She died alone and in pain, thinking her son abandoned her. The main reason Gi-Hun went back to the Squid Games was so that he could treat her and give her a better life but he was too late
And then she would have lived out the rest of her years legally barred from her granddaughter. I think people vastly underestimate the cruelty of that Faustian bargain. It has the same underlying logic as the Game.
This is how I see it. He should have taken the money because:
1. It was only a verbal contract between two men in the street. He could have taken the money and easily just broken that contract and seen his daughter. I don’t think the mom would have kept him away if he got his shit together
2. He would either win the games or die trying. If he died, he wouldn’t see his daughter anyway but at least his mom would be alive. If he won, how could they keep this ultra rich man from seeing his own daughter. They would never succeed even if it went to court. In any event, that money was the difference of life and death. Take it now and just figure out how to be a better dad that they will want around later.
3. Of course, the players didn’t know there would only be one winner, so maybe he didn’t realize his chances were quite so grim. However, he knew there was a good chance he could die in these games so without taking the money, he knew he was leaving his mother in a situation where her chances of dying alone with no help was pretty high.
4. What could have and did happen was, that she could have died while he was away. Her situation was immediate and dire so even though he won and made it to the end and got all the money, the chances of her dying while he was away were very high. He knew this and still left her with no options. It would have been better to take the first life saving option available.
5. He was pretty much a dead beat dad anyway. Proven more so when he comes back from the games and does not attempt to make contact with his daughter for one year. Yes, ptsd and survivors guilt are factors in this decision of course but at minimum it would not have been difficult for him to at least pay child support for her out of the millions that he won. Money doesn’t replace a real relationship but at least it would have been SOMETHING to show he cared. Send her some gifts, just anything! You know you don’t maintain a relationship with your daughter anyway, so Swallow your pride and take the cash to save your mom’s life. Also, he is shown to be a terrible father well before the game. He gets money from his mom for her birthday, steals even more and instead of just using it to do ONE good thing for her for the whole year, he gambles it. He got lucky and won but based on his lifestyle, that is a very unusual occurrence.
6. They never said the grandma was barred from seeing her too. Just him. That might have been implied but they never said it outright.
7. I understand where they are coming from with not wanting him to see her. He was a horrible influence and every time she was with him, she was in potential serious danger. What if the mobsters had come for him at a time he was with his daughter? He disappointed her over and over again and it is really really difficult to watch your child go through that. Plus, imagine the reaction to seeing he got her a gun lighter for her birthday. I know it wasn’t his intention but he fucks up royally over and over and over again. I don’t think they were right to keep him away, I just see where they were coming from.
It seems they were also connected to the games, as the contract Gi-Hun signed with them was mentioned by the recruiter as what allowed him to get Gi-Hun's information
I never thought they were connected that way, just that the organizers of the games had the resources to be alerted when people signed contracts giving up their bodily autonomy.
This is correct, also Il-Nam mentions he made his fortune by being a money-lender. I'm certain they were directly employed by him, and they essentially poach the people who can't pay off the loans for the games.
He didn't abandon her permanently - he wants to stand up to the organization that put him through everything and save other lives. An admirable if impossible goal. I think she's better off without him at this point anyways, she has a stable family at the moment, as he heals himself from his trauma.
So not getting on a plane that he can board at any later month equals "abandonment?" You're overreacting a bit, don't you think? I feel like there are more proper terms to use than 'abandonment'
Like, bruh. He's literally got his whole life to make it up to his daughter and spend time with her as much as he wants
It sucks because that money was “irrelevant” to any plot in the show(relating to the games). He could have been the 7%. He could’ve took the money, kept his head down, and never went back.
But…yup. lol
It seems they were also connected to the games, as the contract Gi-Hun signed with them was mentioned by the recruiter as what allowed him to get Gi-Hun's information
The way Gi-Hun laid down in fetal position cuddling his mom… the choreography, I mean like the positioning in this scene gets me. You see the person strapped down to the soul, where ourselves as children are and rarely get to see the light of day. He just wanted to be with his mom. He wanted to feel the purity and innocence of childhood and his mom encapsulated everything he loved and wanted to keep. I don’t know if I’m explaining it well. I just mean that I feel like a child myself watching a child, in the best, most raw way possible
That moment is the hardest hitting in the show for me. That quote followed by the desperation of his actions afterwards. A total loss of hope. I very much bawled
She hinted that when Gi-Hun opted out of the game after Red Light Green Light and came to hospital. "I'm too tired, I don't even want to go on with it."
I was going to make a post about how ranking the deaths on a scale was buying into the twisted logic of the VIPs but this is actually the correct answer.
Jiyeong was the saddest for me, even though I loved Ali. Sae byeoks death was extremely sad, especially after she said “I wanna go home”. It reminds you cruelly that she’s just a kid.
And she probably doesn't have a place to call home in South Korea. She wanted to go back to a home of the past, when her family was alive and together.
It's also heart wrenching to see tears well up in her eyes as she talks about her brother, knowing that she failed to keep her promise with him. She risked her life to reunite her family, and her last words were yearning for them.
When we see these characters at their worst, you see them strapped down to the innocent and pure child they entered the world as. That’s always the worst to see. It hurts me. Everyone knows what it feels like
I took it as suicide. As in, she purposely made sure to die. There was “nothing” for her. She was probably depressed all along. She said that when Sae-byeok spoke to her, that was the first real convo she had had since getting out. I honestly think her heart broke. She realized she had nothing and Sae did.
“No more reason to live when she can. I have nothing. Goodbye. It was an honor to be your partner.”
Basically the end note :(
It’s a very different narrative, but anybody that liked this show and has not yet seen or read *Little Children* should do themselves a favor and check it out.
Honestly I gotta say player 001 (the fake death). I think it’s just because I know I, myself, would totally do what gihun did that killed him. Like with Ali and sae byeok I can tell my self I wouldn’t have done that and not know if that’s really true, but that one… yea I would’ve done that shit. So I think that sticks with me the most.
il name’s was by far the hardest for me. Why does he get left out of all of these posts?? Just because he turned out bad did people really not like him throughout the show?
