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The Korean survival drama Squid Game has become the most recent Netflix sensation. A surprising hit in a somewhat oversaturated genre, Squid Game manages to capture the true vileness and emotional depth of a death game in a way other similar works do not. There are several factors that contribute to this success, but much of it relies on the show’s relatable characters.
Squid Game‘s main characters all regular people with problems viewers can understand. They’re heavily in debt and struggle with the consequences of their actions. The protagonist, Seong Gi-hun, is perhaps the best example. He often seems to scrape by solely by luck. While Seong Gi-hun is a compassionate man and displays striking notions of kindness and ethics, he’s also made some huge mistakes that ruin his likability.
10 He Steals From His Mother To Feed His Gambling Addiction
Squid Game‘s first scene goes out of its way to establishes its protagonist’s flaws immediately. Gi-hun is presented as a callous man who works a dead-end job that can’t cover their debts. His mother is the one who reminds him of his daughter Ga-yeong’s birthday, and she also gives him money to take her out for her favorite meal.
Once she leaves, Gi-hun finds her credit card, managing to guess the code and essentially stealing from his mother. He spends the money gambling on horse races. While he wins, he ends up getting pickpocketed by Kang Sae-Byeok, which is in a way poetic justice.
9 He Disappoints His Daughter On Her Birthday
Left with only pocket change and chased down by creditors, Gi-hun desperately tries to get Ga-yeong a birthday present. His only option is a claw toy grabber, but even in this, he fails. A nearby boy ends up helping him extract a black package from the machine.
Thrilled with his achievement, Gi-hun doesn’t check the contents. He offers it to Ga-yeong once they meet, only to realize it contains a gun-shaped lighter. Ga-yeong is very disappointed and doesn’t even tell him that her step-father is about to take her and her mother to the United States.
8 He Swears On His Mother’s Life And Breaks His Word
Upon finding out the truth about Ga-yeong’s imminent departure and being approached by the Recruiter in the subway, Gi-hun participates in the first stage of the Squid Game. After half the people present die in the Red Light, Green Light game, he votes to end the competition.
He is brought back in the same car as Sae-Byeok. Still angry with her for pick-pocketing him, he gets her to release him by swearing on his mother’s life. As soon as he is free, he breaks his word. While his frustration with Sae-Byeok and his reaction are normal, involving his mother in the exchange doesn’t look good.
7 He Cancels His Mother’s Health Insurance
The argument with Sae-Byeok isn’t the first time Gi-hun treats his mother with disregard. Upon making his way back home, he finds out she is suffering from serious diabetes but has left the hospital. When he confronts her, it is revealed that he canceled their health insurance, and it is because of him that his mother can’t afford the necessary treatment. It’s not a big surprise, but it’s still very unpleasant.
6 He Approaches His Ex-Wife For Money
Desperate to provide his mother with aid, Gi-hun tries to find additional work. When that fails, he turns to his ex-wife for money. While his panic and anguish are understandable, it’s not one of Gi-hun’s best moments. He waits for his ex-wife in front of her home, putting her in an uncomfortable position. When her new husband arrives with his daughter, he leaves with barely a comment to Ga-yeong.
Ga-yeong’s step-father races after him and offers him money in exchange for not approaching his family again. Gi-hun refuses and punches the other man. Ga-yeong witnesses the whole thing, which just upsets her even more.
5 He Tries To Cheat A Frail Old Man Out Of His Marbles
Left with no other options, Gi-hun returns to the Squid Game. He manages to scrape by in the Dalgona game. His team wins in Tug-of-War, primarily due to old man Oh Il-Nam’s experience and a last-minute strategy from Cho Sang-Woo. But things go awry in Marbles. Players are divided into teams of two. In a charming burst of compassion, Gi-hun picks Oh Il-Nam, who had been left out because of his age.
It’s only then that they find out the game involves them fighting each other, with the purpose being to claim the other person’s bag of marbles. Gi-hun loses but takes advantage of Oh Il-Nam’s apparent dementia to trick him and pretend that didn’t happen. In the end, Oh Il-Nam confronts him about it and gives him his remaining marble. At the time, it seems he chooses death to save his gganbu.
4 He Doesn’t Make The Dying Sae-Byeok The Promise She Requests
The most difficult game participants have to face is probably the Glass Bridge. Players must cross a bridge made out of glass tiles, but only half are made out of secured glass. Only three people – Gi-hun, Sang-Woo and Sae-Byeok – make it across. When the timer hits zero, the bridge explodes, and a massive glass shard impales Sae-Byeok.
Later, Gi-hun notices that she is unwell and checks up on her. Realizing she is dying, Sae-Byeok asks him to promise her to take care of her brother. Gi-hun refuses to make her the promise, claiming they will get out of there together. It’s an attempt to encourage her, but it really isn’t what Sae-Byeok needed to hear. She dies at Sang-Woo’s hands, without any kind of reassurance.
3 His Refusal To End The Game Is Honorable But Somewhat Hypocritical
In the final stage, Gi-hun and Sang-Woo confront each other on the Squid Game field. The fight is brutal, and on more than one occasion, the balance seems to tip in Sang-Woo’s favor. Gi-hun eventually manages to prevail, defeating his former friend. Even as angry as he is with Sang-Woo for Sae-Byeok’s death, he can’t bring himself to deliver the final blow. It’s an honorable choice that does him credit, but it renders everything that had happened pointless.
Withdrawing from the game would put Gi-hun in the same position as before. It seems unlikely that the VIPs would respect his decision and allow both him and Sang-Woo to leave. Gi-hun’s principles are admirable, but by then, it’s too late to turn back. He may not think money is everything, but that’s a little hypocritical considering his gambling habit and overall problems. In the end, Sang-Woo keeps viewers from finding out the consequences of Gi-hun’s decision by taking his own life.
2 He Abandons The People Who Need Him When He Doesn’t Use The Prize Money
After Sang-Woo’s death, Gi-hun becomes the automatic winner of the grand thirty-eight million USD prize. He goes back home, only to find his mother has died in his absence. Traumatized by the experience, he doesn’t use his prize money except to pay his previous debt. It is so unusual that he is even approached by his bank to ask about a potential investment.
While he has to be given some leeway for the ordeal he’s been through, the end result is that he abandons everyone who needs him. Sang-Woo’s mother is left with no financial support and loses her business. Sae-Byeok’s brother, Cheol, is stuck in the orphanage. It is only when Gi-hun finds out Oh Il-nam is the one who orchestrated the games that he snaps out of his trance and goes to help them.
1 He Decides To Stop The Game Instead Of Reuniting With His Family
Gi-hun also abandons his daughter during his period of depression. He only reaches out to her one year after the game’s end. Even then, it doesn’t end well. The day he is supposed to get on a plane for America, he sees the recruiter approaching someone at the subway.
Realizing the game has started again, he changes his mind and abandons his previous plans. Instead of getting on the plane, he contacts the game’s staff and tells them he will stop them at all costs. His resolve is admirable, but the fact remains that through his actions, he once again turns his back on his family.
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