Squid Game Season 2 Episodes 5-6 Review: High Stakes, Deep Emotion, and Missed Potential Fears Drop

Misha Turtle of X Society delivers a mixed verdict on Squid Game Season 2 overall so far, but in this Turtle Talk focuses on Episodes 5-6, he dives into quite possibly his most positive reaction video so far and spends 2x the time to really go deep on what developed in these two episodes, speeding up a previously slow pacing script that seemed to be meandering like a turtle rather than jumping into the games & characterization on the island faster like a hare.

Conclusion on pacing over 6 episodes? 🐰 > 🐢 Sometimes a slow burn is too slow and the tortoise will lose the race despite the more inconsistent hare causing temporary plot whiplash / radically necessary player deaths across several groups without confusing viewers unfamiliar with pretty much every face except for 456, Gi-hun. The Tortoise was episodes 1-2. The Hare warmed up in 3-4 and started sprinting in 5 without looking back.

Viewers are smart enough to follow a ton of characters and in episode 5, the show finally treated us that way.

The games—“Six-Legged Pentathlon” and “Mingle”—deliver the expected high-stakes drama, with alliances flipping faster than the Front Man’s moods and Player 120 finally getting some character depth.

Gi-hun’s squad faces mounting pressure, while guard corruption and a brewing rebellion keep things messy in all the right ways.

Meanwhile, the mother-son duo’s uphill battle for survival and Jun-ho’s increasingly risky investigation provide just enough tension to keep the narrative afloat.

But here’s the catch: while the pacing and character arcs show marked improvement, The Turtles argue the fixes might be coming too late in the game.

Sure, we get more balanced storytelling and a spotlight on key players, but the predictable twists and a noticeable “been there, done that” vibe—common in death-game sequels—keep it from reaching its full potential.

Despite standout performances and an undeniable visual polish, the story drags in places, leaving the season feeling incomplete.

The Turtles wrap it up by noting that while Season 2 has its moments, it ultimately struggles to reignite the spark that made the original so unforgettable.

Two more episodes to go in our binge! Thank you for watching X Society TV & Movies!

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