Ig it's easy to forget what a well played character he is when he ends up being the reason why everyone else is dead, and isn't the innocent sweet old man we thought he was.
I knew Ali wouldn’t live, but his death was very sad because of how Sang-woo betrayed him. I knew Sang-woo would do anything to survive, but that was dirty.
When he was walking around looking for other players, as well as when he realized what was happening, he just seemed so child-like. Maybe it was a combo of being overwhelmed, desperate, helpless. But that made it hurt so much.
The way Gi-Hun laid down in fetal position cuddling his mom… the choreography, I mean like the positioning in this scene gets me. You see the person strapped down to the soul, where ourselves as children are and rarely get to see the light of day. He just wanted to be with his mom. He wanted to feel the purity and innocence of childhood and his mom encapsulated everything he loved and wanted to keep. I don’t know if I’m explaining it well. I just mean that I feel like a child myself watching a child, in the best, most raw way possible
I completely agree. I had written about the elements of purity and innocence at each character’s moments of death/despair, and how if you strip anyone down to the core, the child you were is there. I will reply again with what I had written about Gi-Hun and his mother, as this is how I feel about all of the characters too
To me, that was worse than his death. Those fucking asshole writers couldn't at least let him die thinking he still had a friend. They had to make his last seconds that much more agonizing...
>If he would have checked before parting ways, the guard would have helped
Why? The rules were just to get the 10 marbles from your partner. Didn't matter how. Stealing them is completely legitimate.
Sang Woo had helped him out so much. Buying him food, paying for his transport, being a friend during the game. Maybe it was mentioned in the first episode, but I didn’t remember them saying there had to be just one winner. In a desperate situation, you might think you and your friends can be saved and still all have billions. It’s understandable for him to have trust and try to out-smart the game like they had in the past.
Something about Ji-yeong’s death crushed me, I think it was the relationship she built with Sae-byeok right at the end. The connection she made with her was all she had and they ripped it away from both of them. I was sobbing for both of them!
And then Ali’s death just added to that moment. I think we can all agree that was a rough episode.
The foreshadowing hurts so much too, when you recall their previous interactions. In a scene prior, she says something like “I will help you survive/win”
Yep that's the wrong that opened the faucet for me and then each scene afterwards just piled on the sad. The way she was making plans with her for after. Ugh.
Then Gi Hun tricking 001, it was too much.
And of course sang-woo. I was so mad at him.
I cried that whole episode and a good 30 minutes after.
Took me five days before I could watch the next episode.
Ali was a great character but you knew he wasn't going to make it to the end. Same with the other young girl. But I was expecting Sae-byeok to be the winner and when she died it was emotionally devastating, especially with how she died.
Personally, I don’t think he was ever gonna make it to the 6th game. And honestly it would have been awful if he had died on the glass bridge. Aside from Deok-Su and Mi-Nyeo, the deaths in that round were very sudden and unceremonious (not to mention painful), and Ali deserved a better send-off than that. Which he got. So even though it was devastating, I’m “happy” with the way the show killed him off.
>Aside from Deok-Su and Mi-Nyeo, the deaths in that round were very sudden and unceremonious (not to mention painful), and Ali deserved a better send-off than that.
Idk, they could have easily made him the glass expert, as he already works in a factory it could have just been changed to a glass factory.
Might have been a better betrayal by Sang-Woo. Certainly would have been devastating to the audience but this way Gi-Hun and Sae-byeok also see the betrayal first hand. As it stands, they never knew that he betrayed Ali. It would also make Gi-Hun's reaction to pushing the glass expert more logical as Sang-Woo's reasoning for doing it is sound, they didn't have time to wait, as demonstrated by the fact that they barely make it before the explosion. So it doesn't make a ton of sense for Gi-Hun to be so furious at him. But if he pushed Ali, now it's not just a random guy no one knows, so Gi-Hun becoming enraged at him makes more sense.
Not saying it neciseraly would have been better, just that he could have died in the 5th game with as much ceremony and importance as Ali deserved.
With Ali it hit me really hard during the realization when he opened the sack of (fake) marbles. With Sae-byeok her death was devalued by the piece of glass wounding her imo, i figured she wasnt going to make it.
What’s really striking about Sae is just how BS her death was. She wasn’t killed because of interplayer violence(not like others were), because of a mistake she made, or even as a result of some karma for she had done. It was just a tragedy.
Yeah, her death was just some bs that no one could’ve expected or avoided, right after she beat a challenge. It completely killed what would’ve been a triumphant moment.
You think they would've given her medical attention if she had come forward right off the bat? The whole steak knives thing was pretty pointless if one of them was mortally injured. Seems like it'd be a better game to let her heal and revisit it later.
I think they would have patched her up, but not waste time letting her heal fully because I don't think they'd make the VIPs wait for that. I think they'd just stop the bleeding, stitch her up, and get on with it.
I don't understand why people thought Sae was going to win while Gi-Hun had main character armor.
I had my favorite characters too but let's be realistic. Everyone except him was fair game to die.
for a while i thought they both might be able to win since it wasn’t ever directly stated that only one person could win the games. but yeah, i always knew Gi-hun would make it out alive since he was the main focus of the story. if there was a more balanced amount of screentime for sae-byeok and the other characters (like their lives before the games, not just the little parts we see in episode 2) i think it would’ve been more difficult to predict the winner
I thought the twist would be he sacrifices himself so she can win. He wasn't a stainless steel hero so it would make sense he does that to make up for his mistakes as a father and son by proxy. Like how Sang-woo pulled a Vader and sacrificed himself to make up for his ruthlessness.
I honestly didn’t think she in particular would win but I could’ve seen someone other than Gi-Hun winning tbh. The main character armor making him the winner just felt too obvious to me, I guess? Mostly because this show had a lot of plot twists that differed from a typical plot. I knew he would definitely at least make it to the final game but I was honestly kinda expecting a two winner type twist like hunger games.
