The players are starting to turn on each other like never before in Squid Game season 2 episode 7, "Friend or Foe." When Gi-hun declared he wanted to fight the higher ups in charge of the game, he wasn't kidding. But it comes at a great loss. Here's our review of the season finale. SPOILERS BELOW.
The fight that broke out between Player 333 and Thanos comes to a stabby end as Myung-gi is able to get the rapper right in the throat with the use of his fork. He was annoying and selfish so I don't necessarily feel bad that he dies. But dang. When his blood is just falling into Player 333's face, mouth, and teeth. What a lovely picture. But again, this show is not for the faint of heart.
Player 456 remembers what's going to happen next. It's time for the special game which is why they gave the players forks and glass bottles. They knew some would use them as weapons to try and take out the competition, now knowing they don't have to wait for one of the games to do so. This happened in season 1 as well.
He and his group of friends actually come up with a really good strategy. They know that the O side is going to attack for the reasons mentioned above. Unfortunately, they'll have to sacrifice some people on their side to be able to get to the actual target - the Front Man and those in the control room.
I mean, Gi-hun didn't want to fight the O side so they don't kill each other. And yet he's willing to let some on the X side die to get their hands on the weapons from the Pink Soldiers. It's a bit of a backwards thinking, but alright. I guess his thought process is sacrifice some for the greater good type of thing.
The games basically turn into a war zone as it's Gi-hun and those who are willing to fight with him versus the Pink Soldiers. And while they're successful and it seems like things are going right for them, the complete opposite happens. There's now very dire consequences to him wanting to play hero as the Front Man taunts him with.
Sigh, so many things go wrong unfortunately. First is Kang Dae-ho (Player 388) who was supposed to get more more magazines. But the stress of it all gets to him and he ends up staying in place. I think he was lying about being the marines and probably just got the tattoo. We don't know much of his backstory. Look, I understand the fear. But, there's a big chance you're going to die in the games anyway. Especially with your main team gone. So I don't know what he was thinking here honestly. Fear won out I guess.
Then when Hyun-ju (Player 120) goes to see what happened, she gets stuck when the Pink Soldiers come in. And Jang Geum-ja (Player 149) convinces her to stay put. This does mean that others who were holding down the fort no longer can. And that heartbreakingly includes Player 246 who's the father of the little girl with blood cancer. What's going to happen to her now!?
Now comes the real knife to the heart. If you thought that the Front Man may have formed any sort of actual connection with Player 456, then you are very sorely mistaken. This jerk kills the two players fighting with Gi-hun, calls him on the walkie talkie, and pretends to die so that he can go back to being the Front Man.
He goes and confronts Player 456, who of course doesn't know who's really behind the mask. NOOOO. He kills Jung-bae as punishment. And this sweet guy does not deserve it. Didn't I tell you the whole story about the two friends striking and him sticking by Gi-hun was foreshadowing something? Ugh. I was not expecting all of this to happen, I'll be real with you. This season definitely managed to surprise me. And it's one heck of a cliffhanger we've been left with. The anguish on Gi-hun's face though? Lee Jung-jae is such a talented actor.
It's definitely game over for Player 456, at least for now. It all just failed and came crumbling down on all sides. It was a tough fight and they almost made it. And maybe they would have if a few elements had come together. Poor Gi-hun really doesn't know how to trust people. First it was the Old Man in season 1 and then the Front Man in season 2.
So where do we leave off with all the main characters by the end of the episode? Our favorite mother and son team, a pregnant Kim Jun-hee (Player 222), and her baby daddy Lee Myung-gi (Player 333) all stayed behind in the bunker and are alive. The rapper, Thanos (Player 230) was killed by Player 333 while his sort of friend Nam-gyu (Player 124) is still alive.
Then you've got Kang Dae-ho who did go into the fight but got scared and decided to stay behind. And Hyun-ju (Player 120) also did the same when she went to look for Dae-ho and get more magazines. The shaman lady is also still alive, while Park Gyung-seok (Player 246), whose daughter has cancer, lost his life. Pink Soldier 011's fate is unknown. She went out for the special game, but we don't really know what happened to her during the fight.
And title of the episode being friend or foe really is fitting when it comes to the detective's storyline as well. It turns out that the Captain is most likely working for the Fornt Man and the games. That must be how they've known about the tracker and where to set the booby traps. He tried to tamper with the drone and killed the drone operator, throwing him overboard. Another great plot twist!
If all of this wasn't enough, there's a quick post credits scene at around 53:46 that shows Player 100, the older guy who's the sort of leader of the O side and wants to keep playing, Player 096 and Player 353 walking into a room with what looks to be a different version of Red Light, Green Light.
This is a little tease at a new game coming in Squid Game season 3. The show has already been renewed for a third and final season, which is coming in 2025. But yeah. Wow. What an explosive, heartbreaking, crazy Squid Game season 2 finale. Episode 7 brought so much to the table.
I don't think any of us were expecting for it to end like this. We were going in thinking it would be like season 1 where there's one winner at the end. It may have been Player 456 once again because he has to be in the third season. It's amazing how the writers managed to take us so completely by surprise in this way. I do feel like as a season overall, some of it could have been condensed like not taking two whole episodes to get into the games. There's also the fact that, it's weird to say this, but I feel like too many of the main characters are still alive.
The stakes don't feel as high as the first season, but perhaps that will change in season 3. I do fee like the finale would have been more effective if the Front Man took off the mask and revealed himself to Gi-hun. I was personally waiting for that to happen. Even if this season may not have felt perfect compared to season 1, I still think it was so strong and an enjoyable watch as a fan. And this finale Episode grade level: A+! Be sure to come check out our Netflix page for all season 2 reviews and more Squid Game coverage!
Squid Game season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.