Ok so Squid Game has a pretty big ending. Not only does it reveal a big twist about
one of the fan favourite characters but it also sets up a lot of things for the future
that I'll no doubt be milking in 400 videos over the next three days.
Though it seems pretty straight forward we actually have a lot of theories about what's
going on including how Il-Nam planned his death, why he could still be alive and the
way that the Front Man is selected.
Hopefully after you watch this video it'll give you a new appreciation for the show and
make you think that everything isn't as simple as it seems.
Now the series ends with Gi-Hun going to see the Il-Nam as he lies in his death bed.
Though Gi-Hun initially wants to kill him he agrees to play one last game with the old
man in which they bet on the fate of a homeless man out in the cold. Il-Nam says that should
no one help the man come the stroke of midnight that he will win and in doing so it'll show
just how selfish that humanity is.
However if someone does come and help him it'll prove that the mentality he's had his
entire life is wrong and that Gi-Hun's way of looking at things is right.
Just as the clock hits twelve the police and a kind samaritan arrive to help the man but
Il-Nam dies exactly as the clock strikes 12. It's a strangely poetic scene that starts
a brand new day with Gi-Hun carrying a brand new mindstate. However what if this was all
actually a game in itself and Il-Nam planned it out perfectly including the exact time
that he would die?
Well it's an idea that's stuck with me since I first watched the show. Everything just
seems so neat and the fact that things happen down to the exact second seems very very suspicious.
The clock is constantly ticking away in the background and it gets focus brought to it
every couple of minutes within the scene to remind us about Midnight. This is similar
to the games themselves in which we had constant attention brought to the time limits. Upon
it hitting all the zeroes, those still playing the game were killed and 00:00 is of course
another way of saying midnight. Just in the same way that the players were killed when
this number was hit, Il-Nam is too and it is possible that he has planned this entire
thing out.
Now the first thing we have to look at is how would Il-Nam time things so perfectly.
Well I believe that the water is in fact the key to it. There are two scenarios that I
could see happening and that is that it's either laced with a poison that takes exactly
25 minutes to kill someone or that it's a sedative that does the same thing.
Now let's look at the scene for ourselves and how it's set up.
Gi-Hun is sent a card with an address and he goes to it to find Il-Nam. If he doesn't
go then Il-Nam doesn't have to enact this plan and thus he can just relax and not go
this route.
However if Gi-Hun does show up then Il-Nam can ask for a glass of water which will give
him exactly 25 minutes until his death. Now after drinking the water, Il-Nam asks to play
a game and says that come midnight that they will know the answer. However should Il-Nam
have given him it slightly later then he could've said five past and so on. The clock is clearly
there for a reason and so much attention is brought to it in the scene that it just seems
like Il-Nam has it there for himself.
Just after giving Il-Nam the water, Gi-Hun turns around to look at it and we can see
that it's at 36 minutes past so Il-Nam would've taken a drink likely on the 35 minute mark.
In the scene Il-Nam seemingly uses it as a means to play the game as it adds a ticking
clock to it but he also could be using it to let him know exactly how much time he has
left. Midnight being 00:00 could just be a coincidence that also ties into how the players
that were left behind died.
Now because of this it could also open up the possibility that he is still alive and
that this entire thing is somewhat of another game that we'll talk about later on in the
video. Now much in the same way that there could be a poison within the water, there
might also be a sedative that makes someone appear dead. Couple this with the heart rate
monitors and it could be possible that they were either programmed to flatline once whatever
is in the water took hold or that Il-Nam's heart rate is so low it's undetectable.
This means that he might not be dead and this entire scenario could all be a game within
itself. The situation is a weird one with Il-Nam being in a hospital bed at the top
of a tower, we know that The Front Man is indeed there as he appears after Gi-Hun has
left and there's also the homeless man.
Il-Nam says he's been sitting there for hours but his position seems very conveinent. If
our theory is right, then the Game runners could've kidnapped someone, drugged them and
then dumped them on the street immediately opposite to the building so that Il-Nam could
play this final game with Gi-Hun.
Water is also potentially symbolic as, if our theory from our last video is right then
Il-Nam has used it to try and get out of things before. Just before the marbles game it seems
like the character has wet himself but there's an empty bottle of water right by his head.