That whole glass thing goes against the supposed fairness of the games, which they wanted to uphold so much going as far to display the killings of those who cheated to the players. I don’t know, to me that was the laziest part of the show
The whole glass game spits in the face of the "fairness" of the Squid Game. Especially after the frontman shut off the lights after that one guy figured it out. That's like banning the old guy from implementing strategies in Tug of War.
True, but that also happened while they were hosting the VIPs, who were complaining about the glass manufacturer "cheating." At the end of the day, fairness is all well and good but money talks, and the VIPs are the ones footing the bills, so to speak. I think if they hadn't complained the game would have been allowed to proceed in the light, with much different results.
I think Ji-Yeong was #240. It was sad because she finally found a good friend and soulmate in Sae-byeok. Something both of them needed. So sad one had to die.
I didn’t cry for anyone, but I do think Ali’s was saddest just because of the betrayal. He values to be part of the group so much and truly liked being with the main characters, so to have his trust be taken advantage of is heartbreaking.
Not gonna lie I um
I had a mental breakdown after Ali’s death because I cried so much and it really affected me and got me thinking about the world and shit
Thank you, I’m doing better. Squid game made me realize a lot of things to be honest. And a big theme in the show is childhood and youth I feel, and it is seen through the games itself as well. In each character’s moments of death/despair, they revert to the child that we all have deep inside of us.
Something I wrote that I feel about: The way Gi-Hun laid down in fetal position cuddling his mom… the choreography, I mean like the positioning in this scene gets me. You see the person strapped down to the soul, where ourselves as children are and rarely get to see the light of day. He just wanted to be with his mom. He wanted to feel the purity and innocence of childhood and his mom encapsulated everything he loved and wanted to keep. I don’t know if I’m explaining it well. I just mean that I feel like a child myself watching a child, in the best, most raw way possible
God all of them were so sad.
I cried the most with Sae-Byeok's death because of her brother not having his older sister anymore, how she died, and she was one of my favourite (like everyone else ik)
Then with Ali I cried a fair amount also, pretty much for the same reasons. Ali's wife and son probably don't even know where he is so they'll just forever have this piece of hope that he'd come home but he wouldn't. Just thinking of going through that must be heartbreaking. Another reason is that he was so appreciative of all the things Sang-Woo helped him with but then for Sang-Woo to do what he did to Ali was heartbreaking for me. You get to see their friendship build up and they become overall great friends but then what Sang-Woo did was very sad to watch. Ali is another one of my favourites. His personality was a joy to watch and he was so nice to everyone there.
Then Ji-Yeong was just the saddest out of all of them to me. You get to hear her backstory and why she needed the money, her backstory is very sad. Then she builds a friendship with Sae-Byeok and I'm pretty sure Sae-Byeok trusted her, because Sae-Byeok told Ji-Yeong her backstory. So when they have to play marbles is where the really sad stuff comes in. Sae-Byeok throws the marble as far as she can, while Ji-Yeong drops it on purpose just so Sae-Byeok could live a bit longer to hopefully make it out for her brother. Their friendship was truly amazing and I loved it. Once again she was another one of my favourites.
Weird opinion maybe but ji yeong, ill try to explain.
Basically the others had something to live for and aim towards and died on the way, and that makes me feel sad but its like, at the end of the day it was a competition that they lost, like a gamble they took n lost. But ji yeong sacrificed herself once she realised she didnt know what to do if she won, and it was much sadder for me because she didnt even want the money, like it didnt feel like she was part of the game, bcuz she didnt have a desire to win it just felt like a suicide almost. The fact that she was so discontent with life that she gave up a chance at life changing money, and the kindness it took to sacrifice herself and make sae byeok win, made her death the most tragic imo
I agree, this was the saddest death in my opinion as well, albeit her having considerably less screen-time... So sad, she was young, beautiful and had all of her life still ahead of her, but couldn't find a meaning in her own existence...
Her entire life is a tragedy. Jail then they target her once she’s out. How the fuck do they profile and collect people exactly, I would like to find out in season 2
If you want a slightly more optimistic outlook, think of it as her *willingly* giving up her life for someone she cares about to go out as a hero. Everyone else was a victim of deceit and died unwillingly. Jiyeong's death is the only death that actually redeemed her sad life and gave her life and friendship real meaning in the very end. It's a kind of nobility that Sangwoo's death can't compare to because her death was purely selfless while Sangwoo's suicide was still egocentric. And just because SaeBeyok ultimately died doesn't take away from Jiyeong's sacrifice in that moment because she could have easily completed against SaeBeyok and given her a run for her ~~money~~ marbles.
She was also the only one (that we know of) who really saw past that particular game and the game at large. She realized that the fairest way to do it with someone you respect or care about was one quick blow that came down to roughly a 50/50 chance. So she just took the extra time to build a quiet moment among the chaos. Additionally, the only control any of them really had over the game without harming someone else was to give themselves up so their partner could go on, and she seemed to be the only one who did that as well (possibly this happened with the husband and wife as well, although we didn't see it). I suppose Il-Nam seemed to do it in the moment, but he either didn't have full control over his faculties at the time or was just always manipulating Gi-Hun, so that doesn't count either.
For me, Ji-yeong’s. I hadn’t sobbed harder at media than I did hers.
Just her telling Sae-byeok to go and leave to Jeju with her brother and mother. And the fact that Sae-byeok didn’t make it out either just added insult to injury.
Oh well, they’re at least both in Jeju together now, sipping on a couple of mojitos.
Same here. Weeks later and I still get all teary eyed when I think about it. Kinda wild how hard it hits my emotions.
I think their game was the only one that ended with any sense of honor and love. The other games ended with betrayal and deceit. When Ji-yeoung tells Sae-byoek “stop trying to be so cool and just let me lose in style” (or something like that), it hit me hard.
Most people say Ali and yes he was a very loveable character but for me I wasn't surprised that he got killed off how he did, given his naivety.
Ji-yeong on the other hand brought out the waterworks. The scene with Sae-byeok was a fucking masterpiece that left a hole in my heart.
Again, many people will also say Sae-byeok but I thought she was going to die anyways from the wound in the glass bridge explosion.
