Squid Game 2

Presentation

Previous Review

Overview

Synopsis

Seong Gi Hun is back for a second round of the deadly games in this highly-anticipated new season of Squid Game.

My Opinion (No Spoiler)

To be honest, I was preparing myself to be disappointed with this second season. Considering the success of season one and its addictive narrative, I thought it was going to be difficult to do better or at least as well as the previous season. But I was wrong! This new season is based on the same dynamics as before, but games are new, and characters are interesting and engaging. Among the main cast, there’s not one I was not rooting for. The plot allows us to finally have glimpses on the logistics and behind the scenes on the games, how they recruit guards, who they are, etc… The concept, the decors, the pace remain as good as in the first season. There are only two points that I would note, but these are not real criticisms as I believe they will have their importance in season 3 next year: the beginning of season 2 was a bit slow, but they were just setting the tone and explaining Gi Hun’s return in the games; Jun Ho was a bit useless in that season, so I hope he’ll be more present and serve the narrative more in season 3.

Analysis

• The new batch of characters
  Numbers 456 and 001, renewal in the cycle
  Numbers 333 and 222, former lovers
  Numbers 007 and 149, mother and son
  Number 246 and Guard Number 11, a parent’s love
  Numbers 120 and 095, being different is good
  Numbers 388 and 390, the former Marines
  Numbers 380 and 125, betrayal is around the corner
  Numbers 230 and 124, the junkies
• The games
  Russian roulette
  Green light, red light
  The six-legged race
  The merry go round
• Bet over life
  The voting system
  The social experiment
• The riot
• The logistics of the games
• Questions to be answered in season 3
  Will Jun Ho finally suspect the fisherman?
  Will Gi Hun realize that Number 001 is the Front Man?
  Will the games be destroyed?
• Theories
  The Front Man is Il Nam’s son
  Jang Geum Ja, the ultimate boss
  VIPs are among us
  The trolley problem
  Gi Hun played us
  

The new batch of characters: The drama provided us with new characters this season. I found them to be more interesting than those in season 1 because they have more depth. We have a better understanding of their background, you get to see more of their lives before they enter the game and there are even connections between the players outside of the game. This also made me believe that the new players would be able to ally more easily in order to destroy the games. To analyze all these characters, I would categorize them into pairs. That’s their dynamic in the games, so it needs to stay as such in the review.

Numbers 456 and 001, renewal in the cycle: In this season, there’s a repetition of the ranking of players 456 and 001. Song Gi Hun (Lee Jung Jae) remains at the bottom of the chain, while the Front Man (Lee Byun Hun) takes the first spot, just like Oh Il Nam did in the first games. This positioning is not innocent and gives away the first clue that player 001 should not be trusted. These two numbers also have a huge influence in the games this season. Indeed, a new rule has been added. It allows players to vote to get out of the game after each round. If they vote unanimously against it, the game will stop. Results are very tight each time and it’s generally players 456 and 001 who start the voting trend and/or decide to stay. For example at the beginning, the scores are the same, but 001 votes to stay inside. Moreover, the Front Man’s participation also allows us to know more about his past. He’s not Jun Ho’s biological brother – Jun Ho’s mother reveals it during a conversation with her son. It also seems like his wife was pregnant and sick due to cancer but she wanted to have the child. In Ho tried to pay the expensive bills, but resorted to accepting a bribe. The police came to know that and he lost his job. His wife then eventually died because he couldn’t afford to pay anymore. This tragic past enables us to understand more the Front Man’s motivations and how he ended up in the games in the first place. There’s also a possibility that he developed a certain disgust for people who witnessed his suffering but did nothing to help. That being said, there are also several important questions raised by this sad story: Is his son still alive? If yes, does he know it? Will he show mercy on Jun Hee’s baby if she gives birth in the games?
My theory: If I had to resume what I think happened to the Front Man based on the evidence we have in the show, I would say that the Front Man is a former winner of the games who participated to pay for his wife’s hospital bills, but she died while he was inside. He didn’t have any reason to live and thus joined as the Front Man, despising all the people who had betrayed him and prevented him from saving his wife. The Front Man’s origins are also unclear and there’s a theory going around that could explain why he’s so hell-bent on keeping the games. I will explain in more detail below.

