the way Ali saved Gi-hun in the first game. that man was a pure soul and he deserved better

Ali's character was so realistic, he got betrayed because he was kind and people took advantage of him, its scary to see this show being so brutally accurate

Forget the characters, what about their families who probably think they got DITCHED??

yeah i shed a tear when homegirl dropped the marbel saying she knew the other girl needed the money more…and when she said “it was an honor to play with you” b4 getting shot….heart wrenching!!!!!

nah cause our girls deserved their own storyline😭 they did us wrong with their ending. ALSO does anyone else not believe that mr. police officer is dead???? that couldn’t have been his ending, i REFUSE

I saw this tweet where it pointed out how there were callbacks to things in episode two in a character’s death . Like sang woo was going to commit suicide in the bathtub and he dies in the game by killing himself. Ali took the money from his boss and the marbles were taken from him. The guy with the snake tattoo jumped off the bridge and he died by falling off the glass bridge. Sae byeok threatened the guy she threw coffee at with a knife at his throat and she was killed by sang woo with a knife cut into her throat. The detective killed that one guy in the red suit and threw him into the ocean and he was shot and fell into the ocean. Also gi hun swore on his mother’s life and when he returned she was dead.

Sangwoo doesn't only represent the self-concerned people, but Sangwoo does feel bad for his actions, but he doesn't have the time nor the opportunity to feel sorry about it, and he just has to keep pushing and surviving in a world where he has to be selfish. He, in himself, is not a selfish person. It's the situation that's making him that way, which again, in itself is a representation of the society right now. We don't want to be selfish, but we must be to survive.. that's Sangwoo

Even though the marbles were the most messed up emotionally, the glass bridge was the most screwed up to me in some ways because literally the first 10 people are statistically screwed and not even given a chance.

nah i’m so sorry some of the deaths in that show looked TOO realistic 😭😭

It’s sad because Ali called Sang-Woo, “Hyung”. Which is like “older brother”, especially when he called out for him before he gets killed. 😭😭😭

sure ali is naive, but he's literally a foreigner in a country who's language is his second. he's not gonna kno all of the countries history and nuances. so ofc it was easy for him to be tricked.... that's just something i miss more ppl would say instead of "oh he's stupid for trusting sangwoo"

I saw someone say that the vips were supposed to be a comparison of how western media portrays Asian people (and just non white people in general) by the way they make them into caricatures to the point where they don’t even resemble real people which would explain why the vips talked and acted like that

Player 212 was definitely annoying but the way she held that girl down in the toilet was amazing and the way she took the thug dude down with her because he misused her trust was excellent !!! I truly loved how she fell back with himmmm 😭😭😭

I hated how number 465 waited a year to give saebyoks brother justice though :( but then again he did feel guilty using the money

Honestly when Ali got betrayed and ultimately shot, I literally broke into tears. Also when 456 returned back home after the game, found his mother deceased, and laid next to her asking her to wake up. That also made me burst into tears. Had to pause that episode for like 10 minutes.

The Total Drama Island comparison loooool

I started doubting the old man in episode 4 when lights were out and people were ruthlessly killing each other and the FRONT MAN did not stop anyone but when the old man started screaming to stop this madness and only then the FRONT MAN told to end that game and also when he was out of that marbles game, it didn't really "show" that he was shot while other were shown.

List of people who deserve better: Ali Ali Abdul Player 199 The person who saved gi hun Best boi Innocent bean Yeah ok and sae byeok and ji yeon too

One thing that I think doesn’t get enough mentions is the set of the show, specifically in the centre where they are staying. I think it’s such an interesting contrast, having pretty pastel colours considering the dark themes. On top of that, the whole maze like corridors/ stairs to me are just amazing. Like ahhh shout out to the set designer!!

