It’s been a while since Squid Game Season 2 dropped, but there’s one scene that still bugs me. At first, I thought it was just recency bias, but no. It still bothers me. Let me break it down and explain how a simple tweak could have made it so much better.
The Setup: “O X”
Don’t get me wrong. This is one of the best episodes of the season. I loved the twisted psychological game the guards played when they handed the players forks. Nobody eats kimbap with a fork. It was never about eating; it was about pushing them toward violence, forcing the group to decide whether to keep playing or take the money and leave.
This split in the group was a fantastic setup for the season finale.
The Scene That Ruined It: “Friends or Foe”
Gi-hun predicts the inevitable: a fight will break out. The players who want to continue the game (“O” players) will attack those who want to leave (“X” players). But instead of trying to stop the bloodshed, Gi-hun lets it happen. His plan? Use the chaos as a distraction to overthrow the guards and take over the island.
Why This Scene Fails
This moment completely contradicts Gi-hun’s character arc. His entire motivation in Season 2 is to save as many people as possible. That’s what made Episode 3 so powerful. He risked his own life in Red Light, Green Light to warn others and even re-entered the game to save someone who had been shot.
But in the final episode? Suddenly, that empathy is gone. He stands by and lets innocent players, his supposed allies by the way, to be slaughtered just so he can attempt a doomed coup.
And that’s the second issue: It’s a terrible plan! Did Gi-hun really think he and his friends could overthrow an entire operation on an uncharted island with almost no weapons and zero knowledge of the Frontman’s location?
The Fix: A Simple Change
This scene could have worked so much better with one adjustment: make it spontaneous.
Instead of pre-planning the revolt, let Gi-hun and his friends instinctively step in to protect the “X” players from being massacred. The ensuing chaos would naturally draw the guards’ attention, giving them an opportunity to fight back. They could still play dead and ambush the guards as planned, but now, Gi-hun’s actions align with his core values.
Even better? This shift could lead to a powerful moment where both “X” and “O” players, despite being on opposite sides, unite against the real enemy—the Squid Game organizers.
Conclusion
Season 2 had some great moments, and the characters kept the audience invested. But the final episode undermined Gi-hun’s entire character arc, making this scene frustratingly out of place.
Final verdict? 5/10.
Student by day, writer by night. If it’s cinematic, I’ll get it right.
I’m a big fan of superheroes, cinemas, science, and history. But most of all, I just love good stories.