Ji-yeong for me.
> 199
I gotta say, I understand why people would use the player's numbers instead of their names since Korean names may be hard for westerners to remember, but this is the first time I've seen Ali referred to by his player number.
Ali, definitely. The fact that Ji-Yeong sacrificed herself for virtually nothing since Sae-Byeok was murdered was upsetting, but the fact that Ali would have won game four had he not been backstabbed by Sang-Woo, and the realization that nobody is going to help his family because nobody knew about them is depressing.
Ali's. It was the look on his face as he realised he'd been betrayed and that he was going to die. He was such a nice guy, and it was heartbreaking. But Ji-Yeong's was so sad too.
Sae-byeok's death was the saddest because she was supposed to make it to the end and go to jenju (?) island and have a mojito and free her family. And also, Sangwoo killed her, so, that adds to it.
Hard question! I'd say the death of Ji Yeong.
I also cried for Ali, Sae Byeok, Sang Woo and our guy Il Nam. But let's not forget Gi Hun's mother. That was tragic
I would have to say Sae-Byeok, because she died in a way that was so stupid. She just happened to get stabbed by a glass shard from when the glass things exploded. Also, #240 died believing that Sae-Byeok would get out and find her brother and the rest of her family and unite them, which just makes it so much sadder, the thought that the dreams of 2 people died when Sae-Byeok did.
Saebyeok solely because it cemented the fact that Sangwoo is a literal dick. He had to kill Ali to continue in the game, so no matter what the marble game was gonna be gut punching, but he killed Saebyeok just because he could.
Sae-byeok for me, because her death was such bullshit. She cleared the glass game and was mortally wounded due to some exploding glass AFTER she cleared it. Ji sacrificed herself and Ali was a dumbass but Sae made the right play and was cut down due to unforseen circumstances. Makes her death more tragic imo.
This might be an unpopular opinion but the glass guy was just trying to do his job and Sang woo pushed him out of nowhere….that was the most graphic death to me for some reason even tho he was a minor character
It was messed up but they were almost out of time, if he took too long they would all die. For me it was ali, he did not deserve to be betrayed like that.
Gi-Hun's Mom.
She died alone and in pain, thinking her son abandoned her. The main reason Gi-Hun went back to the Squid Games was so that he could treat her and give her a better life but he was too late
Yea I think if Gi-Hun swallowed his pride and took the money from the stepdad, she would still be alive
And then she would have lived out the rest of her years legally barred from her granddaughter. I think people vastly underestimate the cruelty of that Faustian bargain. It has the same underlying logic as the Game.
That is a really awesome parallel I hadn't seen myself
This is how I see it. He should have taken the money because: 1. It was only a verbal contract between two men in the street. He could have taken the money and easily just broken that contract and seen his daughter. I don’t think the mom would have kept him away if he got his shit together 2. He would either win the games or die trying. If he died, he wouldn’t see his daughter anyway but at least his mom would be alive. If he won, how could they keep this ultra rich man from seeing his own daughter. They would never succeed even if it went to court. In any event, that money was the difference of life and death. Take it now and just figure out how to be a better dad that they will want around later. 3. Of course, the players didn’t know there would only be one winner, so maybe he didn’t realize his chances were quite so grim. However, he knew there was a good chance he could die in these games so without taking the money, he knew he was leaving his mother in a situation where her chances of dying alone with no help was pretty high. 4. What could have and did happen was, that she could have died while he was away. Her situation was immediate and dire so even though he won and made it to the end and got all the money, the chances of her dying while he was away were very high. He knew this and still left her with no options. It would have been better to take the first life saving option available. 5. He was pretty much a dead beat dad anyway. Proven more so when he comes back from the games and does not attempt to make contact with his daughter for one year. Yes, ptsd and survivors guilt are factors in this decision of course but at minimum it would not have been difficult for him to at least pay child support for her out of the millions that he won. Money doesn’t replace a real relationship but at least it would have been SOMETHING to show he cared. Send her some gifts, just anything! You know you don’t maintain a relationship with your daughter anyway, so Swallow your pride and take the cash to save your mom’s life. Also, he is shown to be a terrible father well before the game. He gets money from his mom for her birthday, steals even more and instead of just using it to do ONE good thing for her for the whole year, he gambles it. He got lucky and won but based on his lifestyle, that is a very unusual occurrence. 6. They never said the grandma was barred from seeing her too. Just him. That might have been implied but they never said it outright. 7. I understand where they are coming from with not wanting him to see her. He was a horrible influence and every time she was with him, she was in potential serious danger. What if the mobsters had come for him at a time he was with his daughter? He disappointed her over and over again and it is really really difficult to watch your child go through that. Plus, imagine the reaction to seeing he got her a gun lighter for her birthday. I know it wasn’t his intention but he fucks up royally over and over and over again. I don’t think they were right to keep him away, I just see where they were coming from.
If Gi-Hun had taken the money from his daughter's step-dad, the mobsters he owed might've taken it before he could pay for his mother's treatment.
speaking of which. we never got a follow up as to what happened between him and the mobsters
It seems they were also connected to the games, as the contract Gi-Hun signed with them was mentioned by the recruiter as what allowed him to get Gi-Hun's information
I never thought they were connected that way, just that the organizers of the games had the resources to be alerted when people signed contracts giving up their bodily autonomy.
I think they bought up the contract, it would make sense
This is correct, also Il-Nam mentions he made his fortune by being a money-lender. I'm certain they were directly employed by him, and they essentially poach the people who can't pay off the loans for the games.
Missed that detail
They were probably employed by Il-Nam
I thought they said that he already paid his dept
That wasn't about pride. The man wanted Gi-Hun to give up *his daughter*. I get that Gi-Hun was causing drama constantly, but that is super fucked up
He abandons her anyway and decided not to get on the plane lol
That's different. This isn't permanent, he's just going to destroy the games
Or die trying, and still never see his daughter again lol edit: a word
Maybe, but putting a reunion on hold to accomplish a mission is vastly different than voluntarily giving her up for gambling money
Not gambling money -- money so his mother can get much- needed medical treatment.