I hated that the guy w the handsome squidward mask preached all this stuff about fairness and how everything is equal in the game but then turned the lights off bc the guy could tell the difference in the glass during the glass bridge game

I knewwww the pairs would have to fight each other and I swear I've never experienced a more painful hour of television. It hurt me more than the red wedding

K-dramas rarely ever have 2nd seasons and endings which feel like cliff hangers are fairly common. Personally I think the ending was satisfying enough not to warrant a second season. I feel like it shows how 456 is just in an endless cycle of gambling even if it’s with his life. But it’s Netflix and they’ll probably milk this show for all the $$$ they can get even if it means ruining it 🥴 Looking at you Stranger Things 🤧

ALIIII, the ultimate betrayal I have ever seen 😭😭😭

A lot of reviewers and watchers aren't acknowledging the xenophobia that Ali experienced. Myen-ho told Ali that he was practically worthless because he was Pakistani. Although Sang-woo did what he had to do to survive, xenophobia played a part into why he wanted to sabotage Ali. He also told Ali to cal him "brother". Ali also didn't understand the words for even and off in Korean and Sang-woo knew that When Ali died, I was full on bawling. That scene touched me. Ji-Yeong sacrificing herself for Sae-Byeok was also a tearjerker for me. I was touched by Ji-Yeong's selflessness and her goodbye to Sae-Byeok was so solemn. Sae-Byeok's story touched my heart because she was the one struggling to make it happen for her family. When she died, I just kept thinking about how she broke her promise to her brother and how he would never know how much she loved him. Her death intensified my hate for Sang-woo. Deok-su(with the snake tattoo) really thought because he was a strongman that he could win the game. That was not the case and I'm so glad he got taken out by Myen-ho, who promised to kill him. That was a bad b move. I laughed at that part. She got him back after he rejected her to play with him. The theme of the show is that capitalism will force you to cannibalize those closest to you to stay alive at some point. It will force you to victimize anyone else to save your self. Gi-hun turning back and asking the Front man who he was was so stupid to me. He had a second chance at life, a second chance to be a better father and he didn't take the chance. It made me hate him in the end. I understood he was flawed but to make that choice was objectively wrong.

The twist in the end really brought the theme or the message of the show together. I literally screamed at my phone in tears watching it. This show is so good!!

so we not gonna talk about that annoying girl who slept with the mean tattoo guy and killed the both of them in the glass game? one of the most shocking scenes of the show and no one is talking about it

It’s giving very elevated hunger games

Theres a theory that there are squid games in different countries because the VIPs spoke different languages and they mentioned something about the game in a different country

I love that everyone simultaneously agreed that Ji-Yeong and Sad-Byeok would be the cutest couple. Just their chemistry was so great and they brought out the best in each other

I was even more emotionally connected to Ali cause south asian represent!!!!! I bawled after he died 😭😭😭 His family deserved so much more

Unpopular opinion: Squid Game doesn’t need a 2nd season. I wish Gi-Hun just got on the plane and went to his daughter cause by the end he seems like he’s okay now 😗

The word you were looking for when describing Ali was LOYAL, LOOOYAL and he deserved the world and more 😭

If you wanna see more of that salesman definitely watch his works in : goblin and train to busan. They both are top tier!!

I really really hope that we'll get a other season. The writer of the show said in an interview that he did not plan another season or well, script since it took him 10 years or something to even get this show out. I hate open endings 😭

The salesman is sooooo fineee😭😭😭😂

Did we expect Sang-Woo to just die? Literally who in the heck would do that. Ali should've snatched that last marble and went on about his life. The saddest death was that woman who had to compete against her husband.

The main villain is Oh Il-Nam. He started it all. It's his twisted ideology that runs the game. He's a very likable character but he's still a monster

this game is literally capitalism tbh

“That damn marble episode” was basically the summary of this series 😭😭😭😭

As a foreigner living in Asia, I super related to and was rooting for Ali.

The last few episodes with the animal mask gambling VIP people really took me out of the episodes like they were so hilariously bad ! It would honestly would have been scarier if they were just quietly watching lol

As a foreigner in Korea I felt for Ali so much. In the beginning he calls all Koreans "boss," because he's a poor factory worker that's never been shown kindness before. Sangwoo tells him to call him older brother, not boss, and gives him money for the ride home. Ali isn't that good at Korean and doesn't know how to play any of the games, but he has no other options, so he's forced to put his life in his older brother's hands again and again. I don't think Ali is gullible. I think he's forced to be trusting from the beginning. I don't think he'd be the same in Pakistan. I don't hate Sangwoo, either. I think they could have been brothers, but he needs to save his mom and he wants to survive, so he uses every trick he can, even the dirty ones. Sure it's a game and he played dirty, but there's literally a gun being pointed at his head.

when she dropped the marble and said she had nothing to fight for I cried

I love literally everything about the show.

