In Squid Game, there's the right dose of everything that makes a great TV show. From the dialogue to solid character development to a narrative that makes sense, everything is perfectly balanced. The critically-acclaimed K-drama properly explores sensitive themes too, ranging from class disparity to the dangers of capitalism.
The latest Netflix hit also stands out for its plot twists. Predictability is always an undesirable thing in any tale but Squid Game is hardly guilty of that. The plot frequently veers into unexpected routs when the previous pattern of events pointed to a certain outcome. Nothing is ever as it seems and as a result, viewers are constantly wowed.
The "Red-Light/Green-Light" Executions
The first game the contestants are asked to play is Red-Light/Green-Light but they have no idea the kind of punishment losers will get. All they are told is that those that fail will be eliminated. It quickly becomes apparent that "eliminated" means "executed."
Before the automated shootings begin, the presumption is that losers will just be escorted off the island and miss out on the prize money. As soon as the guns start firing, the stakes are raised. The remaining players realize they can no longer play with a cavalier attitude. It's literally Darwin territory and only the fittest will stay alive.
Oh Il-Nam Votes To Terminate The Game
After the Red-Light/Green-Light executions, a number of the players express a desire to leave. The rules state that if the majority vote for the game to be terminated, everyone will be allowed to go home. The elderly Oh Il-nam, aka Player 001, is the last to vote and by the time he steps up to press the button, it's a tie. To everyone's surprise, he votes for the game to end.
Before he presses the red button, the expectation is for Oh Il-nam to vote for the games to continue since he has nothing to live for. He has told his fellow contestants that he has terminal brain cancer and no family. His memory isn't so good either, which is one of the most common K-Drama tropes. Since he doesn't care whether he lives or dies, leaving the island shouldn't be the priority. Still, he votes for the game to end.
Mi-Nyeo Returns
Horrified by the bloody turn of events, Mi-nyeo, aka, Player 212 is the first to ask to leave the island. After a few days, the players that left are soon offered a chance to return, and surprisingly, Player 212 comes back too.
As the first person to express the desire to leave, Mi-nyeo is expected to be all-too-glad about departing and never look back. However, she faces the same problem that most players do. She is drowning in debt hence the outside world is uninhabitable for her. Like everyone else, she realizes she'd rather risk her life to win millions than spend the rest of her days as a poor person.
Jun-Ho's Brother Is One Of The Previous Winners
Troubled by the disappearance of his brother Hwang In-ho, Seoul police officer Jun-ho conducts investigations. He proves to be one of the smartest characters in Squid Game by sneaking into the island and pretending to be one of the masked guards. Going through files in the Front Man's officer, he discovers that his brother Hwang In-ho won the game in 2015.
Apart from finding out that his brother was a past winner, Jun-ho also finds out that the game has been around for 30 years. It's an interesting discovery because the game appears like a new concept at first. None of the police officers have ever heard of it either. It's impressive that the organizers have managed to keep it a secret for so long and it's also baffling that none of the survivors from terminated games ever went to the police or the press.
The Arrival Of The VIPs
The Front Man is portrayed as the only person behind the game in the first few episodes but soon, a group of wealthy businessmen known as The VIPs arrives. For years, they have been enjoying the games and betting on them for fun. Even more interesting is that the VIPs aren't Korean.
The concept of the wealthy pitting the poor against each other has been examined numerous times in movies and TV shows but the Netflix drama takes it a notch higher by keeping the identities of the Non-Korean conspirators a secret. It's impossible not to wonder why they are Western yet everyone else on the show is a Korean native. The mystery is a good ingredient in the show since it adds to the allure.
The Front Man Is Jun-ho's Brother
After forcing a confession out of one of the VIPs, Jun-ho tries to flee but is cornered by the Front Man and his men. The Front Man removes his mask and to Jun-ho's surprise, it's his long-lost brother Hwang In-ho.
Since Hwang In-ho was the 2015 winner, neither the viewers nor Jun-ho suspects that he might still be on the island. When it turns out that the Front Man is indeed Hwang In-ho, plenty of questions are raised. Why did he decide to become part of the game after winning? Why did he abandon his family? How did he rise up to this position?
Mi-Nyeo Chooses To Die With Deok-Su
In one of the final games, the players have to cross a bridge made of panels of either normal or tempered glass. Many fall to their death by stepping on normal glass and when it's Deok-su's turn to move, he refuses to move. Mi-nyeo asks him to step aside so she can jump, only for her to grab him and fall with him, resulting in one of the most heartbreaking deaths in Squid Game.
Mi-nyeo's actions stem from anger since Deok-su betrayed her by kicking her out of his team after making love to her. Her vengeance attempt is inevitable but Deok-su is expected to survive it and maintain the bad-guy-wins trope since he has gotten the better of everyone up until this point. Before returning to the island, he even survives an assassination attempt by his associates, who are known to be professional killers. It's thus a shocker when he dies.
Oh Il-Nam Is The Organizer
In the season finale, Gi-hun receives another invitation card that directs him to an abandoned floor in a building. Lying on a bed on the floor is Oh Il-nam, aka, Player 001. Apparently, he's the organizer of the game.
It's the biggest shocker of them all because in the earlier episodes, Oh Il-nam appears as one of the nicest and most likable Squid Game characters. Oh Il-nam has been pretending to be a player for his own amusement since he's old, rich, and bored. The revelation that Oh Il-nam was in all along troubles Gi-hun so much that he vows to unmask everyone involved.
Some Of The Guards Are Selling Organs
Whenever a contestant dies, the body is quickly cremated but it later emerges that some of the guards are harvesting organs and selling them in the black market. They are using Player 111, who is a doctor by profession, to do it. In return, they tell him what the next game will be.
The secret money-making scheme is as sadistic as all the games that are taking place. Their actions show that even among a herd of bad people, there are always worse ones. It's not exactly clear who they are selling the organs too but the target customers could be quack doctors like Player 111.
Gi-hun Chooses Not To Go To America
In the finale, Gi-hun gets ready to board a plane to the US so that he can reunite with his daughter. In a surprise move, he walks away from the plane and vows to unmask the conspirators instead.
It's an unwise move for Gi-hun since he has first-hand experience of how dangerous the organizers are. Since he has plenty of money and a family to reunite with, the logical choice would be for him to focus his attention on them and spend the rest of his days basking in the wealth that he desired for most of his life.