The survival drama "Squid Game" has got a grip on Netflix users — and a majority of the internet,
for that matter. Those who decided to watch the series thinking they were in for anything remotely
lighthearted found themselves in for a gruesome surprise, as the show is anything but that.
"Squid Game" follows a character named Seong Gi-hun,
who decides to join a mysterious competition to win money in an attempt to pay off his
gambling debts. Not long into the first game, Gi-hun learns that it's going to be
much more intense than he thought — and this time, he's betting with his life.
One of the first allies Gi-hun makes in "Squid Game" is an elderly man known at first
as just "Player 001". Gi-hun is understandably shocked to see such a frail-looking man taking
part in the competition, and we soon learn that Player 001 has a terminal illness exacerbated
by a brain tumor, and he decided to join the games rather than die of his illness.
The biggest twist in the entire first season of "Squid Game" occurs in the very last episode,
when Gi-hun realizes that Player 001, aka
Oh Il-nam, is still alive — a shock, after he was seemingly eliminated after the marble game.
As it turns out, Player 001 was one of the obscenely wealthy masterminds behind the
entire competition, and his execution after the marble game was faked. Player 001 and the rest of
the cartel are the same puppet masters who decided to create the games as a source of entertainment.
"Ooh, this is exciting. Gentlemen, this may be the deciding moment."
Despite his deception about his involvement in the games, Player 001's reasons for joining
remain pretty consistent throughout the show. As he originally tells his fellow competitors,
he joined the competition for excitement, since his terminal illness — which is real — means
he doesn't have long to live. He wanted to experience the adrenaline rush of competing
in the life-or-death games, even if he knew he had a major advantage over the other players.
Not only that, but he wanted to experience the game as a player, because he'd been observing the
twisted "festivities" for years as a VIP. With all the time he spent watching from behind the scenes,
he surely knew a few secrets no other player could know, which ensured that
he could maximize his time in the competition and get the most fun out of it as he could.
It wasn't too hard to decipher Player 001's true intentions for eagle-eyed viewers when the
games began. While many contestants show fear and anxiety during the opening moments of Red Light,
Green Light, Player 001 charges ahead with a gleeful expression on his face.
When you first watch the episode, he just seems like a crazy and fearless old man,
ready to die, when he's actually a crazy and fearless old man, ready to die,
who also knows very well how to play these games from his childhood,
since he's behind them all and has likely seen them play out several times over the years.
That said, his strategy during Tug of War, while solid and ultimately very helpful,
wasn't foolproof. He really could have died during that game, which is
evidence that he was in it for the thrill and nostalgia factor, and was willing to
die if he had to, since the growing tumor in his brain is like a ticking time bomb.
In the season finale, he reveals to Gi-hun from his deathbed that his extreme wealth made him
bored with life, and that he and the other rich VIPs put the games together
so they could finally have some fun. As to why he joined the games himself, knowing he could die,
he told Gi-hun this, from the English dub:
"In my childhood, I always had so much fun out doing things with all of my friends.
We'd lose track of time for hours. I wanted to just
feel something, just one last time before I die. And you are not going
to get that feeling if you are just going to spectate. And I desperately wanted that."
He goes on to tell Gi-hun that he did indeed experience the fun he was after,
thanks to Gi-hun, then he dies before he can offer any more explanation.
This huge twist makes "Squid Game" an excellent candidate for a rewatch, despite its brutality,
as all of Player 001's decisions take on a whole new meaning the second time around.
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