Squid Game Recap: Don’t Trip

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In this recent episode, I found an intriguing detail: the phrase “Hodie Mihi, Cras Ti” – which means ‘today for me, tomorrow for you’ – is written on the walls of the players’ dorm. Historically, this Latin saying was engraved on tombstones to emphasize the transience of life and the certainty of death. However, it seems to me that this phrase also serves as a cautionary message about treating others with kindness since their fate could one day be yours. This sentiment appears particularly pertinent in the opening scene where Player 96 continues to shove people off the bridge, hoping only he and Gi-hun will survive for the prize money. Jeong-dae, being a cold-hearted individual, proposes that if Player 96 lets him pass, they’ll split the winnings and he’ll help push everyone else off. When one player steps back from the edge, another pushes her off anyway. Gi-hun manages to halt Player 96 by reminding him, “If I pushed you instead, I wouldn’t even need to share it.

From my perspective, I find myself in a precarious situation as Myung-gi urges me to join him. However, the memory of Hyun-ju’s tragic demise at my hands, using a knife that was once mine, leaves me emotionally torn with regards to him. I remind him of her sacrifice for our baby’s sake. He defends his actions, claiming it was to ensure a happier life for us. Pondering his words, I reveal my injured ankle and request he carry me across.

Gi-hun, who I’ve only known for a brief span of time, is ready to jeopardize his existence in aid of me. Yet, it’s Myung-gi, the father of my child, who hesitates at this juncture. It’s worth noting that he previously suggested I stab him to survive, but this proposition feels distinct due to potential fatal consequences if we were to cross together.

In a heartbreaking moment, I declare my baby and me have no association with an individual like Myung-gi and express my desire to avoid him in the future. Disappointed, he turns away.

In a sudden turn of events, Player 96 attacks Gi-hun unexpectedly. However, Gi-hun manages to take control during a tense instant by targeting Player 96’s eye. When Player 96 falls from the bridge after being hit with a rope, other players like Min-su, who is under the influence of his last pill, are able to move across. Meanwhile, Myung-gi disregards a player’s cries for help who gets trapped in the gap of the bridge and safely reaches the other side just over a minute before time runs out.

Gi-hun was planning to return for Jun-hee, who now stands alone across the way. However, she calls out to him not to come, insisting that their unborn child won’t make it if he perishes. This act reflects her commitment to safeguard the baby at all costs, as she clarifies. The emotions of Jun-hee and Gi-hun echo the Young-hee and Chul-soo figurines on opposite sides of the bridge… until she steps off, plummeting to her death in a pool of blood adorning the floor. Her baby continues to gurgle blissfully in a bed of flowers overhead. Myung-gi weeps.

The influential individuals heartlessly discuss the fate of Jun-hee’s infant, swaddled inside jackets belonging to Gi-hun and Jun-hee. In-ho proposes that the baby assumes Player 222’s role, taking over from Jun-hee, as it adds intrigue to both the voting process and the upcoming game. One VIP remarks, “This is a more significant twist than even the resurrection of Jesus.

Inside the dormitory, a few players were privately calculating their shares of the winnings. Since only eight individuals remained, each would receive approximately 5.6 billion won (around $4.1 million), an amount that seemed sufficient for most to vote in favor of ending the game. However, when the pink soldiers arrived, they clarified there were actually nine participants: players 39, 100 (Jeong-dae), 125 (Min-su), 203, 222 (Jun-hee), 333 (Myung-gi), 336, 353, and 456 (Gi-hun). It was revealed that Jun-hee’s baby had taken her number. Adults began squabbling with the newborn infant, claiming it didn’t deserve the money and should be eliminated. They demanded Gi-hun surrender the child. But before they could attack him en masse, a soldier fired a shot and declared that player-on-player aggression would no longer be tolerated, in the name of fairness (an unusual justification given the inherent unfairness of involving an infant in the game).

The absurdity of the baby’s participation in the game is further highlighted at the candlelit dinner that evening. Unlike the other competitors, she’s not dressed formally or dining on fancy food – instead, she’s being fed a bottle in her crib. (It seems the game had contingencies for Jun-hee going into labor?) Because of her inability to vote, she is excluded from the decision-making process that takes place during the meal due to her condition.