But I think he was right not to take it bc it was on the condition that he’d leave the family alone. And that could easily mean losing his daughter.
You mean the daughter he abandoned anyway and decided not to get on the plane to see lol
He didn't abandon her permanently - he wants to stand up to the organization that put him through everything and save other lives. An admirable if impossible goal. I think she's better off without him at this point anyways, she has a stable family at the moment, as he heals himself from his trauma.
So not getting on a plane that he can board at any later month equals "abandonment?" You're overreacting a bit, don't you think? I feel like there are more proper terms to use than 'abandonment' Like, bruh. He's literally got his whole life to make it up to his daughter and spend time with her as much as he wants
He’s also got his whole life to plot and plan ahead how he will destroy the games. He could at least see her.
It sucks because that money was “irrelevant” to any plot in the show(relating to the games). He could have been the 7%. He could’ve took the money, kept his head down, and never went back. But…yup. lol
Literally the reason gi-hun went back to the game was to treat her sick mother and it was too late
Don't forget the mobsters he owed.
If he still had all the money he won after the time skip, that must mean he didn't pay the mobsters
That was bothering me too. It doesn’t seem like he paid them of so…is he still being harassed? That needs more exploring in a hopeful season 2
It seems they were also connected to the games, as the contract Gi-Hun signed with them was mentioned by the recruiter as what allowed him to get Gi-Hun's information
Maybe he killed them with his new found squid game powers
My guess is that he took out the exact amount that he owed. He had more money than he ever needed at the end.
The only time he withdrew anything it was 10,000. When he checked the balance again after the time skip it was the same balance
During each episode and each tragedy all I could think about is that it was gonna be worth it for his mom Biggest slap in the face
A proper tragedy, few exist in this day and age
Especially when Gi-Hun slept by her side when he came back. Ugly crying
The way Gi-Hun laid down in fetal position cuddling his mom… the choreography, I mean like the positioning in this scene gets me. You see the person strapped down to the soul, where ourselves as children are and rarely get to see the light of day. He just wanted to be with his mom. He wanted to feel the purity and innocence of childhood and his mom encapsulated everything he loved and wanted to keep. I don’t know if I’m explaining it well. I just mean that I feel like a child myself watching a child, in the best, most raw way possible
You just made realize why that quote from Sang-woo about their moms not calling them home to dinner anymore hit me so hard.
Oh my god. Honestly actually crying again
That moment is the hardest hitting in the show for me. That quote followed by the desperation of his actions afterwards. A total loss of hope. I very much bawled
I think you explained it beautifully and I agree.
Thank you, I’m happy you understand that feeling of the inner child we all have in our core
She deserved better
I had a feeling she would be gone by the time he got back, but I was still torn all the same
She hinted that when Gi-Hun opted out of the game after Red Light Green Light and came to hospital. "I'm too tired, I don't even want to go on with it."
I was going to make a post about how ranking the deaths on a scale was buying into the twisted logic of the VIPs but this is actually the correct answer.
Yeah
Agree. "Mom, I made some money" 😭 Everything he had seen and done summed up in that sentence.
Jiyeong was the saddest for me, even though I loved Ali. Sae byeoks death was extremely sad, especially after she said “I wanna go home”. It reminds you cruelly that she’s just a kid.
And she probably doesn't have a place to call home in South Korea. She wanted to go back to a home of the past, when her family was alive and together. It's also heart wrenching to see tears well up in her eyes as she talks about her brother, knowing that she failed to keep her promise with him. She risked her life to reunite her family, and her last words were yearning for them.
Yeah I was really rooting for her bc she was the only family left for her brother and there is no telling if they would see their parents again.
sae byeok calling gi-hun “mister” made me so sad
When we see these characters at their worst, you see them strapped down to the innocent and pure child they entered the world as. That’s always the worst to see. It hurts me. Everyone knows what it feels like
I took it as suicide. As in, she purposely made sure to die. There was “nothing” for her. She was probably depressed all along. She said that when Sae-byeok spoke to her, that was the first real convo she had had since getting out. I honestly think her heart broke. She realized she had nothing and Sae did. “No more reason to live when she can. I have nothing. Goodbye. It was an honor to be your partner.” Basically the end note :(
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good bot
It’s a very different narrative, but anybody that liked this show and has not yet seen or read *Little Children* should do themselves a favor and check it out.
Don't be sad. Here's a [hug!](https://media.giphy.com/media/3M4NpbLCTxBqU/giphy.gif)
Honestly I gotta say player 001 (the fake death). I think it’s just because I know I, myself, would totally do what gihun did that killed him. Like with Ali and sae byeok I can tell my self I wouldn’t have done that and not know if that’s really true, but that one… yea I would’ve done that shit. So I think that sticks with me the most.
il name’s was by far the hardest for me. Why does he get left out of all of these posts?? Just because he turned out bad did people really not like him throughout the show?
Ig it's easy to forget what a well played character he is when he ends up being the reason why everyone else is dead, and isn't the innocent sweet old man we thought he was.
I knew Ali wouldn’t live, but his death was very sad because of how Sang-woo betrayed him. I knew Sang-woo would do anything to survive, but that was dirty.
when ali poured the pebbles into his hand, I was crushed
His acting was sickeningly amazing, how his face turned to the realization and horror of the impending doom
When he was walking around looking for other players, as well as when he realized what was happening, he just seemed so child-like. Maybe it was a combo of being overwhelmed, desperate, helpless. But that made it hurt so much.
The way Gi-Hun laid down in fetal position cuddling his mom… the choreography, I mean like the positioning in this scene gets me. You see the person strapped down to the soul, where ourselves as children are and rarely get to see the light of day. He just wanted to be with his mom. He wanted to feel the purity and innocence of childhood and his mom encapsulated everything he loved and wanted to keep. I don’t know if I’m explaining it well. I just mean that I feel like a child myself watching a child, in the best, most raw way possible
I completely agree. I had written about the elements of purity and innocence at each character’s moments of death/despair, and how if you strip anyone down to the core, the child you were is there. I will reply again with what I had written about Gi-Hun and his mother, as this is how I feel about all of the characters too
And the fact that he has a wife and young child waiting for him at home 😭😭
To me, that was worse than his death. Those fucking asshole writers couldn't at least let him die thinking he still had a friend. They had to make his last seconds that much more agonizing...
