Content Warning: The following article contains plot spoilers for the Netflix show Squid Game.
Netflix’s Squid Game is a survival K-drama full of shocking twists, violent games, and gruesome deaths. With hundreds of players fighting each other for ₩45.6 billion (or approximately $38 million), things get bloody and messy really fast.
It’s ironic that the backdrop to the most horrific actions from the characters is children’s games, which have been redesigned to accommodate the life and death competition. Cunning and cruel players like Deok-su and Sang-woo do whatever it takes to survive every game, even if it means betraying their closest friends.
Byeong-Gi Harvested Organs
Even though Byeong-Gi lost his license to practice medicine, he still uses his skills in a morbid way in the competition. He collaborates with a few corrupt guards who sneak out the players’ dead bodies for Byeong-Gi to harvest their organs. In return, the ex-doctor gets crucial information about the upcoming games.
It’s disgusting enough to watch him crack open bodies and slice them up to steal their organs, but it’s even harder to listen to the team laugh about a player they victimized while she was still alive. They’re callous about the whole situation and have a total disregard for the players’ lives.
Sang-Woo Let Gi-hun Choose The Umbrella
After Sang-woo convinces Sae-byeok to tell him what she saw while she was spying on the workers, he quickly deduces what the next game will be. Viewers likely expected him to let his teammates know, but he keeps the information to himself, likely thinking that he has more chances of winning if more players die.
Gi-hun, his childhood friend, makes a bad decision and picks the umbrella for the honeycomb game. Sang-woo asks him if he’s sure about this decision and almost stops him, but his greed and ambition get the best of him. He lets Gi-hun choose the umbrella while Il-nam picks the star, even though he could’ve warned them.
In-Ho Shot His Own Brother
When Jun-ho finds out that his brother is missing, he starts acting like an inspector in an exciting K-drama thriller, infiltrating the enigmatic island and collecting evidence. He discovers that his brother, In-ho, was indeed part of the 2015 iteration of the competition, which gives him hope that he’ll somehow be nearby.
He never expected In-ho to be The Front Man himself and his reaction to his brother removing his mask is a heartbreaking one. In-ho tells his little brother that there’s nowhere to run and that he should just surrender. Hurt and confused, Jun-ho tries to reach out for In-ho, who then proceeds to coldheartedly shoot him. It’s a jarring scene that shows how much the games have changed In-ho.
Deok-Su Started A Fatal Riot
Deok-su isn’t actually a scary villain, as his arrogance and cruelty are mostly comical and obviously a result of his underlying fear. He does still manage to commit some horrible acts in the competition, the worst of which happened during the night of the “special game” when he initiated a fatal riot in the players’ room.
Deok-su carefully selected the most violent and strongest people and convinced them to be part of his team. He realized that he could kill players to increase the prize money and that’s exactly what his team did. They went for the weakest individuals that night, strangling them in their sleep at first and then brutally beating them up in the open after the chaotic riot began.
Mi-Nyeo Hugged Deok-Su
Mi-nyeo isn’t exactly a fan favorite and most of the players don’t like her either. The obnoxious and offensive character thinks she’s better than everyone and forces her way into Deok-su’s circle, convincing them that she’s one of the strongest players. Deok-su predictably betrays her by kicking her out of the team during the Tug of War game, however, and she swears she’ll get her revenge.
In the sixth game, Mi-nyeo has the opportunity to take Deok-su out and she makes sure that he knows he’s going to die. She hops over to Deok-su’s glass tile and hugs him, reminding him of her promise to kill him if he ever betrayed her. Mi-nyeo willingly falls to her death holding a screaming Deok-su in her arms. It’s a horrific act but a satisfying end to the chaotic pair.
Sang-Woo Pushed The Glassmaker
Out of the sixteen players who participated in the sixth game, only three people made it. The glassmaker, player No. 017, could have saved all of them because he can tell the difference between the tempered and safe tiles. However, The Front Man figures out that he’s using the lights to his advantage, so he turns them off.
Since the glassmaker can no longer lead Sang-woo and the remaining players to safety, he sits there paralyzed and unable to choose. With a few seconds left on the clock, Sang-woo makes the decision for the player and pushes him to his death. Gi-hun rightfully argues that the glassmaker could’ve chosen a tile if the impatient Sang-woo had just given him a bit more time.
Sang-Woo Stabbed Sae-Byeok
Towards the end of the game and right before the final round, fans can plainly see just how much of a monster Sang-woo has become. With only Gi-hun and Sae-byeok standing in his way, he decides to take out one of the most badass female leads in K-dramas while she’s down.
Gi-hun only turns away for a few seconds to scream for help for the injured Sae-byeok, but this gives Sang-woo more than enough time to walk over and stab her. Gi-hun’s shock and distressed reaction is hard to watch, as he was just talking to his friend, Sae-byeok, about getting out of there and taking care of their families.
Gi-Hun Used Il-Nam’s Dementia Against Him
Il-nam introduces himself to Gi-hun and viewers as a feeble old man with a brain tumor. Gi-hun grows attached to him and does everything he can to ensure that he survives each game. The protagonist even picks him as his partner in the fourth game, not knowing what it would be.
Unfortunately for both of them, it turns out to be a game of marbles, and the loser between the two will be eliminated and shot. Il-nam is surprisingly good at the game, but his "dementia" starts acting up. Gi-hun, who is usually kind, acts out of character and uses Il-nam’s condition against him. It’s a tragic but necessary betrayal and becomes even more harrowing when Il-nam reveals he knows Gi-hun was tricking him the entire time.
Il-Nam Lied To Everyone
Il-nam’s death doesn’t seem so tragic by the time fans get to the end of the last episode. In one of the best heartbreaking plot twists in K-dramas, the old man summons Gi-hun a few years after the competition – the protagonist has no idea what he’s walking into.
It’s shocking to see Il-nam alive and even more surprising to hear what he has to say. He reveals that he was the one behind the competition, starting it simply because he and his rich friends were getting bored. He lied to Gi-hun and all of the other players when he joined the games, explaining that those experiences made him feel alive. Gi-hun’s horrified and angry reaction to his friend’s betrayal is understandable, considering how he probably felt guilty throughout those few years for thinking he killed him on that island.
Sang-Woo Tricked Ali
Many fans would agree that Ali is the most likable character on the show. As an immigrant who has experienced hardships, Ali tries his best to be kind to everyone, including Gi-hun and their team. He saves Gi-hun by preventing him from falling in the first game and becomes a valuable asset to their group in the Tug of War round.
In the fourth round, despite being unfamiliar with most marble games, he starts to reluctantly gain the upper hand against Sang-woo. Sang-woo knows that Ali is kindhearted and a little bit naive, so he reminds him of their conversation about winning the game together. He tricks him into thinking there’s another solution where they both win and he secretly replaces Ali's marbles with rocks. It's heartbreaking to see Ali’s stunned and fearful expression when he realizes what the cruel Sang-woo had done.