For us Korean speakers, there were many clues early on that hinted the old man wasn't quite what he appeared to be and when he finally gave up his name, my friends and I had confirmation. His name literally means first man.

Things you missed the first time watching squid game: 1. When the police officer is looking through the binder for the current squid game participants, the first page in the binder is for participant number 002, not number 001… 2. When someone dies in the game and their beds are removed from the living quarters, If you look at the back of the wall, slowly all of the games are revealed to be images on the wall. They could have predicted the games if they had paid attention to the images at the back of the wall… 3. All of the main character deaths were foreshadowed in the beginning of the squid game show. They all experienced something in their life that was similar to how they would die in the squad games… Ali’s money is stolen by his boss, his marbles are stolen by his partner Sae beyeok held a knife to a man’s throat, her throat was slashed Sang woo attempts to commit suicide by drowning in a bath, he commits suicide in the last game

Why is no one talking about how the games were drawn behind their beds in the main room and they would've known what the games were about if only the beds were taken away before.

Ali was so pure and good, even his debt wasn't really his fault but just him getting screwed over by shitty employers! I honestly thought the show was going to end in them agreeing to terminate, and the money going back to all the families of the deceased, which would have been quite fitting since all of the characters that died that we cared about were ultimately just there to try help their families.

The marble game made me super sad especially how ali and the old man got tricked and ended up dying. Then the glass game raised my anxiety to the roof. But ngl im wondering why they didnt like walk in the middle or throw something on the glass before the jumped on it with their whole ass body. And I cried when 067 died because like brooo they did her dirty with that glass piece😪. This whole show was an emotional roller coaster.

One of my favorite things about this show is that they filmed all in one place, giving them the budget to actually build out everything and not have to use a lot of CGI (like that was ACTUALLY 456 people in a big arena with a huge doll!) they could actually get really immersed and shocked at everything around them as actors and actresses!

For me the most crushing death was Ji-yeong's. It was the only truly selfless death imo. Even though other people made sacrifices for others, they all had a selfish reason behind it, like Sangwoo or Mi-nyeo.

The ending, I took it as that, 456 wants to stop the operation by entering the game again.... which is like what???why the heck would you put yourself through that again😩. But it really shows what kind of character he is, he genuinely cares about other people and doesn't want others to go thru what him and those contestants went through.

frrrr the salesman and the police officer can have meeeeeee

100% And there was Narcissism in Sang-Woo’s character, which was disturbing. He only saw Ali as the weakest link and as someone to use to proceed further in the game. Even Gi-Hun was used !! He was looking out only for himself. Sang-Woo was going to warn Gi-Hun before the Dalgona Game, but stopped himself. And we see him do something like this more than once in the show. He’s looking out only for himself. I know he’s a human character, but this show has the audience watch just like the VIPs, rooting for our favourite characters to live while not caring for the others who play- and sometimes have us thinking, “oh, that man deserves to die”. I am sure many wanted Sang-Woo to die after what he did at the end, and wanted Gi-Hun to end him. Think about how that would leave Gi-Hun and how could he even break then news to San-Woo’s mother. How could he forgive himself knowing that he killed his friend, regardless of what he did. Gi-Hun couldn’t do it and was one of the most humane character. I know he tried to take advantage of the old man, but it was a life or death situation. The same with Ali. We all think about what we would do if we were in their situation- “Ah, I would of let him live. I couldn’t do that.” Really? Wait until you are really in that situation. However deadass I could never do what Sang-Woo did. Fuck that.

