By: Jordan Beaudoin I Published: February 10, 2025.
Students all over Kean University have been keeping their eyes on Netflix for some of their favorite shows to make a comeback in 2025. Some of the notable names that students have been looking at are Squid Games, Stranger Things, and Euphoria.
On December 26, Squid Games made its return to Netflix for season two.
Season one made its original debut back in 2021 in the midst of the pandemic. Many students tuned into one of their favorite streaming services, Netflix, to watch the series while they were trying to keep busy if they were not studying, doing homework, or attending Zoom classes at the time. It was a conversation that was taking place almost all over both the Kean Ocean campus in Toms River and the Kean University campus in Union.
Season one hit big for several students who attend both of the University’s Campuses. Students absolutely loved season one. We spoke to several students from both campuses to get a feel for how they feel about the Squid Games update.
Jessica Neal, a junior psychology major attending the Toms River satellite Campus, commented on season one.
“Yes, I did like it. I like how the show kept my interest. I kept wondering what the next game would be, who was going to live or be killed, and I liked some of the characters,” Neal said.
The show really kept the interest up for many of the students who watched this series.
Michael Zumba, a junior graphic design major attending the Union Campus, also commented on how he enjoyed season one.
“Yes,I loved the first season,” Zumba said.
Andrew Calderaro, a senior from the Kean Ocean Campus who is studying communications, also felt a certain way about season one.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the first season of Squid Games, being that the concept of a high-stakes game show has never been brought to an audience of this size. With age undertones telling the story of class warfare, I saw it as a truly unique show for its time,” Calderaro said.
These students also tuned in to watch the second season. Season two had mixed reviews from these students who had been involved right from the start.
“I really enjoyed season two, and the games they played were fascinating. I would actually love to try playing rock-paper-scissors shoot the way they do. I was not sure how this season would play out, so it was interesting to watch,” Neal said.
Neal also had other thoughts that she shared when it came to the second season.
“However, I do wish there had been more twists in the show. I was able to predict some things like the main character getting stuck on the island and having to be in the game and that the other characters who were tracking him would obviously go and look for him. I am hoping the second part will have more surprises that catch me off guard,” Neal said.
Calderaro also added on how he felt about season two.
“I was very skeptical going into the second season of the show being that you already know what happens during the game, so I was worried it would be too repetitive. Throughout the season, my emotion swayed back-and-forth on my overall thoughts. The same concept approached from a different angle with different motives, propelled a shell for the first three episodes, but I did feel it was disappointing after the third,” Calderaro said.
Zumba, however, had a different take on season two. He found that it was as thrilling as the first season.
“Season two was alright but felt really short and not a satisfactory ending to the season,” Zumba said.
While these students sit back and wait for the next season, they have a lot to look into about the show. It’s still giving them the same feelings that it did the first time. Their palms are sweaty, and it’s still putting them on edge, which is exactly what the show is aiming for. It was something that really got a surprise out of them.
If students have not looked in the second season, let alone the first, this is definitely something that all Kean students should look into moving forward during their time here at the college.
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