Review: ‘Squid Game’ Season 3 Episode 3 “It’s Not Your Fault” 

Season 3, Episode 3, titled “It’s Not Your Fault,” directed and written by Hwang Dong-hyuk, begins the fifth game, Jump Rope. This round takes place in the same chamber where the Glass Stepping Stones game was held back in Season 1. Though the setting no longer feels as intense or visually intimidating, this game becomes a site of inevitable betrayal. Players exploit the rules and the chaos to kill one another, each act of violence meant to increase their share of the final prize money. For Gi-hun, this is the game he must survive to protect Jun-hee’s infant child, a responsibility passed on to him by both Jun-hee and Geum-ja.

The central theme of this episode is resolve. Gi-hun had lost his will after repeated failures, but Geum-ja’s words and the presence of Jun-hee and her newborn daughter stirred something deep within him. He realizes he cannot stop the existence of the Squid Games or the evil that fuels them, but he can still protect the innocent. That, he believes, is enough. Preserving his moral compass in the face of such darkness allows him to resist the Front Man’s nihilistic worldview that humanity is not worth saving. Gi-hun’s strength lies in his refusal to abandon compassion. Though many long to become heroes, evil is deeply entrenched in politics, corporations, and criminal networks backed by immense wealth and power. While eliminating such evil may be impossible, fighting to do what is right remains within reach.

The Fifth Game: Jump Rope

After surviving Hide and Seek, the remaining players return to the chambers where the O Players once again win the vote to proceed. Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) remains silent and emotionally shattered, but Geum-ja (Kang Ae-shim) comforts him. She reminds him that while life under oppression is cruel and unjust, goodness still exists in the world. She believes in him and sees him as a hero who once tried to save the others from annihilation. She gently asks him to protect Jun-hee (Jo Yu-ri) and her baby, though Gi-hun does not respond. The following morning, Gi-hun and Jun-hee are devastated to discover that Geum-ja has taken her own life. The guilt over her son’s death was too heavy to bear. This tragic and deeply personal loss becomes a turning point for Gi-hun, who finally regains his purpose. Rather than trying to end the games, he now devotes himself to protecting Jun-hee and her child. Jun-hee, moved by his renewed resolve, joins him and the other survivors in preparing for the next game.

Meanwhile, the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) welcomes the VIPs to the island and allows them to personally oversee the execution of the Red Team players who failed to kill any Blue Team members in the previous round. The VIPs commend the Front Man for assuming control of the games following Chairman Oh Il-nam’s death and take particular interest in the upcoming fifth game: Jump Rope. The rules are deceptively simple. Players must cross a narrow bridge while jumping over a rotating rope and reach the other side within 20 minutes. They can go in any order, but the bridge is perilous and unstable. Jun-hee quickly realizes that she cannot participate, having sprained her ankle and given birth during the previous game. Accepting her fate, she entrusts her newborn to Gi-hun and urges him to keep the baby safe.

Gi-hun keeps his promise. Carrying the infant, he bravely crosses the bridge and leaps over the spinning rope, reaching the other side unharmed. His success inspires other players to try as well. But as expected, the simplicity of the rules hides deadly complications. Players push one another forward and betray those ahead or behind them in line, driven by greed and desperation. One such betrayal ends in tragedy when Min-su (Lee David) manipulates Nam-gyu (Roh Jae-won) into playing. He lies, claiming the cross-shaped case once used to store drugs is waiting on the other side. Nam-gyu enters the game and discovers the case is empty. The realization distracts him just long enough for the rope to strike him, sending him plummeting into the pit below.

Captain Park’s Allegiance

Elsewhere, Woo-seok (Jeon Seok-ho) continues his covert investigation into Captain Park (Oh Dal-su) by breaking into his home. There, he uncovers a photograph of Captain Park fishing with the Recruiter, as well as a hidden stash of money and a Pink Manager uniform tucked behind his dog’s kennel. The evidence confirms that Captain Park is not merely a fisherman but a Pink Square-Masked Manager who has been aiding the Squid Games operations all along. His job is to ensure that no one traveling by boat ever discovers the island. He works in tandem with other Pink Managers and Pink Soldiers who maintain ordinary lives as fishermen by day and enforcers by night. Woo-seok attempts to warn Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon), but his efforts are interrupted. A confrontation with Park’s dog results in a struggle and a gunshot, drawing the attention of local authorities. Before Woo-seok can escape, he is stopped by the police.

Rating: 9/10