I didn’t even realize how invested I was in this show until the ending of the marble episode had me BAWLING also maybe I’m just not the brightest but didn’t 456 give the brother to his childhood friend’s mom or did I just totally misunderstand that part lol

I'd argue that the system and capitalism were the true villain of the show, which is why it was so impactful. Many of the people went into the game with selfless intentions, like MC paying for his mother's hospital bills and being a better father, but the game forced him to be selfish (as capitalism can). MC had a chance to leave, but he returned because "the outside is worse torture".

I'm not Korean, so can't comment on your pronunciation accuracy, but having spent lots of time in Korean spaces, it seems close enough that I think the fact that you are both trying and using actual names and not numbers assigned to them by the people who see them as nothing but horses, is the much more respectful way to go. Having spent most of my adulthood in China, I have strong feelings about people being identified as their numbers. Especially since so many of the people in this show are hawwwttt, referring to them as their numbers instead of their names would make me feel like they're food items on a menu, not people. Even if it's intimidating, I say good job on the attempt! Lovely video

I feel like a lot of people miss that the main villain is the exploitative system of labor in the show. Like the uber rich caused a lot of these people to be in their situations (obviously not all). Like Ali was in that situation cause he was trying to provide for his family and was making a last ditch effort to get some money and flee the country after stealing the money he.earned from his boss who refused to pay him. Sae-Byeok got swindled out of money she was trying to use to get her mother out of the north so she could be with her family. Gi-hun was in debt by his own accord, but his gambling addiction started as a reaction to him being fired from the job he worked for 20 years and he tried to keep it by protesting to provide for his daughter who was about to be born, but they were attacked and he watched his friend die in front of him. He only rejoined the game.after his mother got very sick and he wanted to save her. At any point, those rich dudes could have given them the money to help them out. But they would rather watch people they view as animals fight each other for survival and justify it to themselves as consenting even though really for many of the characters it was all beyond their control

It was weird that they pointed out the explosives in the tunnel underneath that the VIPs could use if they wanted to blow the whole place up. Like surely that’ll be used in the 2nd season??

Squid Game is a fascinating yet strange show to watch. It's also a pretty immersive experience as well from the very beginning until the end. Also, the ending was what truly shocked me-I have no idea it's actually gonna end that way. Anyway, manifesting for Season 2 cause it deserves to have one!

I can’t wait for you to start reviewing more kdramas 👀

Ending explanation: so when gi-hun is on the call the person on the phone tells him to get on the plane meaning he’s being watched so if he were to get on the plane he would be risking his family’s life and also since he knows that the game is still going he’s going to feel even more awful if he lets it happen so I feel like he might try to stop it? But idk I think the main reason he didn’t get on the plane was because they were watching him.

"did you all see Total Drama Island?" Me: oh he's gonna compare her to Heather isn't he

I honestly thought it was refreshing to see this age group in this series. So much of these types of series or movies are usually focused on ya and while there was a bit of that there it just didn't feel cliche. They felt like real people 8s what I'm getting at. I felt for them all even the old man still those white VIPs could go to hell though hope we never see them again. Also I didn't think there is mu h to the VIPs other than them being bored rich fools

I watched the show for the sales man at train station his one my favourite actor but just found out he wasn’t really in the show 😭. But then again the show turn out to be a great show so no regrets

I just have to vent about watchubg foreign films in Dubs rather than subs. The dubs are always cringe ALWAYS and way over the top. You miss out on the actual performance of the actors when you dont hear their actual voice. And Korean sounds great especially when someone is being funny or sarcastic the way they drag out their words is such a unique cultural trait

really enjoyed this video. and istg police officer man is soo fine >o< I loved the symbolism in this show. I've seen so many theories about the forshadowing and symbolism, like how all the characters deaths were foreshadowed in episode 2 and gi-han dying his hair red at the end of the show may show that he's decided to become one of the guards or makers of the game, or at least he's involved with it a little. theories are great too, such as the red card equals becoming a guard, and the blue a player. really hoping for a season 2 though, since i have so many unanswered questions. like did the hot police offer really die? whats up with his brother and the games? who are the vips? what's in it for the staff/why would anyone become a staff? and how is what their doing not being found out about? overall LOVED the show. can't get it off my mind at the moment. happy you made a video about it to quench my obsession!