Potentially he poured this over himself to make himself see weak so that he wouldn't
be picked for the marbles and this would mean that he'd either get a free pass or he could
pretend to be executed in order to avoid the bridge game.
Now where the theory about him still being alive falls down is that The Front Man closes
his eyes and he looks out over the city. He remembers their conversation after the game
and it very much feels like a final farewell.
Giving someone water as they lie on their deathbed is also seen in many cultures as
a final act of kindness which this moment definitely feels like.
Though I do think Il-Nam is dead, I think that he may have orchestrated the full thing
with the water and there is a lot to think about.
Now if you're enjoying the video so far we'd massively appreciate the thumbs up as it goes
a long way to helping out the channel. If this is your first time here then welcome
to the Heavy Squid Game show, I'm your host Paul aka Karl Milkington, now let's get into
the rest of the theories.
Now in the series we learn that the games have been going on for decades. For years
and years and years there have been players selected which have been whittled down until
there is just one. At the end of Episode 5 Hwang Jun-Ho comes across the file for the
year his brother participated in the games and we learn near the end of the series that
he's actually The Front Man.
But why is it just him who is running the show when there have been so many other players.
Well potentially the ending of the series gives us a big clue towards why it's only
the Front Man who has remained in an authority position.
At the end of the series we watch as Gi-Hun comes across another card from the recruiter
and he calls it just as he's about to board the plane to go and see his daughter. Gi-Hun
ends up turning around to go after those in charge of the games but it could be that something
similar also happened with The Front Man.
Potentially, this second card is somewhat of a recruitment for those in charge and it's
only once someone who wins calls it that they enter into another game in which they work
their way to an authority role.
Now I would absolutely love it if this second game was true and that the next season revolved
around Gi-Hun returning to the island, only to find himself as part of another game in
which he was fighting to gain control of the games so that he could take them down.
If it was offered up to him that the prize for next time is the chance to become the
leader of the Games then this would give him the opportunity to stop them himself.
Potentially there have been several Front Men that we don't know about as it's only
recently that In-Ho took on the moniker. The person before him could've been taken down
by In-Ho only to have him step in and run the operation for himself under Il-Nam's guidance.
The show is of course a comment on capitalism and it could very much be a metaphor for how
the poor often end up just being integrated into the system once they get high enough
up the ladder.
Now all three characters are people that chose the games over their families. Il-Nam mentions
his wife and children throughout the show but they're not there at his deathbed making
me think that their relationships with the character fell apart because of his focus
on the games.
In-Ho has the opportunity to go off with his brother but instead he shoots him to return
to this authority role.
Mirroring this, Gi-Hun can go and meet his daughter but instead he remains behind and
misses his flight so that he can be entangled with the games operation.
It's a pretty sad finale because we now know that he's sacrificed his happiness to ultimately
go back into this thing that ended up losing him his family in the first place.
We have to remember that not only did Il-Nam lose his daughter but he also lost his mother.
Much in the same way that the authority figures in Squid Game lost out on their family, he's
very much doing the same thing and because of this it could put him on a path that leads
to him being the new Front Man or potentially even the New Il-Nam.
Due to the VIPs it is possible that the Squid Games all take place in a number of countries
and we know from the ending of Episode 5 that we're just barely scratching the surface right
now in terms of what's going on.
Either way it's possible that Gi-Hun is still in the game, he's just completely unaware
of it. There might be a bigger one at play that we don't know about and I'd love to see
that unveiled as we head into Season 2.
Now obviously I'd love to hear your thoughts so make sure you comment below and let me
know.
We've actually joined forced with BenQ to give away some amazon gift cards and all you
have to do is go on the post that's linked in the description and follow the instructions.
If you're in the market for a brand new project we've also done a big review of the W1880i
on our last Squid Game video and there's a 15% off voucher in the description below if
you wanna save some money and get a brand new one.
Now if you wanna watch that full Squid Game video in full it will be linked on screen
right now and we've also got one breaking down all the hidden details in the series,
including the easter eggs, foreshadowing and clues that something else is going on.
If not then thank you for sitting through this video, I hope youve enjoyed it and that
you also enjoy the rest of your week.
Take care of yourself mate, you've been the best, I've been Paul, peace.