After years of it being everyone’s favourite show, the ending of Squid Game and iconic character Gi-hun has happened. Wow, what an ending that was.
Gi-hun has changed dramatically since day one of the show. When we first met him he was in debt, having gambled away all of his money. He was desperate, and entered the games. He then of course won the games, and made it his personal mission to end it all, and stop those at the top. This involved him putting his life at risk, and throwing himself back into the games.
Spoilers ahead, but that didn’t end well. At the end of season three, Gi-hun is left having to either save himself or the baby of Player 222, Jun-hee. He sacrificed himself, so the baby could survive.
via Netflix
The ending for Gi-hun was foreshadowed in the first episode of Squid Game
The final episode of Squid Game season three is called “Humans Are…” and that references the final words Gi-hun made in the show. As he is about to die, Gi-hun said to those running the games and the VIPs: “We are not horses. We are humans. Humans are…” He then fell from the tower.
There was an alternative ending to the show, where Gi-hun finished his sentence. But creator Hwang Dong-hyuk explained he thought the messaging could be shown in Gi-hun’s actions, and the words could instead be left there.
“I decided the rest of what I wanted to say would instead be expressed physically by Gi-hun through his actions, through his deeds and the sacrifice he makes to save that child,” he explained. “I also thought in that scene, if our message was complete, with nothing left to interpretation, then the audience would just leave it at that, then go ‘oh, that’s how it all ends’.”
via Netflix
Plus, it turns out the gruesome ending for Gi-hun was foreshadowed in the very first episode of Squid Game. When we first met Gi-hun, he was in a betting shop, losing all of his money playing on horses. The theme of horses being used for human entertainment has come up multiple times in the show.
The VIPs in Squid Game treat the players like horses, watching them and betting on who will win. Gi-hun was literally betting on horses in the first episode. Also in season one, The Front Man told Gi-hun: “You bet on horses. It’s the same here, but we bet on humans. You’re our horses.”
So, this line being said back to The Front Man by Gi-hun is a direct call back to that moment. Powerful stuff.
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