it had me hella invested & i didnt even REALIZE how invested i was ! sae byeoks death pained me sm

As a Korean American who is pretty fluent in korean, I feel like the English captions really threw off the little details and cultural differences of this show. And when sang woo manipulated Ali, sang woo told Ali that it would be impossible for everyone to finish and win all the marbles in just 30 minutes . So he told Ali that if they waited it out then next they would be paired up in teams so that they can both win together. So he told Ali to go around and look who was still remaining in the game. To see how many older ppl and younger ppl were still in the game. And he told Ali to meet him back there so that they can play together when they play in teams (which ofc was a lie because sang woo knew that this would not happen). So ye I can see how he really used Ali’s trust and back stabbed him. He was using his brain a lot with Ali. Like when right before he even made a small bag out of his shirt for Ali to keep his marbles safe. And just took the marbles and gave him rocks instead. But I really lived this show. I just wish the captions were more thought out because it misses a lot of the meaning in this Korean show.

You recapping the marble episode made me cry all over again. The only character I legitimately cried over was Jiyeong, like we only saw her for 2 eps and her story tore us all apart. That is top tier character development

idk if it really adds any credibility to the theory, but in the Spanish dub 001 continually refers to Gi-hun as "mi hijo," especially in the marbles episode. I don't think it necessarily means he IS Gi-hun's dad, but you could def see it as him manipulating Gi-hun to see him as a father figure👀

i burst out laughing at the blurry camera when you were being a simp for the policeman bc same!

I'm glad you used thier names instead of their numbers. This just shows that they're actual human beings n not just numbers to bet upon.

I kinda feel that number 456 is gonna join the operation cuz at the finale he seemed emotionless and cold hearted so mby the only thing he can do is join, but what do I know lol

The part of the marbles game that hit me hardest was when Gihun was about to lose his last marble, and the old man let him win, and then Gihun proceeded to swindle him out of all his marbles, until Gihun agreed to play all or nothing, and the old man revealed he'd been lucid the whole time and allowing himself to be swindled... that was heart breaking, and the old man died in my mind there, even if he continued on in the story. But yeah, his grey hair under the owl mask kind of gave him away later.

I really hopped on the San Woo hate train when he killed that girl before the final game. And I totally agree that Ali and her really deserved better. So much tears were involved 😭

Episode 6 broke my heart 💔🥺

I don’t know if Sangwoo was bad or not but what I know is he’s sooooo handsome!

The VIPs were talking like how non-english speakers thinks english sounds like. The intonation of their speech was sooo off

The ending was a literal fight or flight scenario and like usual he chose fight

Personally, I thought Jiyoeng's backstory and death (player 240 of the 6th episode) were the most depressing of the show. I mean she grew up with an abusive father who physically and possibly sexually assaulted her and her mom frequently. And she comes home one day to find out he's killed her mom and then she kills him and ends up in jail for God knows how long. Then once she leaves jail, there's a debt collector for her father's death and she ends up in Squid game. Like ugh, the girl hasn't had a good day in her. The only friend she ever had was Saebyeok, that's why she kept saying 'once we get out of here and 'let's go to Jeju island together it's because she couldn't believe she's finally made a friend. In the last 30 minutes of her life, she realizes the sadness her life is and how she has absolutely nothing and no one and gives it up for the only friend she has ever had. God thinking about it makes me tear up.

I read this from somewhere (sorry i forgot where), The fact that Gi-Hun "is going back" to the game instead of seeing his family is to further prove his point to the old man that there are some people that will still help those in need. It was kind of a similar scenario with the homeless man that if nobody helps him, he will eventually freeze to death. He knows that the game is still going on and he knows that the people are going to eventually die if he just "pass by". He decided to help them instead (or probably attempt to) with him dying his hair red (which i thought was random af at first) but red in this drama (from his POV) means authority. He also mentioned that he won't be a "horse" in their race anymore. Anyways, I am looking forward to season 2 but the director is apparently not going to do it unless he gets help. He said it was really hard to direct and write the entire thing by himself and he probably won't do it unless they hire more ppl.