Numbers 333 and 222, former lovers: Lee Myung Gi (Im Si Wan) was a bitcoin guru with YouTube channels who built his debt by investing poorly in crypto-money. Through his socials he also embarked others to invest only to their loss. Among them Thanos (T.O.P.) but also his girlfriend of the time Kim Jun Hee (Jo Yuri) who also participates in the game as number 222. Though she’s pregnant with Myung Gi’s child, she had no other choice to participate in order to pay her debt and take care of her baby. Within the games, she makes it very clear to her ex-lover that she considers her child fatherless. Though she acts strong and claims that she resents him, there’s a certain ambiguity between both characters. Myung Gi seems to have lingering feelings for Jun Hee, but we don’t know if it’s because he wants to combine the money they would earn together to reinvest it (as he mentions it) or if it’s purely because he likes her still and wants to protect his pregnant ex-lover. Myung Gi proved to be quite selfish in most games especially the merry go round. He’s willing to sacrifice others in order to win or survive like when he kills Thanos with his fork in the toilets. He’s walking a fine line between good and bad, and season 3 will tell us which path he chooses. Jun Hee however still likes him. She doesn’t need to verbalize it because her actions say it all. During the riot for example, she protects him by telling him to hide when the light go off and not to follow Gi Hun when they all rebel with guns.
My theory: There may be a game opposing Myung Gi and Jun Hee or Jun Hee may be in danger at some point. In order to protect her, Myung Gi will sacrifice himself for her and their baby.

Numbers 007 and 149, mother and son: Both went into the games to pay back Park Yong Sik’s (Yang Dong Geun) debt, though they were unaware of the other’s participation. His mother Jang Geum Ja (Kang Ae Shim) didn’t want to leave the burden of the debt solely on her son’s shoulders, so she decided to join the deadly games. Clearly, she’s a mother devoted to her son and would do anything to protect him. But the reverse can’t be said about her coward of a son. Though he loves his mother, he would not save her if it meant survival. That’s what the merry go round shows when he’s embarked by two men to hide behind a door, leaving his mother alone. He doesn’t resist the two men and is unwilling to get his mother back. By abandoning her like that, he proves that she’s not as important to him as he is to her. Jang Geum Ja noticed it, but he’s in denial. She convinces herself that he was dragged by others and protects her son’s honor. Apart from that heart-wrenching moment of unfilial piety, we learn a bit about player 149. She has been through a lot ever since the Korean War and is extremely kind. Outside of the games, she’s been taking care of pregnant women. Hence the bond she immediately creates with Jun Hee. She recognizes that she’s with child right away and shields her during the games.
My theory: The mother will sacrifice herself for her son or she will die because of her son. There’s another big theory going around, so go below for more details.

Number 246 and Guard Number 11, a parent’s love: These two have a peculiar connection outside of the games which I think will have its importance later on in the drama. Kyung Suk (Lee Jin Wook) works at an amusement park making drawings. His daughter needs a bone-marrow transplant, but Suk already struggles to pay the hospital bills and thus can’t afford the surgery. Desperate for money, he gets into the games as player 246. However, he immediately regrets it and sides with Gi Hun from the very beginning in order to get back to his daughter. What’s interesting with this player is the unexpected connection he has with guard 11 named Kang No Eul (Park Gyu Young). In this season, we get to see her perspective of the games, as we follow her routine. Outside, Kang No Eul is a North Korean refugee who apparently escaped after killing her entire unit and crossing the DMZ. She’s in search of a 1-year old baby she’s left behind who seems to be her child. Like Sae Byeok in the first season, she goes to a PI to find the baby. She sleeps in her car and works part-time at the same amusement park where Kyung Suk’s daughter wanders around. She gets entangled with them a few times, especially when the little girl faints and is transported to the hospital. She even follows them to the hospital to give her hat back. I believe the baby girl reminds her of her own daughter and she finds herself attached to her. She empathizes with the father’s difficulties and even hesitates for a moment when she sees him again in the game. That’s a big indicator that she’s swayed by her connection to the single father. Hesitation is not part of No Eul’s vocabulary. If she has to shoot someone, she does it right away without questioning. So, the only fact that she doubts is enough to express her inner feelings. Another interesting fact about her is that she was recruited 7 years ago by the main officer (Park Hee Soon). But her vision of her job diverges from what he wants her to do. Indeed, she accepted the task knowing that she would put an end to people’s sufferings. Instead, the main officer now wants her to keep players alive in order to illegally collect their organs. No Eul disagrees with that and even rebels against her team. This demonstrates that she may be a key element against the games in the next season.
My theory: During the riot, Kyung Suk was shot by a guard. I suspect that person to be No Eul. I don’t think she’s actually killed him. On the contrary, she faked his death and will probably save him. She may even intervene when the team tries to harvest his organs if he’s not dead yet.

