Lee Jung-Jae from ‘Squid Game’ Describes Intense First Russian Roulette Game as “Psychological Battle”

Season 2 of “Squid Game” immediately throws Seong Gi-hun, the main character played by Lee Jung-Jae, back into the dangerous world of life-or-death games. In the first episode, Gi-hun, also known as Player 456, spends his time trying to locate the enigmatic figure called the “Recruiter,” portrayed by Gong Yoo. Their eventual meeting leads to a deadly game of Russian roulette, far more intense than the traditional Korean game of ddakji.

**Spoilers for Squid Game Season 2 Episode 1 “Bread and Lottery,” now streaming on Netflix**

The new season of “Squid Game” seamlessly continues from the conclusion of the first season, where Gi-hun makes a pivotal decision not to leave for a trip to see his daughter abroad. Instead, he dedicates years of his life and wealth to uncovering the secrets behind the organization responsible for creating the sinister games in Squid Game, with a goal to stop them once and for all.

To unravel the mystery surrounding the creators of the deadly games, Gi-hun focuses on locating the sharp-dressed man who initially invited him to join Squid Game. He deploys individuals to scour the subway system in Seoul daily in hopes of crossing paths with this individual. As the Recruiter captures two of the men Gi-hun sent after him, a twisted combination of “Rock, Paper, Scissors” and Russian Roulette unfolds. Eventually, Gi-hun and the Recruiter engage in their own perilous version of the deadly game.

“That sequence, even on the script, it was so intense and impactful,” Lee Jung-Jae told Decider during a recent roundtable interview. “And, you know, Gong Yoo says that to me, and I say it back to him, that I could actually just shoot you. I could just kill you with a bullet. But instead, they decide to follow the rules of Russian roulette.”

So much of Squid Game Season 2 is about exploring how people are incentivized to act against their own best interest. We see it earlier in the premiere episode when the Recruiter offers a park full of homeless people the option of a lottery scratch card or fresh bread. Overwhelmingly, these starving souls choose the unlikely chance of great wealth over feeding themselves. It disgusts the Recruiter and serves as a central theme of the season, as the rules of the new Squid Game allow the contestants to take a vote to go home, splitting the cash prize, after each challenge.

For Lee Jung-jae, the game of Russian roulette that Gi-hun plays is about a larger idealogical battle between a man devoted to dismantling the games and someone so devoted to them, he killed his own father when he lost.

“I think actually the setup of the Russian roulette is just a cover of the book and, actually, inside the book, it’s all about the psychological warfare between these two guys,” Lee said. “So they start off with the Russian roulette and they go into this psychological warfare.”

“There’s those ups and downs in that story, within the story, which I thought was very impressive.”

Ultimately it becomes obvious that the Recruiter’s final turn will result in his death. Nevertheless, he doesn’t balk. Gi-hun eviscerates him for being his masters’ “dog,” mindlessly following their orders, blindly loyal to the rules of a game. However, with a final smirk, the Recruiter shoots himself in the head and dies.

“Gong Yoo pulled off that scene so awesomely that it really helped me as an actor to counter that,” Lee Jung-jae said, giving his famous co-star props for a thrilling and unsettling performance.

If fans of Squid Game were worried that the new season would play it safe and pull its punches, then this first “game” serves as perverse proof that series creator and director Hwang Dong-hyuk still has more dark and depraved social commentary to impart.

Squid Game Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.