Welcome to the Heavy Spoilers show I'm your host Paul and this is me before watching Squid
Game.
This is me after.
The series is filled with lots of over the top deaths, challenges and a major twist ending
that has a lot going on with it. Because of the major reveals there's several fan theories
floating around about the show including how Gi-Hun almost became a guard, his relationship
with Il-Nam, The VIPs and a lot more.
Throughout this we're gonna be breaking down the best of them but I'm putting a red light
on the video right now if you don't want spoilers. If you enjoy the video then please hit the
thumbs up button and make sure you subscribe for videos like this every day.
With that out the way, let's get into our Squid Game Theories.
Ok so throughout the series we learn more about the set up of the Squid Game including
the guards and also those in control. Though the security that works in the compound seems
like they're all part of the vast organisation too it could be that they were selected much
in the same way that all of the players were.
In episode one we come across a mysterious character played by Gong Yoo who offers Gi-Hun
two choices. He can either pick a red or blue card and Gi-Hun goes with the latter which
could end up cementing which type of player that he is in the game.
Lucy.what1 on TikTok came up with the theory the other day that had Gi-Hun chosen the red
card that he could've ended up becoming a guard instead of the player that he was. If
we're going deeper into this then it's definitely a possibility and the guards themselves seem
almost as trapped as the players at points. They themselves sleep in cells, are killed
for even revealing their faces and though they seem like they're in control, we see
from the way that they're treated that they actually have very little power.
Similar to the players they are given numbers and this could highlight the similarities.
They also have very little knowledge of what's going on either and don't know who each other
are. Everyone is kept in the dark so that they can leave the facility without really
knowing what's going on and therefore it seems more like this might be a one time thing for
them just like the players. It's definitely an interesting one and the more we learn about
the game, the more it seems like the guards are almost just as powerless as the players,
hinting towards this perhaps being the case.
Now in our last video we talked about all of the clues and hints that Gi-Hun was actually
the one who was in control of the game. This included things like the file starting at
two instead of 1, him instructing the Front Man to end riot and also the marbles area
being modelled on his childhood home.
The marbles one was where he faked his own death and this enabled him to leave it before
the numbers wittled down even further. Though it seemed like the perfect plan, it may have
been a last minute one and it could be that he was actually never supposed to play it
in the first place.
Shoutouts Farheen Zaman who on our last video theorised that Il-Nam didn't actually want
to be picked for this but Gi-Hun showed him compassion and this is why he let him win
and proceed to the next round.
If we look at the day before, Il-Nam was incredibly ill...or at least he said he was.
Throughout the games he was pretty much seen as just a liability and as the lead up to
the marbles involved partnering up with people it could be that he actually intended to come
across so bad that no one would choose him. However Gi-Hun did and instead 212 was the
one that was left behind.
Now I've been thinking on this since Farheen wrote it and I think that the competition
from this point onwards could've gone one of two ways.
The first is that Il-Nam knew that not being picked in this meant he'd get a free pass
to the next round. Because of this he could purposely just pretend to be ill in the hopes
that no one would choose him and he'd sail right through it. He doesn't make any effort
to even try to get a partner and it's clear that he just wanted to sit at the back and
keep a low profile.
The second option is that he could've used this opportunity to fake his own death.
When 212 is left behind at the beginning the show leads us to believe that she's going
to be killed because she's the odd one out. However she is saved but I do think that it's
possible that had Il-Nam been left behind at this point that he would've used it to
make his exit.
The glass hopping game is super unpredictable because not only do you have to makes sure
that no one gets last place before you do but you also have to hope that no one ends
up pushing you through one like what we see. The guards were under a strict policy to kill
every player that attacked another one but they seem to completely wave it at this point
because it's all part of the game.
Now it could also be because Il-Nam was no longer playing and therefore they didn't need
to have it in place for his safety but either way, this is one of the most dangerous games
to be a part of.
Anyway the relationship between Gi-Hun and Il-Nam is a weird one. Though it seems like
the Squid Game is some Willy Wonka-esque way to choose someone to take some of his fortune,
there may be other layers to it and it is possible that Il-Nam is actually Gi-Hun's
father.
Now the first hint towards this is pretty surface level but never the less its something
that we need to talk about. Both Il-Nam and Gi-Hun are the first and last players of the
game and therefore their numbers have clearly been put in place to highlight to us that
they are opposites.
