Previously, on Netflix’s Squid Game, Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) found the Front Man at a Halloween party. He and Jun-ho (Wi Ha-Joon) go after him, resulting in Gi-hun being invited to join the game again by lying about wanting to thank the game master for allowing him to join the first time. The young girl, No-eul (Park Gyu-young), finds herself in a conflicting situation and accepts the invitation to work for the game to get back on her feet.
The episode begins with Woo-Seok, Jun-ho, and their crew getting on the Captain’s boat to look for Gi-hun and the island, using the tracking device from the previous episode.
Gi-hun wakes up to classical music, realizing he’s in a bunk with the other players. The masked managers introduce themselves and prepare them for the game. The total prize money is 45.6 billion won. They’ve added a new feature to the game: a special option of voting after each game on whether they’d like to stop the games or continue playing. Gi-hun finds his old friend, Jung-bae, who’s also in the game.
Later on, we see Jun-ho with the Captain. Jun-ho tells him about Gi-hun and shows him the tracker. Woo-Seok yells out that they’re getting closer to the island. They get to the island and begin climbing the rocks, Jun-ho following the tracker.
The players begin taking their pictures in the colorful room. There are some interesting characters in the game: a famous influencer, a popular rapper, and a mother-and-son duo. All players head outside and prepare for their first game: red light, green light.
As the crew follows the tracker, they find a man fishing. As they get closer to the fisherman, the tracker begins to beep quickly. At the same time, Gi-hun thinks and takes his tooth out, realizing the tracker is gone. Woo-Seok looks inside the stranger’s worm box and finds the tracker. The Front Man is a step ahead of Gi-hun and his crew.
As the game is set to begin, Gi-hun goes in front of the crowd and tells them how to play, stating that if they move at the red light they will be shot., He starts to direct them as the game begins. One girl freaks out as a bee lands on her neck and she ends up getting shot. People get scared, running and screaming as shots go off.
We then see No-eul as one of the snipers, showing no remorse. The game ends with many people dying, but many survive as well. Gi-hun tells his old friend to stick with him at all times. Ninety-one players have been eliminated.
The game managers come in again, giving them the results of the first game. It’s time to vote on whether to stay or leave. Gi-hun gets called to decide if and He votes to not play the game anymore. Players follow behind him, making their votes. The vote results in a tie and players accuse Gi-hun of being a fraud and working for the game. Jung-bae stands up for him, telling them that they should all thank Gi-hun for helping them with the game.
Frustrated, Gi-hun tells them the truth that He knows how the games work because he was a previous winner. he tells them that everyone else died. It’s now player 001’s turn to make his vote, to end the tie either way. There’s tension in the room as he decides, choosing to vote yes. It’s now been revealed behind the scenes that player 001 is the Front Man.
Overall, this was an intense episode, between the crew losing track of Gi-hun and the first game being played. It will be helpful to have Gi-hun with the players because he knows the games so well. What will happen now that Jun-ho and the crew have to start all over, looking to find the island?
Rating: 9/10