Squid Game: The Challenge episode 2 recap — The Man With The Umbrella

Squid Game: The Challenge episode 2 brought plenty more drama as players are at war before the Dalgona challenge even began, with no one wanting to be stuck with the umbrella symbol.

The Dalgona or cookie challenge is one of the most famous scenes from Squid Game season 1, where the protagonist realizes he is stuck with the hardest shape to cut out, and that he must work with precision if he wants to survive.

It is based on a popular children's game where cookies are baked with a symbol stamped on them, and players must use a needle to chip away at the picture, removing it from the cookie without breaking it. 

So what happened in episode 2? Here's what you need to know...

Nobody wants the umbrella...

Episode 1 ended with four more players arguing over the dreaded umbrella and by the time we pick up again in the second episode, they were dealt the same fate.

The four new players were unable to reach a unanimous decision about which shape each line would get, and were subsequently eliminated from the competition. With four more players gone, the remaining ones were worried that they'd just keep losing people.

The PA announcer invited the four people at the front of each line to step forward, and still, no one wanted to take the umbrella with other players urging their linemates not to choose the shape. But someone has to do it!

One of the chosen four is Spencer, player number 299 who is a software engineer from Washington state. He speaks to the camera about how he has always been quite introverted, and adds that he is empathetic "to a fault".

Cutting back to the game floor, we see Spencer and the four other players gearing up to run and choose their shape. With a minute and a half left on the timer, Spencer was naturally put in a position where he was pressured to go with the umbrella.

He attempts to negotiate with the others, coming to an agreement that they will help other people if they manage to finish their cookie shape before the time has run out, but players aren't sure if they are being 100% honest.

Now the umbrella drama is finally over, the players get to work on the Dalgona challenge, with them painstakingly cutting out shapes from a cookie in what happens to be a very stressful experience. 

The episode details each shape one by one, starting with circle, then triangle, then star, and finally the dreaded umbrella. We see that Kyle from episode one is in this group, who previously made the shocking and anonymous decision to send a player home.

Spencer is now worried that he's put a "huge target" on his back, given his decision for his group to do the tricky shape. Kyle is eliminated after breaking his umbrella shape, and Spencer watches as many of the other players fail to complete the task too.

Ultimately, Spencer fails too after he breaks the handle of the umbrella cookie, literally falling at the last hurdle after previously being confident he was going to win it. 

Some players did manage to pass the challenge and advance to the next round, but as expected it did wipe a lot of people out! Who knew an umbrella could be so stressful? 

The results of the second game are announced, and the amount of players drops from 188 to 119. A phone appears in the dormitory and everyone gathers round, assuming it is some sort of test.

After an agonising wait, the phone rings and player 198 answers. The voice on the end of the phone says he has been given the opportunity to "enjoy a treat". The doors open and one of the games masters walks in carrying a tray.

On it is a cheeseburger and fries, the first proper meal since players entered the game and have been eating small portions of rice. Players get pretty ravenous at this point with everyone surrounding him, taking food from the tray.

198 reveals that he was disappointed it was food and had hoped he'd have the opportunity to eliminate someone, and that he wanted to get rid of 432.

Following the phone call, players are now worried they've been "baited" into answering and the next time someone does it won't be something so nice. The phone does ring again, and 198 goes to answer even though people protest.

198 is told that because he answered the call, he is now at risk of being eliminated and that he must convince another player to answer next time, as they will be at risk of elimination.

If 198 does not convince someone to answer the phone within two minutes, he will be forced to leave the competition. Oh, the drama!