By the 40-minute mark of the final episode of Alice in Borderland 2, most viewers will have reconciled with the fact that death games are here to stay.

Even if you’re not a fan, AIB is just that good. But the dirty little secret is: Alice in Borderland is not really a death game show; that’s just the dressing they put on it.

When Squid Game surprised Netflix viewers by introducing a new genre to the US filled with gore, gratuitous violence, and blood, it was a “no” for me.

Call me old fashion, but I grew up on a farm; the guts and gore aren’t shocking to me; it’s just gross.

So when AIB 1 and Alice in Borderland 2 popped up in our PAS rotation, and I had to cover them, my first thoughts were, “16 hours of my life I’ll never get back.” But I can admit when I’m wrong.

Note: Alice in Borderland 2 got a projected audience score of 79 from us, though we suggested it could go higher if it caught on with US viewers (it’s sitting at 86% with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes today).

Stop reading this post and hop on Netflix now if you have not seen Alice in Borderland 2. Some spoilers ahead (nothing major).

Alice in Borderland 2 is now on Netflix

Alice in Borderland 2 is a brilliant show disguised as a death game

Unlike Squid Game, where contestants are facing financial hardship and play willingly to win a grand prize of 45 billion won (roughly US $3.5 million), contestants in AIB and Alice in Borderland 2 have no idea why they’re playing, who the game master is, and if they’ll ever actually escape this “country,” as the game world is called in the series.

But as the show progresses, viewers are slowly brought into the fold, and it becomes clear the “Hatter” we met in season one isn’t an easter egg or an anomaly for the sake of “Alice” continuity; this is very much an Alice in Wonderland story, retold for a new generation of horror fans.

Unlike the first season, where players had no clue what was happening to them (Is it an alien species? A parallel universe?), it becomes evident to everyone in Alice in Borderland 2 that the games have a purpose beyond just tormenting the contestants. In season two, even players design games.

Opponents are there to learn lessons. Members of team Arisu start to realize that they’re there for a reason, even if it isn’t about them (they just can’t put their finger on what). Chishiya (OG!) all but says it in episode six during a game of “scales,” where he deduces that the lawyer is there to learn how to “make a choice” and put a “value on human life,” and, instead of defeating him outright, Chishiya accommodates the game master by allowing him to choose who dies (at the threat of losing his own life).

What appears to be courage on Chishiya’s part, though, is actually understanding; he’s already solved the riddle – he doesn’t know who is behind the games, but he knows there’s a deeper purpose, which gives him the confidence to play without fear.

As Arisu and his circle crawl and scratch their way through all the face cards, it’s only Chishiya that understands something bigger than a “game master” is behind it all, perhaps even a higher power.

The most satisfactory conclusion to a series in years…if it wasn’t a “joke.”

Peeling back too many layers here would ruin the experience, so I’ll say this; the last half of the second season will change how you view AIB and perhaps the death games genre.

Each episode is compelling, no doubt. The games are clever, and the characters are fleshed out to the extent that their stakes are real and relatable.

But that ending.

Alice in Borderland 2 was so efficient in the wrap-up that it had the same effect on me as the series protagonist, Arisu.

In the final moments of AIB 2, Arisu experiences what psychologists call “cognitive dissonance,” where an entirely new concept or “truth” is introduced to someone who wholeheartedly believes one thing and is forced to accept a totally different reality. Like being told the president is an actual alien, we surrounded by aliens, they’re here to stay, and we need to learn to live with them (imagine learning that but having to accept it as a fact; mind: blown). Arisu and I both experienced this feeling in the finale.

To peel this back anymore would ruin it, so I’ll say this: Alice in Borderland forced me to ask questions of myself that I’ll admit, at my age, I should have already answered.

“Zooming out” of your world, learning that there’s an entirely new way to think about things, is healthy and constructive and Alice in Borderland 2 nails it; not only did it force introspection on my part and satisfactorily wrap up all the relevant narratives, it somehow left the door open for more AIB at the same time; no joke (;).

By Lee M