This can be applied to a number of things including Gi-Hun being a poor player whilst
he is the overseer of the entire operation.
It doesn't really bring anything to confirm that they are related but the numbers are
purposely picked to show us that there is something tying the two together.
Episode 3 gives us the first real big clue as in that we find out that Gi-Hun is lactose
intolerant. He can't have the regular milk that the guards hand out and therefore he
requests chocolate instead.
Il-Nam overhears this and says to him that he must have been beaten by his dad when he
was younger because he used to do the same to his son. On a second viewing of the season
this line stands out a lot and there's another one when the pair play marbles.
The whole area is purposely meant to resemble a Korean Neighbourhood and though many of
you pointed out on my last video that this doesn't mean anything, comments by the characters
could.
Not only does Il-Nam find an area that looks exactly like his home but Gi-Hun also says
that the alley next to it is very similar to where he grew up.
It is possible that the pair are indeed related but that they became estranged throughout
their life whilst Il-Nam was off playing Battle Royale. If that's indeed the case then the
entire games could have been a set up to test whether his son was worthy to take over the
mantle or not.
The ending of the series has him inheriting Il-Nam's money and joining him on his death
bed. Though it seems like the game dies with him we learn in the final few scenes that
it's actually still going and Gi-Hun ends up abandoning his trip to LA to stop things
from going ahead.
But what if he doesn't and instead he eventually ends up taking over everything.
After all Gi-Hun is now extremely rich and he may end up facing the boredom that Il-Nam
and the other VIPs do too. We also see the idea of abandoning a child reflected in his
stance at the end of the season.
Gi-Hun was supposed to be travelling to LA to meet his daughter but he's left her to
get involved with the games instead. This could be the writers subtly hinting to us
that something similar happened to Il-Nam and Gi-Hun. Perhaps he too was supposed to
go and get his son but his path took him a different way and instead he ended up abandoning
him to set up the games which would be reflected by Gi-Hun who is now doing the same thing.
Now the next one isn't so much a theory as it is a comment on us as an audience and how
we are very similar to the VIPs.
On our last video Ovol1ty left a comment discussing how they operate and in many ways we are very
much the same as them. In the season they arrive, lounge around as an audience and watch
the players die for their own entertainment. Though we're meant to look down on them this
is also something that we are doing as well. As much as the show was a shock to the system
we very much enjoyed it just as much as they do and similar to them we're anonymous to
each other.
We are very much the eyes of the VIPs, sat in our own homes, seeing the games play out
before our very eyes.
Now the final theory centres around the Front Man who we learn is controlling the game whilst
Il-Nam plays in it. We know very little about the character beyond the fact that he's Hwang
Jun Ho's brothers and that he disappeared in 2015. Episode 5 ends with Hwang Jun-Ho
coming across a filing system that contains all of the player profiles. In these he finds
what likely is his brothers and therefore we can guess that he too was a part of the
process.
Because he's still alive he likely won it and it is possible that he ended up becoming
an overseer in the system much like our theory for Gi-Hun's future.
Now why I've brought this up is because it clearly shows that there is precedent for
winning players for end up taking part in an authority role and therefore it could easily
to Gi-Hun following in his footsteps.
I think it would be even wilder if it actually turned out that Gi-Hun, Hwang Jun Ho and The
Front Man were all in someway related to Il-Nam and that they had been put through their paces
by their father to see if they were worthy enough to inherit the game.
Now quick correction on the last video, I did mention that the wall markings were actually
showing the players what games they'd be playing in advance and though I said the triangle
was the last supper, it's actually the marbles game. Shoutouts everyone who pointed that
out on the last video.
Anyway there's a lot to think about and what I love about Squid Game is that there's so
many different things you can pull from it.
Make sure you drop your best theories in the comments section below and we might end up
talking about them in an upcoming video on the series. I still wanna do a Season 2 video
but I'm just waiting for more info to drop on it but definitely keep an eye out for that.
If you want something else to watch then we have two great Squid Game videos linked onscreen
right now. The first is all of the clues and hints that Il-Nam was actually ahead of the
game and in control of it.
The second is a full breakdown of the series and our predictions for what could be coming
next time.
If not then thanks for sitting through this video and I hope to see you on the next one.
Take care, peace.