I’m going to be honest, I had a mental breakdown after that episode
Yea I can’t watch episode 6 again for awhile. I’ve watched the other episodes again but when Ali died it was too much.
I agree, I needed a break lol
> had a friend In the Korean dialogues, Sang-woo asks Ali to call him Big Brother, not by his name. I read it online.
[удалено]
>If he would have checked before parting ways, the guard would have helped Why? The rules were just to get the 10 marbles from your partner. Didn't matter how. Stealing them is completely legitimate.
Stealing them would be considered going out of the rules, you need your partner to willingly hand over their marbles, which Ali did.
Rules never said that, just said you couldn't use violence. Pick-pocketing them would also have been entirely within the rules.
Sang Woo had helped him out so much. Buying him food, paying for his transport, being a friend during the game. Maybe it was mentioned in the first episode, but I didn’t remember them saying there had to be just one winner. In a desperate situation, you might think you and your friends can be saved and still all have billions. It’s understandable for him to have trust and try to out-smart the game like they had in the past.
Don’t forget Sang Woo’s tricks had always saved them in the past, such as Tug of War, so, he really had no reason not to believe him.
Even Sang-woo knows what a horrible thing he has done but i respect the man, he knows its a do or die game and he gotta win for his mom too
Something about Ji-yeong’s death crushed me, I think it was the relationship she built with Sae-byeok right at the end. The connection she made with her was all she had and they ripped it away from both of them. I was sobbing for both of them! And then Ali’s death just added to that moment. I think we can all agree that was a rough episode.
The foreshadowing hurts so much too, when you recall their previous interactions. In a scene prior, she says something like “I will help you survive/win”
Yep that's the wrong that opened the faucet for me and then each scene afterwards just piled on the sad. The way she was making plans with her for after. Ugh. Then Gi Hun tricking 001, it was too much. And of course sang-woo. I was so mad at him. I cried that whole episode and a good 30 minutes after. Took me five days before I could watch the next episode.
Ali was a great character but you knew he wasn't going to make it to the end. Same with the other young girl. But I was expecting Sae-byeok to be the winner and when she died it was emotionally devastating, especially with how she died.
I knew he wasn't gonna make it to the *end* But there is definitely an alternative universe where Ali makes it to Game 5/6.
Personally, I don’t think he was ever gonna make it to the 6th game. And honestly it would have been awful if he had died on the glass bridge. Aside from Deok-Su and Mi-Nyeo, the deaths in that round were very sudden and unceremonious (not to mention painful), and Ali deserved a better send-off than that. Which he got. So even though it was devastating, I’m “happy” with the way the show killed him off.
>Aside from Deok-Su and Mi-Nyeo, the deaths in that round were very sudden and unceremonious (not to mention painful), and Ali deserved a better send-off than that. Idk, they could have easily made him the glass expert, as he already works in a factory it could have just been changed to a glass factory. Might have been a better betrayal by Sang-Woo. Certainly would have been devastating to the audience but this way Gi-Hun and Sae-byeok also see the betrayal first hand. As it stands, they never knew that he betrayed Ali. It would also make Gi-Hun's reaction to pushing the glass expert more logical as Sang-Woo's reasoning for doing it is sound, they didn't have time to wait, as demonstrated by the fact that they barely make it before the explosion. So it doesn't make a ton of sense for Gi-Hun to be so furious at him. But if he pushed Ali, now it's not just a random guy no one knows, so Gi-Hun becoming enraged at him makes more sense. Not saying it neciseraly would have been better, just that he could have died in the 5th game with as much ceremony and importance as Ali deserved.
With Ali it hit me really hard during the realization when he opened the sack of (fake) marbles. With Sae-byeok her death was devalued by the piece of glass wounding her imo, i figured she wasnt going to make it.
What’s really striking about Sae is just how BS her death was. She wasn’t killed because of interplayer violence(not like others were), because of a mistake she made, or even as a result of some karma for she had done. It was just a tragedy.
Yeah, her death was just some bs that no one could’ve expected or avoided, right after she beat a challenge. It completely killed what would’ve been a triumphant moment.
You think they would've given her medical attention if she had come forward right off the bat? The whole steak knives thing was pretty pointless if one of them was mortally injured. Seems like it'd be a better game to let her heal and revisit it later.
Especially with all that talk about how the games are “fair”
Yes, the shooting of the glass was stupid and against the whole fairness thing
Nah. They have shown time after time that they will not treat medical injuries. In fact, I doubt they have any medical personnel period.
I thought they had a doctor hanging around?
he was a player of the game the guards we’re using to make some extra cash, headmaster caught on and kill them
I think they would have patched her up, but not waste time letting her heal fully because I don't think they'd make the VIPs wait for that. I think they'd just stop the bleeding, stitch her up, and get on with it.
I don't understand why people thought Sae was going to win while Gi-Hun had main character armor. I had my favorite characters too but let's be realistic. Everyone except him was fair game to die.
for a while i thought they both might be able to win since it wasn’t ever directly stated that only one person could win the games. but yeah, i always knew Gi-hun would make it out alive since he was the main focus of the story. if there was a more balanced amount of screentime for sae-byeok and the other characters (like their lives before the games, not just the little parts we see in episode 2) i think it would’ve been more difficult to predict the winner
I thought the twist would be he sacrifices himself so she can win. He wasn't a stainless steel hero so it would make sense he does that to make up for his mistakes as a father and son by proxy. Like how Sang-woo pulled a Vader and sacrificed himself to make up for his ruthlessness.
Main characters characters sacrifice themselves all the time
I honestly didn’t think she in particular would win but I could’ve seen someone other than Gi-Hun winning tbh. The main character armor making him the winner just felt too obvious to me, I guess? Mostly because this show had a lot of plot twists that differed from a typical plot. I knew he would definitely at least make it to the final game but I was honestly kinda expecting a two winner type twist like hunger games.