Prior to deciding, players are told that at least three individuals will be expelled during the final round. If they come to an agreement on who these three should be, all others can live, but they could also choose to eliminate more if desired. With this in mind, only Min-su and Gi-hun vote for ‘X’, Player 39 doesn’t need to stand since the ‘Os’ already hold the majority, though he mentions he would have voted ‘O’ regardless. The six ‘Os’ strategize to create an alliance to eliminate Gi-hun, the baby, and Min-su, the “addict”. This would allow them to leave with approximately $5.6 million each. However, I wonder if that much money will be enough to convince Myung-gi to participate in the murder of his own child? I’m keeping faith that his intense gazes are a sign he has another plan.

At night, Gi-hun receives a message from the guards that the Front Man desires his presence, signifying the much-anticipated confrontation. With the Front Man mask on, In-ho expresses his willingness to aid. Discarding any semblance of fairness in the game, In-ho gives Gi-hun a large knife for self-defense against those intent on killing him and an innocent baby during their slumber. When Gi-hun queries why the Front Man would extend such an offer, In-ho unmasks himself as Player 1, Oh Young-il, whom Gi-hun had trusted earlier. “I’m sorry about Jung-bae,” In-ho states. This remark strikes a particularly harsh chord, considering that it was In-ho who took Jung-bae’s life, and upon hearing it, Gi-hun grips the knife tightly and rises from his seat.

In-ho proposes that Gi-hun should take his life if desired, but cautions that the game will continue regardless, possibly with a new leader called Front Man. He assures Gi-hun that the upcoming game can only be played by one person, and according to the rules, the game would end if Gi-hun embarks on this violent spree tonight. In-ho offers them safe passage out of here, but suggests it’s wise to eliminate everyone first before they are eliminated themselves. As Gi-hun departs with a knife, In-ho wonders aloud whether Gi-hun still believes in humanity. Gi-hun pauses for a moment, then continues his journey without responding.

In this episode, it remains uncertain if Gi-hun will follow In-ho’s counsel, but what we do see is a chilling massacre unfolding. When the authorities inform Captain Park that Woo-seok has broken into his home and seemingly killed his pet, Captain Park confides in a confidant on another vessel that they’ve been compromised and must start eliminating everyone. Back at the station, Woo-seok cleverly persuades them to return his phone, just enough time for him to escape with it and alert Jun-ho. When Captain Park starts firing recklessly into a cabin on the boat, Jun-ho is fortunately not present. He fatally shoots Captain Park using a harpoon gun and presses for information from the dying man, who only reveals that he was obeying orders to do whatever necessary to keep Jun-ho alive. “Thanks. It’s been entertaining,” he gasps before succumbing to his wounds.

The lone other survivor, mercenary Kim, urges Jun-ho to halt his search. However, Jun-ho disagrees, suggesting there could still be players on the island. When asked directly, he confesses this mission might be his final opportunity to reunite with his brother. Pondering Captain Park’s deception, they speculate that the island lies within the region of the map Park advised them to avoid.

For No-eul and Gyeong-seok, they manage to escape the island together initially. However, the organ-trafficking officer orders a team to chase and kill them both. He also menaces No-eul by revealing he knows where Gyeong-seok’s daughter is hospitalized. As a result, No-eul goes back without Gyeong-seok, urging him to contact the police once they reach land as his daughter is in peril. Meanwhile, as No-eul climbs a cliff back on the island, Gyeong-seok continues to speed the boat. It’s plausible that he might encounter Jun-ho’s approaching boat amidst the sea journey; I can’t wait for all these narratives to converge.

Parting Shots

The pace of the jump rope increasing gradually served as an ingenious form of disciplining the players who were initially the most apprehensive about crossing. It’s fortunate that it didn’t escalate into a Double Dutch game, a challenge I find intimidating even when played at ground level.

When Woo-seok is apprehended, the police harbor doubts about his prior criminal history and find his tale of lethal child’s play on an island implausible. It’s unfortunate that he doesn’t encounter an officer who has previously listened to Jun-ho share similar accounts.

Captain Park mentions that he had an opportunity to live again when death was imminent; this lifeline was extended by an unspecified figure, leaving me intrigued about his past and the circumstances under which he became associated with them.

Out of this year’s VIP group, there’s only one woman, who also happens to be the sole Asian. During the recent episode, she momentarily spoke Mandarin when a VIP was making advances towards her, but she responded with a clever retort in English: “I’d prefer to drink with my footstool rather than with you.” So far, both her and In-ho have tended to communicate in English with the others. I’m curious if In-ho is translating the players’ real-time comments for them, or if the show follows Netflix’s approach by employing individuals for an English dub.

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2025-06-27 22:54