As the bloody, emotionally moving finale of the second season of Netflix’s Squid Game comes to an end, the question raised by the first episode of the season pops up once again, completing a full circle of the narrative whole. How much can one sacrifice to uphold their principles, and is it worth it in the end? More of that later as we discuss the amazing cliffhanger of the finale of the second season. Before that, let us go through everything that happened in the final episode as Gi-hun decides to take desperate measures to ensure the freedom of the participants and put an end to the game by taking down the management.
Spoilers Ahead
Captain Park’s Betrayal
Before moving to the absolutely chaotic situation in the game arena, let us address the Jun-ho backup subplot first, which was moving at such a slow pace throughout the season that it was pretty apparent that the finale would not tie up all the plot threads and instead shape things up for a third season. Captain Park, who rescued Jun-ho the first time he fell into the sea after getting shot by the Front Man (his own brother), has actively supported In-ho’s search for the mysterious island where one can win an exorbitant amount of money by playing a deadly gamewhistle but didn’t seem to take his words that seriously. Upon learning that such an island does indeed exist after In-ho brought in a backup team along with their tracking equipment and weapons, Park realizes the issue is much more serious than he previously assumed and starts acting fishy all of a sudden. In the final episode, Captain Park is seen tinkering with the drone when no one is taking notice, and unexpectedly, one of the members of Jun-ho’s combat team gets alarmed seeing him trying to dismantle the drone. Before he can alert others, Captain Park ends up killing him and dumping his body into the sea. This quite clearly indicates that the sailor was under the Front Man’s payroll and had taken Jun-ho to the mainland under his command as well. Now that Jun-ho’s search has brought him dangerously close to finding the location of the island, Park actively sabotaged the rescue mission without anyone noticing. The third season will focus on Park’s deceit and the possibility of his cover getting blown as Jun-ho and co. realize they are being duped.
Gi-hun Stages An Uprising
In the aftermath of the restroom brawl between the opposers and supporters of the game, a number of participants from both sides perish, and Gi-hun comes to the realization that on that very night, the supporters will launch an attack, which can totally disrupt the chance of terminating the game through voting. He plans to use the inevitable infighting as a way to stage a violent uprising against the game management, and his plan includes sacrificing a few opposers for the greater good. In-ho probably had a chuckle in his mind, considering how Gi-hun was trying to show his moral superiority earlier by trying to set apart the participants from the game management, so determined to paint the world in black and white, when now he himself is prepared to let some of his followers die to set an ambush. Gi-hun’s plan is extremely naïve and lacks foresight, a truth he realizes soon enough. But for now, In-ho continues to play his part, showing unwavering support for Gi-hun’s uprising and taking up a stance against his own enforcers. At night, a violent brawl erupts as participants of rivaling factions begin killing each other, and before the number of participants gets too low, the enforcers arrive to take charge. At this moment, Gi-hun and his loyal followers act quickly; having a number of military veterans proves to be beneficial as they easily kill the majority of the enforcers by taking their weapons, prompting the management to send hordes of enforcers.
Hyun-ju, who used to serve in the special forces, joins Gi-hun’s side as they plan to destabilize the organizing management. Yong-sik decides to join as well, but he is stopped by his mother, Geum-ja, who fears for his safety.
Dae-ho and Hyun-ju Live Another Day
As Gi-hun and his team manage to get outside the dormitory where participants are stationed, enforcers flank them, and a prolonged gunfight ensues between the two parties. Gi-hun and his friend, Jung-bae, move towards the upper floors to reach the management, while the rest of the team keeps the enforcers busy. As ammo depletes rapidly, former marine Dae-ho is instructed by his comrades to bring more from the dead enforcers, and as he returns to the dormitory to do so, he suffers from a panic attack and is unable to return, practically abandoning them. As revealed previously by Dae-ho’s own confession, he didn’t join the marines of his own will; his father, who served in the armed forces, implored him to do so. The reality of war kicked in in Dae-ho’s mind at the worst time possible, or best if you see it from the perspective of his survival as in a futile attempt to slow down hordes of enforcers; all of Gi-hun’s followers meet their end. Hyun-ju, who fought valiantly against the enforcers, returns to the dormitory after failing to connect with Dae-ho, and as she is going to return, she finds the authorities have sent additional enforcers to take control of the dormitory. Hyun-ju decides to take a last stand, but she is stopped by Geum-ja, who forbids her from throwing away her life in a failed battle.
It should be mentioned that Gyeong-seok, father of the little girl Na-yeon, had sided with Gi-hun’s followers and met a brutal end in the finale as he was shot to death. Strangely enough, the finale doesn’t focus much on No-eul, who acted protectively towards both Na-yeon and her father, and there is a possibility that, after Gyeong-seok’s death, she will turn her back on the game management. I won’t be surprised if, taking a page from Gi-hun’s arc, the writers end up making No-eul act as a guardian of Na-yeon after everything is said and done.
Did Gi-hun learn In-ho’s true identity?
In Squid Game 2’s ending, In-ho eventually assumes his original role as Front Man. After betraying and killing two of Gi-hun’s followers, it’s clear he was always in charge and was merely allowing Gi-hun to play hero all the while. Now he confronts both Gi-hun and Jung-bae, wearing his uniform and mask, and till the very end, Gi-hun remains unaware of his true identity. To teach Gi-hun a lesson, In-ho makes him struggle in desperation as he shoots Jung-bae to death, and in a sense it’s a déjà vu situation for Gi-hun as he’s lost another of his good friends by getting entangled in the game (Sang-woo was first). The worst part is, In-ho spares his life at the end, and Gi-hun knows it is because the Front Man wants him to suffer with the realization that Jung-bae’s blood, along with everyone who sacrificed their lives for his foolhardy attempt to break free, is on Gi-hun’s hands. The season began with the conflict between survival and principle; the recruiter believed that people are driven by base instincts and completely deserve to be treated the way they are at the hands of the ones in power, while Gi-hun believed in the sanctity of life and stood by his strong morals. By the end, his attempt to stage a rebellion, which was doomed from the moment it was conceptualized, resulted in the deaths of many while achieving absolutely nothing. Sure, one can argue that most of them would have passed away anyway by the end of the game, but getting drawn to one man’s crusade takes away the personal agency. Needless to say, Gi-hun will become the most hated figure for the participants after that; all he did was possibly provide additional entertainment to the socialite VIPs.
A Hint For The Next Game
In the mid-credits scene of Squid Game season 2, a tease is given regarding the next game in which the surviving participants will have to participate, and it seems to be an indoor variation of the game Red Light, Green Light, with a major caveat. Now there are two dolls waiting for the players; the girl doll will watch the players from the front, while a new boy doll is probably watching them from behind. Gi-hun is further humiliated with this updated version of the game, as his attempt to save as many participants as he could in the first game was the reason behind this change.