Numbers 120 and 095, being different is good: Cho Hyun Ju (Park Sung Hoon) is by far my favorite character. She’s first done the army as a man and was then rejected for her desire to become a woman. Hyun Ju has been through a lot. She was also rejected by her family who could not accept her for who she was and by society who is still very traditional and conservative on these matters. Living as herself made her feel freer psychologically, but came with a lot of criticisms to bear. So Hyun Ju joined the games in order to earn money to pay for her last transitioning surgery and leave for Thailand where society will let her leave at peace. In the games, she meets another outcast Kim Young Mi (Kim Si Eun). They unexpectedly strike a friendship when Young Mi asks Hyun Ju to form a team during the six-legged race. Unfortunately, Young Mi dies in the merry go round leaving Hyun Ju devastated. I think Hyun Ju is definitely a crucial character in the drama. Her knowledge of the military is a key element during the riot. She teaches players how to use a gun and strategizes in order to move forward to the command room. At the end of the second season, she goes back to the main room to fetch ammunition. That’s when the guards enter to put an end to the riot. When she’s about to retaliate, Geum Ja stops her and tells her that dying here is not worth it. This suggests that Hyun Ju will have other occasions in the future to fight back, especially if she’s managed to hide the guns and bullets in her possession.
My theory: Hyun Ju has a lot of military knowledge in terms of strategy, weapons, and assaults. I don’t think she’s going to die. On the contrary, she will be Gi Hun’s greatest asset during the next phase of the riot.

Numbers 388 and 390, the former Marines: Kang Dae Ho (Kang Ha Neul) pretends he’s a strong and tough man who was in the Marines, but he’s actually got a lot of traumas. Overprotected by his mother and four older sisters (as the gonggi game shows it), he’s been forced by his father to go to the army. This left him scarred and traumatized. We don’t really know how he contracted his debt, but one’s thing for sure, he’s afraid of guns. At the end of the drama, he runs to the main room to get ammunition for his friends fighting against the guards. But he never comes back. Instead, he goes into a corner to hide. I can’t really say that this was a coward move, because his behavior is understandable. For me, Dae Ho is so traumatized by the sound of guns that it triggered him. He’s not really recovered and is still psychologically unstable. Hence, his inability to move and join his team. Nevertheless, I have to admit that this is probably what saved Hyun Ju’s life who came back to get him and the bullets. Another character, Park Jung Bae (Lee Seo Hwan), used to be a Marine and these 2 characters are like two peas in a pod. They don’t really take the games seriously. They are quite laid back in the way they approach each ordeal. Jung Bae was also part of the first season, but outside as Gi Hun’s friend. He’s also contracted debts, hence his presence in the games. Unfortunately, he’s killed by the Front Man in front of Gi Hun – potentially due to the fact that he had seen 001’s cruel hidden side when he killed a man in the merry go round. By the way, that’s the second friend the main protagonist loses in the games – the first one being Cho Sang Woo at the end of season 1.

