Squid Game Recap: Doll Eyes

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Wow, this episode is heavy on the theme of death. The story begins with No-eul quickly taking action by shooting the doctor immediately after Gyeong-seok wakes up. It seems she might be trying to make a powerful statement right from the start, as she swiftly dons her mask and informs Gyeong-seok, “I’m attempting to save your life.” The subsequent deaths occur throughout a game of hide-and-seek, where it appears that players in red are targeting others in an effort to preserve their own lives. However, some, like Gi-hun and the newly formed duo of Nam-gyu and Myung-gi, seem to have other objectives as well.

In their pink uniforms, the soldiers failed to provide all necessary details about the game’s rules. It was initially noticed by Jeong-dae that not every blue player’s keys could open every type of lock (doors). This piece of information proved beneficial for Hyun-ju, Yu-ri, and Geum-ja, who just so happened to possess a key for each of the three lock types: circle, triangle, and square. These three, affectionately known as the “bathroom team” due to their shared past late-night bathroom adventures, gave their keys to Hyun-ju, who was chosen as their leader. After injuring her ankle and falling down the stairs, Jun-hee became a more vulnerable target, but when a red player attempted an attack, Hyun-ju, with her exceptional fighting skills, managed to disarm and kill him, taking his knife for additional protection.

Another way of phrasing it could be: There are other groups who also have great chemistry. Interestingly, Nam-gyu, who took two pills before entering the game, works surprisingly well with Myung-gi. When it’s time for their first kill, Myung-gi hesitates – after all, murder is a different experience than defending oneself against Thanos – but he manages to act after Nam-gyu is also disarmed. When the victim begs that he has a wife and child, Myung-gi pauses momentarily. Is it because he’s feeling empathy as an upcoming father? No, actually, he wants to make sure Nam-gyu doesn’t get the fatal blow first. They decide to strike simultaneously to share the credit, and Myung-gi cleverly plans to take the dead man’s key to unlock doors.

Following our second joint victory, we could part ways, as I’ve fulfilled my solo mission requirement. However, Nam-gyu’s peculiar fascination with the way eyes transform into “doll eyes” upon death is unsettling, and he seems to be teasing Myung-gi about his relationship with Jun-hee by singing “Love Scenario,” a well-known breakup tune. But what stands out most is that Myung-gi vowed to seek out and safeguard Jun-hee once he took a life. If he’s serious about a new beginning with her, he ought to prioritize keeping his promise. Yet, there’s a moment of hesitation when Nam-gyu suggests we continue increasing our kill count, reasoning that eradicating more ‘blue’ players indirectly diminishes the number of ‘red’ players who would be left without enough targets.

It doesn’t take much time to discover which decision Myung-gi makes. Accompanied by her followers, Seon-nyeo has been asserting that the spirits of the deceased are guiding her twitchy ears. Eventually, she announces that she has found the way out, but upon opening the door, she slams it shut and flees quickly. Moments later, Myung-gi bursts through the doorway with Nam-gyu, attacking as many of Seon-nyeo’s believers as they can. Sigh, men are just prone to lying. Jun-hee truly deserves more than this.

Next, Seon-nyeo collides with a grim Gi-hun, but she manages to divert his focus towards Dae-ho, whom he had previously cornered. During their initial encounter, Gi-hun hesitated to attack him. It’s been revealed that Dae-ho acquired a knife blade following an incident where he kicked a red player down the stairs, leading to the player’s death. However, during the altercation, Dae-ho sustained a wound on his leg. Thanks to Seon-nyeo’s information, Gi-hun now recognizes that his target is wounded and leaving a blood trail, making it easier for him to track down Dae-ho.

In the meantime, Min-su is extremely intoxicated after finding Nam-gyu’s lost Thanos necklace and taking a pill. He then approaches Seon-nyeo urgently asking her to help him locate Se-mi. This leaves Seon-nyeo uneasy, and she finds herself in a room where there’s an exit. Unfortunately, she only possesses one of the three keys necessary to unlock the door. As she searches for the remaining keys, Seon-nyeo comes across Jeong-dae, who was feigning death to deceive the dangerous and musically unskilled Nam-gyu. Since Jeong-dae has a history of betraying his allies in this game, he is in possession of the two keys that Seon-nyeo needs. She guides him towards the exit, making him believe that she is being led by gods instead of the markings she makes on the walls using blood from the accumulating bodies in the hallways.

Amidst all this tragic situation, a fresh life is being born. Our bathroom team discovered a room where Jun-hee and Geum-ja planned to hide, prompting Hyun-ju to search for the exit alone. However, Jun-hee’s water unexpectedly broke, causing Geum-ja to switch into midwife mode and ask Hyun-ju to support Jun-hee. Despite falling down a staircase, having minimal food rations, and dealing with intense pregnancy stress due to the game, Jun-hee successfully delivers what seems to be a healthy baby girl.

