I knew it. I knew when Jump Rope was the fifth game Jun-hee (Player 222) was doomed. Squid Game season 3 episode 4, "222," cements that. And I just knew this poor gal was not going to make it with when first seeing the title of the episode. Though once again, a plot twist is thrown in and 222 now has a new meaning. Let's get into the recap of the episode on Netflix. SPOILERS BELOW.
The players start to turn on each other
The end of the third episode saw Player 096 push another player off the jump rope bridge when he made it safely across. This is a way for him to start eliminating more people quickly and easily. They are starting to get brutal, pushing and kicking each other off. Gi-hun (Player 456) stops Player 096 from continuing to do so as he threatens him that he could push him from behind and get all the money. He finally does move then and some more of the player can get through. Again, this is similar to what started happening in season 1's Glass Stepping Stones.
Myung-gi (Player 333) tries to speak with Jun-hee and explain himself for killing Hyun-ju (Player 120) during the hide and seek game. He wants to help her and wants to start a life together with her and their baby. But she says that she and her daughter have nothing to do with trash like him and don't need him either. Giving up, he leaves Jun-hee to cross the bridge and is able to.
As he does, Player 096 attacks Gi-hun from behind and the two have a bit of a scuffle right there at the edge. Though Player 456 is able to throw him back, and away he goes. Now comes the moment where if you think there's no more tears left in you to cry, well that's not true at all.
Jun-hee (Player 222) doesn't make it out of jump rope alive
We all saw this coming ever since the jump rope game was introduced in episode 4. Gi-hun wants to go back for Jun-hee to help her. But there isn't enough time. And she knows that if he comes back, then her baby will be left alone and defenseless. So to protect that little girl, she tells him to stay back and not come. There wouldn't have been any time left anyway. But we get the motivation here.
The moment she steps up. My heart. All of this and we're not even 15 minutes into the episode yet. Sigh. Jun-hee is now gone as well. It's such a shame too after the sacrifice Geum-ja (Player 149) made to protect Jun-hee and the baby from her son. But as they've said time and again and what's true in reality, life is frustratingly unfair.
The baby becomes Player 222
Now in case this poor baby hasn't been through enough in the few hours she's been alive, there's more craziness now. The baby is now an official player of the game. And not any player - Player 222. She's taking on the number of her mother. This was suggested by the Front Man for whatever sick reason is going on in his mind.
The others are now mad that all of the money could potentially go to the baby after all the hard work they've been through. I just can't believe how far these people are willing to go, there's no heart at all. They want to eliminate the baby themselves and gang up on Gi-hun before a pink guard interrupts. No more physical violence between players will be tolerated to give everyone a fair shot at winning. Sure, like they believe in fair.
In season 1, it was only Gi-hun, Sang-woo, and Sae-byeok were the final three to make it to the final game. Though now, there's quite a few more. Nine of them are going to the final game, including the baby who is now counted as Player 222. Everyone's all dressed up in the black suit and enjoying dinner. I don't know why the vision of the pink soldier feeding the baby is amusing to me. It's just that sometimes what happens in this show is so unserious.
Player 456 finds out who the Front Man is in Squid Game season 3 episode 4
Anyway, there's a hint given to them about the final game. They get to choose at least three people to eliminate. If they're able to do that, then the rest can go home the winners. When everyone is asleep, we get the moment we've been waiting for. The Front Man wants to see Player 456 and he goes up. He has a proposition for him. He hands Gi-hun a knife and tells him to kill the other players as they're asleep.
That's when he pulls his mask off and the Front Man finally exposes his identity to Player 456 in Squid Game season 3 episode 4! He apologizes for killing Jung-bae. Um, ok. Is he really sorry though? He also tells Gi-hun than the final game can't be played with only two people. So if he kills everyone now, only he and the baby will be left alive and they can leave. "You have my word," he says. Can we really trust the Front Man?
I mean, if the backstory he told back in season 2 is true about him losing his wife and their unborn child, there is a possibility I guess that even he has a line that he wouldn't cross. And that would be the involvement of the baby. I don't know. Did he make the suggestion to keep the baby as Player 222 to really protect her? His intentions are very mysterious and he's a complex man. Though he seems truthful right now. I think. The episode ends with the Front Man asking Gi-hun, do you still have faith in people? And with everything that he's seen, that's definitely a question Player 456 is asking himself.
The detective kills Captain Park, but still doesn't know where the island is
A huge development happened in Detective Hwang Jun-ho's story as well. Mr. Choi is arrested and taken to the police station where he tries to explain everything to the officers. Though with the crimes on his record, they're not open to trusting him. They also call Captain Park and tell him everything Mr. Choi said to them about him, the games, and the pink suit.
Now knowing they've been exposed, Captain Park sets the emergency plan in motion. He kills the team on the boat with him, and tells another mole to kill the second team on the other boat as well. He's able to get everyone except our beloved detective. That's thanks to Mr. Choi who hilariously outruns the officers, snags his phone from them, and quickly calls him to warn him. He's the true MVP!
Captain Park and Jun-ho fight, though thankfully he gets the upper hand. Before he dies, the detective asks him why he saved his life. It turns out those were the orders given to him by his captain, aka the Front Man. He was told to keep him alive no matter what. So, the Front Man does still care for his brother. Hmm, hmm, hmm. Well, sort of. Because this time he was fine having Captain Park kill him if they were exposed. Remember, I told you he's complicated.
Captain Park also refuses to tell Jun-ho where the island is as he takes his last breath. Ugh, this frustrating man. They are so close! The lead mercenary guy is also the only other survivor on the boat. Yeah, things are looking pretty dreary for them.
Finally, Masked Officer pulls up all the information about Gyeong-seok (Player 246) and knows he has a sick daughter in the hospital. No-eul warns him to drive away on the boat they were given and to call the police because his daughter is in danger. She goes back, presumably to stop the Masked Officer once and for all. He has pink soldiers tracking them, and orders for them both to be killed. So with No-eul no longer on the boat but Player 246 is, she may have just put his life in more danger.
Squid Game season 3 is now streaming on Netflix. Check out a list of all the season's recaps, here.
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