Numbers 380 and 125, betrayal is around the corner: In the games, Se Mi (Won Ji An) takes Min Su (David Lee) under her wings. He may be older than her, but she feels like she would find an ally in him. She says it herself: she chose him because she believed he would not betray her later in the games, contrary to Thanos for instance. Turns out, Min Su is a bigger coward than he looks. When time comes to make a decision, he prefers siding with Thanos rather than with Se Mi. At the end, Se Mi gets killed during the massacre between the players. Nevertheless, Min Su tried to help her, but failed. Not only did he betray her, but he also failed at helping her in her final moments to atone for his sins. I think this relationship, though short-lived, highlights how evil human nature can be. Indeed, Se Mi may have approached Min Su out of interest, but she still trusted him and protected him when push came to shove. In return, Min Su thanked her with nothing but ungratefulness and cowardice. That is a big lesson of the games; You can’t really trust anyone, especially when survival is at play. You shouldn’t show kindness or charity either, because this would eventually boomerang in your face. All in all that’s quite a dark vision of humans who are represented as individualistic, selfish and interested people capable of the worst actions and emotions.
My theory: That being said, I feel like Min Su will come in handy later on in the drama. The reason why he was not killed in season 2 means he’s still got a role to play. Who knows, maybe he’s a hacker who will disable the arena systems?

Numbers 230 and 124, the junkies: Though Thanos dies in this season, there’s no doubt that his craziness has lightened up the mood. Always on drugs during games to give himself courage, he’s managed to last longer than expected. Same for his lackey Nam Gyu (Roh Jae Won) who’s responsible for Se Mi’s death. This one is still alive, so I wonder how much he will disrupt the games and alliances in the future.

The games: This season, there are two types of games. The first ones that we see are played outside of the arena by the recruiter (Gong Yoo). The others take place within the arena on the island. The first type is rather new, as the only game played outside so far was the ddakji. By playing games outside the arena, we get to know more about the recruiter this season.

Russian roulette: There are two games of Russian roulette in the drama. The first one occurs between two gangsters who are Gi Hun’s former creditors. They’ve been tasked with the mission to find the recruiter in the subway. Though they search for him vainly for 2 years, they stumble upon the man at some point. While following him, they are however captured by the recruiter himself. To keep himself entertained, he makes them play a game aka a mix between Russian roulette and rock-paper-scissors. Mr. Kim (Kim Pub Lae) and Choi Woo Seok (Jun Suk Ho) have to play rock-paper-scissors with their two hands and then remove one. The result shall decide which one of them receives the potential bullet. The goal is to put these two friends against each other and to show that kinship, friendship, any relationship disappears when it comes to survival. Though that’s what the recruiter expects to see, Mr. Kim proves him otherwise and chooses to sacrifice his life to save his friend. Later on in the drama, Gi Hun encounters the recruiter. They play a game of Russian roulette. That interaction allows us to know more about the recruiter’s past and the reason why he became like that. Though he believed that Gi Hun wouldn’t bet his life during the game, he stands firm to his resolution and goes all in. Luck is on his side and Gi Hun avoids the last bullet. The recruiter kills himself as part of the game. In both cases, I believe that this scene demonstrates how serious and determined both the recruiter and Gi Hun are. They have principles – to destroy or play the games – and stand by them. They are not cowards and refuse to let go of their beliefs out of fear. That first game is a catalyst in the drama. It proves that Gi Hun can’t be swayed anymore and won’t let go of his desire to kill the games until he dies.

Green light, red light: The first game in the arena is the same as in season 1. The only exception here is that Gi Hun helps other players to stay alive by giving away the rules. Though the game is the exact replica of the previous one, there are some subtle changes that introduce the new intrigue. First of all, Thanos pushes one candidate who is thus killed by the doll. This introduces him as a major disruptor in the future games. Second, the guards’ perspective is added to the lot. This time is not just about the players, but also about the guards shooting at them and keeping them alive for their organs. Third, we get to see No Eul’s rebellion against the system. That’s another indicator that she will not stay put in the future and could potentially join Gi Hun’s side. Finally, that’s the occasion for Gi Hun to save players and get their trust for the next games. However, the Front Man disturbs his plan and turns players against him right from the beginning.

