This article includes spoilers for Squid Game season 3!
Squid Gamehas come to an end as the creator addresses the controversial twist and winner. Following the failed rebellion in season 2, Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) becomes broken in the latter half of the games, but eventually bears the responsibility of caring for Jun-hee’s (Jo Yu-ri) baby up to the series finale. This comes withtheSquid Gametwistasthe baby takes Jun-hee’s place as Player 222.
Instead of featuring Gi-hun winning another set of games, the Sky Squid Games left Gi-hun with the choice to win the games or to give a baby the opportunity instead. Having joined to protest the brutality of the games themselves, he made the eventual sacrifice to prove the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) wrong.Jun-hee’s child became the official winner, earning 4.56 billion won.
In an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, creator Hwang Dong-hyuk expressed thatthe baby represented “human conscience,“which is exactly why he chose to end the story with Gi-hun’s death. While showcasing the darkest aspects of the human experience, Hwang hoped to shine a light on its better qualities as well. Check out his detailed quote below:
Since it is the finale, I thought that raising the stakes and taking a bigger risk in trueSquid Gamefashion was the right way to go. Through that, I wanted to expose to an even more accurate degreethe rock-bottom of humanity and also shed light on even brighter hope. I believe that through the baby, Gi-hun is able to show those themes in a more detailed way.
I believe that all of us are able to live in this world the way we do due to the efforts and struggles that our previous generation went through in order to give us a better world. And the reason we need to try to right the course of the world is because we want to give a better world to our future generation. So in our story, the baby not only represents human conscience, but also the future generation for whom we need to fix the way we are.
What This Means For Squid Game’s Ending
The Games Are Not Over
Gi-hun returned to the games to find a way to end them forever, but he failed to properly rebel againstthe Front Man. Instead, he was forced to play out the entire game, potentially set to win in his second straight appearance. Unfortunately for Gi-hun,the baby’s presence meant that he would need to sacrifice his humanity just to win.
With constant rumors of a US-basedSquid Game, it should come as no surprise that Gi-hun failed in his mission.
If he had been better prepared for his return, Gi-hun could have found a way to stop the games. His entire mission was to stop the horror, buthe instead failed to save the lives of the many candidateswho would inevitably be cast. Fortunately, he did manage to save one baby and potentially prove that humanity can be good.
Even if Myung-gi (Yim Si-wan) was willing to kill his own daughter,Gi-hun would never kill a baby, and his actions could change the expectations of future players. It is proof that humanity is not always terrible and that people will still strive to protect the next generation. In a strong statement toNetflix, Hwang expressed that in depth:
I believe we also have the responsibility and duty to try everything that we can in our power to leave a better world for the future generation. The baby coming out [as] the winner wasin line with the meaning ofSquid Game.
Unfortunately, even with Gi-Hun moving to protect the baby, other humans are not quite as humane. With constant rumors ofa US-basedSquid Game, it should come as no surprise that Gi-hun wasn’t entirely successful in his mission. There needs to be a follow-up, and it will inevitably continue to draw on what interested viewers in the first place: the games.
Gi-hun’s Story Finally Has Meaning
Image via Netflix
TheSquid Gameending may have been shocking, but it perfectly told the story that Hwang wanted to tell. The show has never shied away from exploring the darkest depths of humanity, but it has also showcased its lighter side. After all, there was always resistance to the games.
Throughout its run, nearly half of the cast inevitably voted to leave the games to save lives. They tried time and time again to escape the brutality, only to be forced to suffer through it again. Gi-hun’s story reflects their sacrifices and proves that darkness does not always succeed, and that perfectly suitsSquid Game’s themes, controversial as it is.
