poverty  have crushed their spirits.
– The Illusion of Freedom: When the players voted to leave, it felt like liberation. But once outside, they saw how society gave them no real way to survive.
– Free Will vs. Coercion: Though the players choose to return, the game’s system is built on manipulating desperate people. Their “choice” isn’t truly free.

There’s also a dark irony in the title. “Hell” doesn’t refer to the game, but rather the outside world—a place devoid of mercy, support, or justice.

Final Scene: A Second Chance or a Trap?

The episode ends as the returning players awaken once more in the familiar green uniforms, lying side by side on the floor of the same ominous dormitory. Their expressions are somber—this time, there are no illusions. They know what lies ahead.

The camera pans across the room, reminding us of the human faces behind the numbered tracksuits. They’ve returned voluntarily  but at what cost?

Conclusion

Episode 2 of Squid Game, “Hell,” is a **masterclass in character development and social commentary. Unlike the high-stakes action of the first episode, this one slows the pace toexpose the human pain and systemic failuresthat push ordinary people into extraordinary danger.

Rather than reducing the players to game pieces, it treats them as fully realized individuals—each with dreams, failures, and heartbreaks. It’s a devastating reminder that survival isn’t just about living, but about living with dignity.

The episode ends not with bloodshed, but with a heavy sense of inevitability. They left the game hoping for salvation. Instead, they discovered the truth: sometimes, the only thing more terrifying than dying in the game is living outside of it.