The six-legged race: This is by far the most emotional and tense game of all – and my favorite. The six-legged race is a combination of five kids games. Each player must play one game and the team has 5 minutes to complete them all. If one fails, everyone does. Though it looks easy at first, the games turn out to be harder than they seem, especially when you are under pressure. The five games are the ddakji (the recruiter’s game), then you need to hit a rock, then the gonggi, then the spinning wheel and finally the jaegichagi. It’s not the first game that is played by teams. Previously, participants in season 1 played the rope. Yet, this shows how important choosing the right teammate is, but also how one’s cheer can lift up members and lead them to victory. This game reminded me of a theory which is named the winner effect. Briefly explained, it means that you have more chances to win if you have won before because your brain is stimulated. The reverse is also true. This game shows that if you see one team win, you believe that it’s doable and convince yourself that you will also win. This is also a terrible reminder that hope can give you wings, but it’s also very frail. Though your team wins, the other team playing at the same time may simply be executed on the spot. Victory is bittersweet. The last round shows it. Gi Hun’s team wins, but the other contestants don’t. There’s another message of that game which I think is absolutely beautiful: Outcasts may be outsiders, but that doesn’t mean they will lose all the time. Hyun Ju’s team is a collection of outsiders, yet they are the first ones to win the race, giving others hope that they can succeed.

The merry go round: The last game we get to discover in the season 2 is the merry go round. All players are placed on a stage that goes round and round while the music is playing – I’ve been traumatized by it now. Then a voice announces a number and players have to form groups of this number and rush to doors. Those who don’t manage to get in a room in time or those who are not of the right number even behind a door are eliminated and killed. I think this was an excellent addition to the list of deadly games. It really shows people’s real faces when urged to make a decision based on survival instinct. If you had formed alliances with other players, now is the time to confirm whether or not they are trustworthy. Se Mi discovers quite fast that Min Su is a coward who betrays her when he has to save his life. Jang Geum Ja also learned how much of an unfilial son her child is when he abandons her and rushes with other people to the doors. I believe the Front Man’s goal was to break the potential “friendships” or at least partnerships between players with this game. He wanted to disrupt the dynamics in order to weaken the mass of players who could potentially rebel agains the system. As it’s purely a question of survival, he demonstrates with this game that people do not care about each other. They would be willing to push someone out of a room or even kill a person within the room in order to stay alive. This matches his vision of humanity when he asserts that human beings are trash, capable of the worst. This game is also a huge risk for the Front Man, as he shows his real side to Jung Bae by assassinating one of the teammates who entered their room. I also think that’s one of the reasons why the Front Man executes the former Marine at the end. Keeping him alive would expose him and may cause Gi Hun to discover his real identity. It’s too big of a risk, so he kills two birds with one stone and gets rid of Park Jung Bae. This protects him, but also inflicts a deep blow on Gi Hun’s morale.

Bet over life: The more I watch Squid Game, the darker the view on human nature is. In this season particularly, it seems like the screenwriter is aiming at showing that, no matter the circumstances, human beings are just greedy gamblers who’d rather earn more money than protect their lives. There are two main elements that can be mentioned to prove that.

The voting system: The first one is the vote that has been added to the games. After each round, players have the possibility to decide whether they want to continue the games or not. The outcome is based on unanimity. Apart from the fact that the Front Man himself influences the vote to keep players within the arena, there are plenty other occasions when players could’ve gone out. That’s when you start seeing factions between people. On the one side, those who have high debts and who wouldn’t be able to pay them even with the portion of the prize money they get. They have nothing else to lose apart from their lives, so they simply resolve to staying. Some of them even have the possibility to pay back their debt, but their greed for money (or addiction to gambling) makes them stay. On the other side, you have the players who cherish their lives and can’t risk staying in the arena. They have too much to lose by staying and consistently vote for going out. This is for example Kyung Sik who has his little girl outside and can’t afford to die in the games. There’s another category of players but it’s quite a small number. That category is made up of players who intent on earning just the sufficient amount of money, and thus playing their luck in the games, in order to fulfill a desire – generally the reason why they entered the game in the first place. That’s the case for Hyun Ju for instance who wishes to have just enough money for her surgery. This new rule completely disrupts the dynamics between the players who are at each other’s throats. It creates tension and thus accelerates the massacre during the night. Nevertheless, it’s clearly visible that the situation in season 2 remains the same as in season 1. When intentions were hidden in season 1, they are at least pretty clear in this new season. The majority of players consider that money is everything and worth even more than their lives. They are even dissatisfied when they realize that too many people have survived after a round of games. This shows how little esteem they have for human life. That behavior is probably the reason why the Front Man considers men to be trash that needs to be disposed of. They would crush and get rid of anything or anyone preventing them from getting their beloved money.

