Why does Seong Gi-hun die in ‘Squid Game’?
Squid Game was never only about visual simulations. It was a story that demanded closure. When the first season was released on Netflix, it caused a stir in the entertainment world. And four years down, the frenzy is still persistent. Ahead of the third season, the most-asked question was whether Seong Gi-hun survives the last round. And now that viewers know what went down, it makes one curious: what was the purpose of Gi-hun’s death in Squid Game?
Squid Game season three was all about the ideological warfare between Gi-hun and Front Man. And Gi-hun was forever deemed the wildcard of the deadly games. Having been a former Squid Game champion, Gi-hun’s death definitely raised eyebrows. According to director Hwang Dong-hyuk, killing off Gi-hun in the South Korean survival drama was not his original plan (via Tudum).
As he progressed from season two to three, Dong-hyuk realised it was not just Squid Game that awaited closure, but also the main character, Gi-hun. Gi-hun returned to the game to disrupt the eerie chain of survival games. He may have won the first game. However, putting an end to the blood sports was his ultimate mission. On the flip side, Squid Game ensured Gi-hun had a compelling contrast: the Front Man, who will stop at nothing to crush his noble faith once and for all.
So, the question is not about why Gi-hun dies in Squid Game. It’s why he chooses to die in it. Jun-hee’s baby, born in episode two, was the real Squid Game winner. But infancy didn’t stop the competitors from trying to kill her. “The message I wanted to communicate was that if we solely pursue our immediate self-interest, and refuse to self-restrain, sacrifice, or bear any costs – and if we don’t put our heads together – we have no future,” Dong-hyuk explained.
In Squid Game season three, the baby symbolises the future, and Gi-hun is the sacrifice. Gi-hun had the option to win the game and abandon the baby to death. It’s not like Jun-hee survives to see what he does with the baby. Nor does he know what awaits the baby’s fate after his death. But the protagonist has always been a sliver of light. As a result, if anyone had to convey the message through the game, it had to be Gi-hun. So, he does whatever it takes.
Moreover, fans shouldn’t forget that Gi-hun was a father who entered the game while being estranged from his own daughter. If you note the full circle, the sacrifice for Jun-hee’s baby makes perfect sense. But does his sacrifice exactly pay off? Walking back into the games following his failed attempt at a rebellion, Gi-hun almost lost his cause. But it was the baby who triggered his humanity; something the Front Man wasn’t fond of.
Although Gi-hun wins the battle of ideologies, it’s the last scene that steals the show: Cate Blanchett as the LA recruiter of Squid Game. Dong-hyuk did great in shunning the desire for a cathartic ending. He built Squid Game brick by brick to mirror the real world. And if Gi-hun’s sole sacrifice had ended the games, what would be left of reality in Squid Game?