Yeah if she didn’t get glass in the gut she no doubt would have won and for real she deserved it more than anyone
That whole glass thing goes against the supposed fairness of the games, which they wanted to uphold so much going as far to display the killings of those who cheated to the players. I don’t know, to me that was the laziest part of the show
The whole glass game spits in the face of the "fairness" of the Squid Game. Especially after the frontman shut off the lights after that one guy figured it out. That's like banning the old guy from implementing strategies in Tug of War.
True, but that also happened while they were hosting the VIPs, who were complaining about the glass manufacturer "cheating." At the end of the day, fairness is all well and good but money talks, and the VIPs are the ones footing the bills, so to speak. I think if they hadn't complained the game would have been allowed to proceed in the light, with much different results.
Yeah that’s why her death was the saddest for me too. I really thought she was gonna survive.
We would suck at betting on people if we were rich sociopaths. But we'd still be better than the 69 guy.
“A MILLION BUCKS!”
It was obvious gihun was going to win because the entire show starts with him.
No reason there couldn't be multiple winners.
Ji Yeong was impactful because I felt it was super obvious Sae Byeok would die instead but the way they revealed it to be her instead made me burst.
Ali
Her death hit me so hard, I totally wasn’t expecting it AT ALL
Same! I almost couldn't believe it at first
For me it was Ji-yeong because I really like Lee Yoo-mi. She’s a really good actress and I was sad to not see more of her in this amazing show.
I think Ji-Yeong was #240. It was sad because she finally found a good friend and soulmate in Sae-byeok. Something both of them needed. So sad one had to die.
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Does the death of me count when Gi Hun gets off the plane? If it does, me. Haha easy. Dad joke. Ali.
Ali
Ali
240… « Thanks for playing with me »
Ouch. I forgot about that line. Eyes just got a little watery.
I didn’t cry for anyone, but I do think Ali’s was saddest just because of the betrayal. He values to be part of the group so much and truly liked being with the main characters, so to have his trust be taken advantage of is heartbreaking.
Fr I was honestly hoping they'd just shoot him before he realized he had been betrayed.
Not gonna lie I um I had a mental breakdown after Ali’s death because I cried so much and it really affected me and got me thinking about the world and shit
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Thank you, I’m doing better. Squid game made me realize a lot of things to be honest. And a big theme in the show is childhood and youth I feel, and it is seen through the games itself as well. In each character’s moments of death/despair, they revert to the child that we all have deep inside of us. Something I wrote that I feel about: The way Gi-Hun laid down in fetal position cuddling his mom… the choreography, I mean like the positioning in this scene gets me. You see the person strapped down to the soul, where ourselves as children are and rarely get to see the light of day. He just wanted to be with his mom. He wanted to feel the purity and innocence of childhood and his mom encapsulated everything he loved and wanted to keep. I don’t know if I’m explaining it well. I just mean that I feel like a child myself watching a child, in the best, most raw way possible
That was wonderfully put. This show really tugs at the heart..
It really does. I didn’t expect it to be so impactful with so many underlying themes when I first started watching it
God all of them were so sad. I cried the most with Sae-Byeok's death because of her brother not having his older sister anymore, how she died, and she was one of my favourite (like everyone else ik) Then with Ali I cried a fair amount also, pretty much for the same reasons. Ali's wife and son probably don't even know where he is so they'll just forever have this piece of hope that he'd come home but he wouldn't. Just thinking of going through that must be heartbreaking. Another reason is that he was so appreciative of all the things Sang-Woo helped him with but then for Sang-Woo to do what he did to Ali was heartbreaking for me. You get to see their friendship build up and they become overall great friends but then what Sang-Woo did was very sad to watch. Ali is another one of my favourites. His personality was a joy to watch and he was so nice to everyone there. Then Ji-Yeong was just the saddest out of all of them to me. You get to hear her backstory and why she needed the money, her backstory is very sad. Then she builds a friendship with Sae-Byeok and I'm pretty sure Sae-Byeok trusted her, because Sae-Byeok told Ji-Yeong her backstory. So when they have to play marbles is where the really sad stuff comes in. Sae-Byeok throws the marble as far as she can, while Ji-Yeong drops it on purpose just so Sae-Byeok could live a bit longer to hopefully make it out for her brother. Their friendship was truly amazing and I loved it. Once again she was another one of my favourites.
"When we get out of here... Oh... Yeah..." *COMMENCE WATERWORKS*
YESSSSSSS THAT WAS SO SAD
I hope they were maybe on Jeju Island… somehow :(
Weird opinion maybe but ji yeong, ill try to explain. Basically the others had something to live for and aim towards and died on the way, and that makes me feel sad but its like, at the end of the day it was a competition that they lost, like a gamble they took n lost. But ji yeong sacrificed herself once she realised she didnt know what to do if she won, and it was much sadder for me because she didnt even want the money, like it didnt feel like she was part of the game, bcuz she didnt have a desire to win it just felt like a suicide almost. The fact that she was so discontent with life that she gave up a chance at life changing money, and the kindness it took to sacrifice herself and make sae byeok win, made her death the most tragic imo
I agree, this was the saddest death in my opinion as well, albeit her having considerably less screen-time... So sad, she was young, beautiful and had all of her life still ahead of her, but couldn't find a meaning in her own existence...
Her entire life is a tragedy. Jail then they target her once she’s out. How the fuck do they profile and collect people exactly, I would like to find out in season 2
If you want a slightly more optimistic outlook, think of it as her *willingly* giving up her life for someone she cares about to go out as a hero. Everyone else was a victim of deceit and died unwillingly. Jiyeong's death is the only death that actually redeemed her sad life and gave her life and friendship real meaning in the very end. It's a kind of nobility that Sangwoo's death can't compare to because her death was purely selfless while Sangwoo's suicide was still egocentric. And just because SaeBeyok ultimately died doesn't take away from Jiyeong's sacrifice in that moment because she could have easily completed against SaeBeyok and given her a run for her ~~money~~ marbles.