The social experiment: The second element is what I would call the social experiment. On a sunny day, the recruiter goes to a bakery and buys a ton of breads. He then enters a shop where he buys lottery ballots of 1 million won. After that, he walks into a park full of homeless people. On by one, the recruiter asks then a simple question: “do you want the lottery ballot or the bread?”. He also specifies that they can only choose one, and they will lose the other for good. The experiment shows that people will, in 99% cases, go for the lottery ballot, and thus big potential gain, rather than satisfy their primary needs, embodied here by the bread. According to this scene, humans are wired to bet and are greedy for money even though they have nothing and lack basic necessities. To me, that was a clear criticism of our human nature, but also society. Even when you’ve reached the bottom, your capitalist money-hungry spirit prevails. In the end, humans should be despised for their bad instincts that make them choose money over themselves or others. Following the experiment, the recruiter throws all the remaining bread on the ground, giving hope to the homeless people that they would eventually be allowed to it. However, the recruiter is not a man of charity. Instead, he destroys the bread and walks all over it. That’s his way of making statement. Life is made of choices and you’re the master of your destiny. So, if you lose, you can and should only blame yourself for your bad choices instead of blaming it on your bad luck.

The riot: There’s another great novelty this season which is the riot. Determined to put an end to the deadly games, Gi Hun decides to take advantage of his knowledge of the game to rebel against the system and destroy it from the inside. During the night of the massacre (as it occurred in the previous season), Gi Hun leverages on the intervention of the guards to steal their weapons and ammunition. Helped by a small group of players among which Kyung Sik, Dae Ho, Hyun Ju and Jung Bae, they go outside the arena and advance towards the command room. Though the idea was clever, the operation was unfortunately meant to fail from the beginning. The Front Man is a mole and doesn’t intend on letting Gi Hun win. On the contrary, he uses this chance to give hope to player 456 that he can eventually succeed, before faking his death and assassinating Jung Bae in front of Gi Hun. This situation is a warning from the Front Man. But I also believe that it’s a way also for him to prove Gi Hun his point. Men are not worth saving and even Gi Hun’s good intentions resulted in the sacrifice of other people. Those players, and his friend, died in vain because of him. In the end, what he’s done is not better than what the Front Man is doing.

The logistics of the games: I was very pleased this season to have more glimpses on the logistics of the games. This time, we got to see how the guards are recruited (example of No Eul), some of their faces, who manages the guards, how they harvest the organs and the potential tensions that exist between guards. We also got the confirmation that those with a square on their uniform are managers of the game in charge of ensuring its good functioning, those with a triangle are guards and those with a circle are executants. The behind the scenes shows that there may be a coalition between both sides (guards and players) to eventually take the games down, considering how No Eul is antagonizing the other guards and even the purpose of the games.

Questions to be answered in season 3: In my opinion, there are 3 burning questions that need answers in season 3. I’m not speaking about theories here, but actual resolutions of what the plot already gave away.

Will Jun Ho finally suspect the fisherman? The more we advance in the plot, the less useful Jun Ho becomes. If he was on the right track in season 1, he was apprehended by his brother and shot. Though he supposedly fell to his death (he fell from a cliff into the sea), he miraculously survived. And that’s where we have a problem. When it comes to investigation, it seemed as if Jun Ho was very thorough and questioning everything related to the games. Yet, he doesn’t have an ounce of suspicion regarding his survival two years ago. According to the fisherman who saved him, he rescued him while he was drifting away. Then brought him to the hospital. Since then, Jun Ho has been working with his savior to look for the island where the games take place. Despite 2 years of research, he’s still hasn’t got a clue where it could be located. And that’s when I think Jun Ho should’ve started asking questions, because there are serious holes in the fisherman’s tale. When Jun Ho fell from the cliff, he was unconscious and wounded. This means that he would’ve directly sunken into the sea, as he was not swimming at all. That being said, that suggests that the fisherman was very close to the island or at least to the cliff from which Jun Ho fell. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have fished him out. This proves that the fisherman should have a clear idea of where the island is located. He may not remember the exact cliff, but he should at least know the exact area. If Jun Ho had questioned how he stayed alive, he would’ve noticed two major issues thus in the fisherman’s version. First, he couldn’t have been drifting away, he would have sunken. Second, there’s no way the fisherman would’ve forgotten the location of the island. It’s obviously a lie, and Jun Ho, just like Gi Hun, is as dense as a coconut.