This has become one of my favorite shows ever and I love all the different characters and storylines so much. But I’m more interested in the Frontman storyline more than any of the others I think. Like how do you go from winning the game to frontman in five years time??? Even with those who won the game it seemed they still kept everything a secret with 456 being blinded while in the car with the frontman after winning. And they are clearly keeping an eye on the winners and their account balances. It just makes me so curious how frontman opened up that line of trust with those above him to even earn that position. I would love if they did a season about the 2015 games that frontman won and show how he went from being close to his family but also struggling with debt, to playing, to winning and deciding he wanted to be apart of it all and leave his life behind and never contacting his family.

I felt so sorry for Ali, he was winning one of the games 😭 and the guy was thinking about himself and took his marbles 😭 I wonder if we’ll get a second season but wow the ending hit me hard

To anyone who loved this show, i highly recommend you watch Alice in Borderland on netflix, it’s technically the same plot in the sense of the characters trying to survive in a game except in this show the games are more sadistic and gory. It gives the same thrill of hoping to see the characters make it to the next round As someone who’s been watching asian shows for years now, i personally think Alice in Borderland is done a whole lot better but i do understand the hype around Squid Game, it’s something new, fresh and entertaining. Both shows are amazing.

I didn't watch the show because of the hype. I saw the cover art and fell in love with that and then watching the show I went through everything and watched it in one sitting. I only pressed pause when 212 said she was 19 because that was the lie I couldn't deal with

I like the scene where they bet on the homeless man. On the one hand, we were shown that 001 was wrong because people did help this dude. On the other hand, we were shown that 456 was willing to bet on the life of another person (and 456 didn't even get any money for it) Just like the VIPS.

I'm emotionally scarred from the Marbles game too. Ali and Ji-yeong's death destroyed me as well. The way that Ali was so trusting, and the way that Ji-yeong was so kind to Kang Sae-byeok and sacrificed herself happily to help her... AHHHHH I agree that Kang Sae-byeok and Ji-yeong would've been amazing friends. It broke my heart so freaking muchhh

the ending is what kinda made me a little disappointed, but everything before that is amazing and I was glued in every single episode

Old man broke my heart when he "died" I cried like a damn baby. Come to realize he was doing all of this for his own fun 😓

Here is something that I don't really understand. So the board says that more than one player can potentially win. However only one person wins every single time. Because whenever the police officer was searching through all the credits, you could see one winner each year. So how would the last game make sense?

Is it me but I wish the mc went to America to see his daughter but hey he a true hero because he doesn't want anyone else to get hurt.

I CRIED so much when Ji-yeong died during the marble game.😭😭😭

“ your success is directly involved with someone else’s demise.” yup! 9:32

I love how player 001 is always referred to as 'old sir' or 'old man', he's never once referred by his actually name, even when he remembers it and tells us

The moment we were introduced to Ali and see what kind of character he is, I knew he was gonna die so I tried to keep myself from getting attached but I still felt so sad when he got betrayed :( But I feel like they really made Squid Game in a way where it sets it up really well for a season 2. My guess is that the next season is gonna be Gihyun and mr. policeman teaming up to try and take down the organization. (I am fully convinced that he is not dead!!!) I think we’ll get a much more climactic brother vs brother fight.

you should watch alice in borderland!!! its kinda like squid game plot wise but its executed differently and it was amazing!! even though it came out last year u should do a review of the show too if u have a chance to watch it :))

My toxic trait is that I love the absolute shit out of player 212. The fact that you can’t get rid of her…she’s annoying but she really is good at most everything. The woman is made of steel and sour grapes 😍

I don’t think Sang Woo is a villain. I think he has it figured out much earlier than the others, that there’ll only be one survivor and he’s just using what he has to survive. In his case it’s cunning rather than brute strength. I actually think all he cares about is his mum. Like he literally kills himself so that at least someone wins the money so that there’s a chance money will get to his mum. Poverty in some places is likely to lead to death. I don’t know enough about Korea to know if that’s the case there but there was an indication that it was like that with Gi Hun’s mum. He’s just willing to do whatever it takes to save the person he loves most.

lmaooo the episode where we saw the VIPs for the first time really threw me off. i was like huh???