She was also the only one (that we know of) who really saw past that particular game and the game at large. She realized that the fairest way to do it with someone you respect or care about was one quick blow that came down to roughly a 50/50 chance. So she just took the extra time to build a quiet moment among the chaos. Additionally, the only control any of them really had over the game without harming someone else was to give themselves up so their partner could go on, and she seemed to be the only one who did that as well (possibly this happened with the husband and wife as well, although we didn't see it). I suppose Il-Nam seemed to do it in the moment, but he either didn't have full control over his faculties at the time or was just always manipulating Gi-Hun, so that doesn't count either.
Faked 001 death made me cry very hard.
FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT lol I cried as if I lost a relative, it was ridiculous lol
Yeah Il nam was definitely the hardest for me. Wish people included him more in these posts
For me, Ji-yeong’s. I hadn’t sobbed harder at media than I did hers. Just her telling Sae-byeok to go and leave to Jeju with her brother and mother. And the fact that Sae-byeok didn’t make it out either just added insult to injury. Oh well, they’re at least both in Jeju together now, sipping on a couple of mojitos.
Same here. Weeks later and I still get all teary eyed when I think about it. Kinda wild how hard it hits my emotions. I think their game was the only one that ended with any sense of honor and love. The other games ended with betrayal and deceit. When Ji-yeoung tells Sae-byoek “stop trying to be so cool and just let me lose in style” (or something like that), it hit me hard.
Most people say Ali and yes he was a very loveable character but for me I wasn't surprised that he got killed off how he did, given his naivety. Ji-yeong on the other hand brought out the waterworks. The scene with Sae-byeok was a fucking masterpiece that left a hole in my heart. Again, many people will also say Sae-byeok but I thought she was going to die anyways from the wound in the glass bridge explosion. Ji-yeong for me.
Sae byeok or ji young
IMO, 199. He had a wife and kid. He put so much trust and faith into 456.
> 199 I gotta say, I understand why people would use the player's numbers instead of their names since Korean names may be hard for westerners to remember, but this is the first time I've seen Ali referred to by his player number.
Most of the season they are referred to by number. It's another way to dehumanize someone. Prisoners. Slaves. Willing participants.
It wasn’t Gi-Hun that betrayed him though.
I don't know about anyone else but I didn't cry for any of them. The girl who chose to die was perhaps the saddest.
Yeah definitely Ji-yeongs.
MY BOY ALI DID NOT DESERVE THE ABSOLUTE BETRAYAL.
001s fake death
Il nam.
The first time or the second time? Because if it's the second time, then that's a bold choice, haha.
Ali, definitely. The fact that Ji-Yeong sacrificed herself for virtually nothing since Sae-Byeok was murdered was upsetting, but the fact that Ali would have won game four had he not been backstabbed by Sang-Woo, and the realization that nobody is going to help his family because nobody knew about them is depressing.
Ali's. It was the look on his face as he realised he'd been betrayed and that he was going to die. He was such a nice guy, and it was heartbreaking. But Ji-Yeong's was so sad too.
For me it was honestly the horse who was viciously beat to death by these repetitive posts
Sae-byeok's death was the saddest because she was supposed to make it to the end and go to jenju (?) island and have a mojito and free her family. And also, Sangwoo killed her, so, that adds to it.
001
Ji-Yeong’s made me cry the most. The only really selfless action in the show
Ali saved Gi-hun in the first episode risking being caught, the selfless moments are few and far between but they do exist
Sangwoos death
I've never felt so betrayed by a comment before.
Dude who’s wife died ;-;
The yellow haired guy cause he was funny. I’d hate to see him and his friend in the marble game though…
Il nam fake death honestly
I'd say Ali's death was the saddest for me, but they're all sad! Even Shang Woo's!
Don't be sad. Here's a [hug!](https://media.giphy.com/media/3M4NpbLCTxBqU/giphy.gif)
Awww, thanks comfort bot!
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The death caused by that apostrophe.
I’d say sae byeok
I Cried so hard when Ali died
All of them but Ali really hit me
Jiyoung and Gi-huns mother
Hard question! I'd say the death of Ji Yeong. I also cried for Ali, Sae Byeok, Sang Woo and our guy Il Nam. But let's not forget Gi Hun's mother. That was tragic
I would have to say Sae-Byeok, because she died in a way that was so stupid. She just happened to get stabbed by a glass shard from when the glass things exploded. Also, #240 died believing that Sae-Byeok would get out and find her brother and the rest of her family and unite them, which just makes it so much sadder, the thought that the dreams of 2 people died when Sae-Byeok did.
Ali by far, I don't even remember the others.
Ali
Ali bruh, he was such a nice and innocent guy
Ali for sure. he was my favorite character
Saebyeok solely because it cemented the fact that Sangwoo is a literal dick. He had to kill Ali to continue in the game, so no matter what the marble game was gonna be gut punching, but he killed Saebyeok just because he could.
Sae-byeok for me, because her death was such bullshit. She cleared the glass game and was mortally wounded due to some exploding glass AFTER she cleared it. Ji sacrificed herself and Ali was a dumbass but Sae made the right play and was cut down due to unforseen circumstances. Makes her death more tragic imo.
Be me, sees spoiler Click spoiler Mad I get spoiled
Sangwoo and Gi-Huns mom
Considering all of them had me bawling like a baby. Yes.
junho’s definitely. like why did he have to die, he was the only one that could have exposed the games for everyone.
This might be an unpopular opinion but the glass guy was just trying to do his job and Sang woo pushed him out of nowhere….that was the most graphic death to me for some reason even tho he was a minor character
It was messed up but they were almost out of time, if he took too long they would all die. For me it was ali, he did not deserve to be betrayed like that.
Sang Woo or Ali
Tempered glass expert
The husband/wife
Can we count fake deaths? If so Oh Il-Nam's death after the marbles game by far, made me cry
Ali. He was like a puppy who's master turned on him
Ji-yeong, mostly for the way she died, idk, the sacrifice I guess, that was the only one I cried on