Will Gi Hun realize that Number 001 is the Front Man? That’s a point that I can’t really wrap my head around. The Front Man gave away so many clues, and yet Gi Hun seems blind. Instead, he trusted him and caused the death of several other players. At the end of season 2, the Front Man fakes his death during the riot, but will Gi Hun realize who he is at some point? I believe he will discover his identity sooner or later, but I really hope it won’t be at the very end of the drama. Otherwise, this would mean death for many other players. It’s also a missed opportunity that Jun Ho didn’t share with Gi Hun the identity of his brother. If he had mentioned his name and showed his face just once, Gi Hun would’ve definitely recognized the Front Man and the outcome of the riot could’ve been way different.

Will the games be destroyed? Will Gi Hun succeed in his desire to put an end to the deadly games or will he become a key part in the organization of the games like the Front Man?

Theories: There are some theories that have been widely spread on the internet regarding season 3. So let’s deep dive on the most popular ones.

The Front Man is Il Nam’s son: In season 2, we learn that Hwang In Ho is not Jun Ho’s biological brother. This means that the Front Man’s parents could be anyone like Oh Il Nam himself. It’s quite coincidental that both characters have a name in the game that means one and are the number 1 player disrupting the games. At the end of season 1, the Front Man was also present when Il Nam died which could suggest that they are related. Finally, there is the milk element that many pointed out. In season 1, Gi Hun mentions that he can’t drink regular milk. Oh Il Nam replies that he’s “just like his son”. In season 2, the Front Man refuses the milk given by Jun Hee claiming that he can’t drink regular milk either. Is this a coincidence or does this milk story serve an actual purpose in the show? Alternatively, others even speculated that this clue could prove that Gi Hun and the Front Man are brothers. A bit far-fetched, but why not? We’re theorizing here after all.

Jang Geum Ja, the ultimate boss: Another theory has come to light regarding player 149. Indeed, she’s the only player so far who managed to smuggle a weapon within the game (a knife hidden in her binyeo). That’s quite strange when you consider that Gi Hun didn’t even succeed in entering the games with a tracker hidden in a fake tooth. On top of that, Jang Geum Ja remains quite protected by other players among which the Front Man himself who rescues her during the merry go round. Was it for the game or for another reason? Finally, she’s the one who stops Hyun Ju from going against the guards at the very end of the show telling her that it’s not worth dying like that. Does she know anything?

VIPs are among us: That’s a crazy theory, in my opinion, that started because of Google. Actor David Lee who plays the role of Min Su in season 2 is also described as VIP N°3 on Google when you check out the casting. This gave way to speculation that the VIPs we saw in season 1 may also be part of the games. Another player could also be involved and that’s number 100.

The trolley problem: The post-credit scene of season 2 introduces a little boy doll next to the green light, red light doll. We also see a light that resembles the one that you have on train tracks in order to prevent cars from crossing. These few elements led people to believe that the next big game may be a trolley problem. Now, I’m the one speculating here, but if that’s the case I can really imagine the Front Man forcing Gi Hun to choose between the big group of players who want to stay within the games, caused the massacre and that he doesn’t particularly appreciate and the few people he’s befriended (Hyun Ju, Jun Hee, Geum Ja, Dae Ho…), but who represent a very small group of people compared to the other. Who will he choose to save? The greater number or his “friends”?

Gi Hun played us: What if Gi Hun got us all? What if he understood the clues given by the Front Man regarding his identity and unmasked him? But instead of revealing his identity, he pretended not to know and played along. For what purpose? I don’t know, but that’s a card he could reveal in season 3. I’m conscious that this theory doesn’t really fit the character’s personality, but that would make a crazy twist!