Immediately following the brief moment of celebration, Hyun-ju finds herself up against another red opponent, with little respite. Despite taking additional blows and getting wounded this time, she manages to shift the course of the battle and eliminate her foe. It seems that no one is currently a match for Hyun-ju in close combat, leading it’s no surprise when a red player who witnesses her wiping blood from her face chooses to back off instead.

The unexpected scuffle has guided Hyun-ju towards an exit, as she possesses all three keys for it. She hesitantly makes her way past the doorway but then turns back to fetch Jun-hee and Geum-ja. Just as Hyun-ju announces the positive news, she’s struck from behind with a knife – causing her to fall down. A tragic irony unfolds: Myung-gi didn’t necessitate killing anyone else, yet he was enticed by the self-serving desire to eliminate additional participants and boost his personal winnings; Hyun-ju didn’t have to hobble back, but she did so out of caring concern for her companions. Myung-gi, at least, seems to sense that he isn’t wanted there and departs without informing Nam-gyu that others are still present inside.

Seon-nyeo and Jeong-dae reached an exit together, but Jeong-dae took advantage of Seon-nyeo’s overbearing demeanor to shove her aside and close the door behind him. Later, Min-su encounters Seon-nyeo again, misunderstanding her haughty remarks as belonging to Nam-gyu, and ends up stabbing her multiple times. Tragically, Seon-nyeo dies just steps away from the exit she could have safely exited at, while Min-su is left in shock, convinced he has killed Se-mi instead.

In their next critical encounter, it’s Gi-hun who has located Dae-ho. Overwhelmed, Dae-ho confesses that he never served in the marines. He admits to fabricating his background to spend time with this group, describing himself as a coward who was terrified during the uprising. Unforgiving, Gi-hun accuses Dae-h0 of causing all the deaths, stating, “It’s your fault. You’re the one who killed everyone.” In retaliation, Dae-ho draws his knife and wounds Gi-hun, switching from his pitiful demeanor to shout that it was Gi-hun who caused the carnage.

The battle between them escalates as they move from the stairs into the corridors. Dae-ho’s life hangs precariously in the balance, and at one point, he grabs a shoe and uses it as a weapon. However, he is cornered again before a door that opens to a lethal fall, and Gi-hun strangles Dae-ho to death in the doorway. In his final moments, Dae-ho gasps out that it’s all Gi-hun’s doing. As Dae-ho’s eyes turn blank like Nam-gyu’s beloved dolls, Gi-hun’s own eyes widen with horror at his actions. After the game concludes, he sobs and confesses aloud, “I’m responsible.” He raises his knife to his throat, but it’s wrestled away from him by pink-uniformed soldiers who render him unconscious. Reminiscent of the season opener, the game once more denies Gi-hun the choice of death.

The climactic moment of the episode results in a heartbreaking death, which leaves me wondering how show creator Hwang Dong-hyuk could have experienced such stress over this series. Geum-ja, Jun-hee, and her infant, following Hyun-ju’s instructions, find an exit. Upon entering the room, Yong-sik encounters a challenging situation – he had previously failed to kill a blue player who counter-attacked him, a red player damaged one of his glasses lenses, and the numerous casualties around him triggered hyperventilation. Despondent over his inability to kill anyone, Yong-sik tells his mother he’s going to die. Instead of allowing Yong-sik to approach Jun-hee, Geum-ja urges him to kill her instead, even guiding the knife towards her abdomen. Unable to comply, Yong-sik pushes his mother aside and aims at a trembling Jun-hee, apologizing as he raises his knife, looking at her crying baby.

Before he can act further, Geum-ja impales Yong-sik with a hairpin she had recently used for a delivery and then, instead of saving her son from a life of violence, chooses to let him die as an innocent boy. In her tears, Yong-sik expresses remorse by saying “I’m sorry,” which in the original translation implies “I was wrong” or “It was my fault.” Later, pink soldiers move to execute Yong-sik, disregarding Geum-ja’s desperate pleas. I appreciate that this grim scene is not shown on screen, as I fear my heart would break watching her grieve any further.

Parting Shots

In the span of thirty minutes, the entire game of hide-and-seek unfolded. To be clear, I’m not versed in childbirth matters, but Jun-hee might have been in labor prior to this game. However, as a spectator, it seemed like she delivered that baby astonishingly quickly. Thankfully, the delivery process went smoothly without any complications, and I find it astounding that Jun-hee gave birth without painkillers and possibly a fractured ankle.

As I watched In-ho masked behind his Front Man persona, I couldn’t help but sense a hidden smirk lurking beneath. It seemed to me that In-ho had grown weary of Gi-hun’s self-righteousness, and it was evident that Gi-hun no longer felt morally superior in that moment.

So… it looks like we have some questions about the upcoming game and this newborn baby. Will pink soldiers snatch her away, or will Jun-hee be pressured to compete against her? By the way, if Jun-hee is considering names for the baby, I think Hyun-ju would be a lovely choice.

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2025-06-27 14:56