It’s been a three-year wait since we last experienced “Squid Game.”

This South Korean horror series became a phenomenon, featuring desperate individuals engaging in deadly children’s games for money while entertaining the elite. It launched on Netflix in September 2021 and quickly grew into the platform’s most popular show, captivating audiences worldwide. Now, it’s time for a new season.

“Squid Game” Season 2 is set to premiere on Dec. 26 (just in time for a Christmas binge!). If you’re planning to dive back into the intense thrills of this anti-capitalist series, you might need a little refresher on what transpired in the first season. No worries; we’ve got you covered.

From the shocking deaths to unexpected victories and the eerie “Red Light, Green Light” doll, here are the key takeaways from Season 1 of “Squid” as you prepare for Season 2.

The Games Commence

In the opening of “Squid” Season 1, we meet Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), a father and gambling addict in Seoul, facing extreme misfortune. When he hits rock bottom, a well-dressed young man approaches him at a subway station, inviting him to play ddakji, a game for money. After Gi-hun wins, the stranger gives him a business card with a phone number, suggesting there are more games to come.

Gi-hun makes the call and is taken to a remote island where he finds a colorful fantasy-like complex run by masked men in pink jumpsuits, led by the “Front Man” who wears a black mask. Among the 456 players, Gi-hun discovers that his childhood friend Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo) is also participating. He forms a bond with Il-nam (Oh Yeong-soo), a terminally ill old man. Their first game, “Red Light, Green Light,” is supervised by a giant robot resembling a little girl, but anyone who moves during “Red Light” is shot dead, revealing the brutal reality: lose, and you die, but win, and the prize is a whopping 45.6 billion won, roughly $31 million.

Reality Is More Dangerous Than the Games

Following the chaos of the first game, the players narrowly vote to halt the games and leave empty-handed. However, upon returning to their lives, they find that things are even worse. Driven by desperation, they choose to return, fully aware that many may lose their lives in the pursuit of money. Gi-hun is followed back to the games by a police officer, Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon), who is searching for his missing brother, In-ho.

The contestants compete in various games like “dalgona,” tug-of-war, marbles, and hopscotch across glass panels, leading to significant casualties. In a twist, a “special game” deprives players of food, urging them to turn on one another. In a particularly harsh challenge, Gi-hun and Il-nam pair up for marbles but must ultimately pit their lives against each other, allowing Gi-hun to win by Il-nam’s choice.

Meanwhile, Jun-ho infiltrates the facility only to discover that the Front Man is his brother In-ho (Lee Byung-hun), a previous winner of the games who has become a fervent believer in them. In a tragic moment, In-ho shoots Jun-ho, causing him to fall into the sea, seemingly to his demise.

Gi-hun Prevails, but Not as a Victor

By the final game, Gi-hun, Sang-woo, and their ally Sae-byeok (Hoyeon), a North Korean defector caring for her younger brother, are the sole survivors. Before the ultimate showdown, Sang-woo kills the injured Sae-byeok, leading to a confrontation between the childhood friends. In their climactic Squid Game contest, Gi-hun emerges victorious but cannot bring himself to kill Sang-woo or let the guards execute him. He attempts to forfeit the money, but Sang-woo takes his own life, making Gi-hun the last man standing.

After receiving an empty congratulations from the Front Man, Gi-hun is unceremoniously dropped back in Seoul, where he rejects his winnings and struggles in poverty for a year. Eventually, he receives another mysterious business card and discovers Il-nam in a lavish hospital room in a skyscraper, alive against all odds.

It becomes evident that Il-nam was the “host” of the games, a man of immense wealth orchestrating everything from the beginning. He reveals to Gi-hun that he initiated the games purely for his own amusement and for the entertainment of his affluent companions. After being diagnosed with cancer, Il-nam made the impulsive choice to participate in the games to add excitement to his life.

This shocking revelation impacts Gi-hun deeply, motivating him to rescue Sae-byeok’s younger brother from an orphanage and to provide financial assistance to Sang-woo’s mother. With his striking red hair and an elegant new suit, he sets off to the airport to visit his daughter in the U.S. However, he notices the charming recruiter from the games trying to lure another vulnerable contestant in the subway. Gi-hun intervenes, chasing the recruiter away and grabbing the business card from the potential victim. Just as he is about to board his flight, he calls the number and introduces himself, only to hear the Front Man instructing him to get on the plane. Defying expectations, Gi-hun turns around and rushes back into the airport, marking the end of the season.

What will Gi-hun’s next steps be? Can he put an end to the games? Is anyone’s rescue possible? Trailers for Season 2 indicate Gi-hun will return to the games’ facility, suggesting that his planned trip to visit his daughter might be postponed for the time being.