Squid Game Easter Eggs That Predicted The Eliminations
If it seems like all your friends, all your coworkers, and everyone on your Twitter feed has watched "Squid Game," you wouldn't be wrong. The Korean drama quickly rose to popularity following its September 17th premiere, becoming the #1 show on Netflix is a staggering 90 different countries, as reported by Forbes.
"Squid Game" is a clear commentary on class divides in our modern world, and how the rich ignore the sufferings of the poor at best–and at worst, actively delight in it. The series centers around a man named Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) who is desperate to pay off his debt and evade the punishment of some vengeful loan sharks, and as we find out, the rest the Squid Game contestants are plagued with equal financial woes. Gi-hun, however, is the one who emerges from the game victorious — and richer, to the tune of $46.5 billion Korean won (approximately $38.4 million USD). The rest of the contestants are killed throughout the course of the game. As some eagle-eyed fans of the show have pointed out, the deaths of some of our favorite characters were actually foreshadowed earlier in the series. Curious to learn more? We have all the important details.
Ali dies by theft
Episode 6 of "Squid Game" was easily the most heartbreaking, thanks to its gut-wrenching and emotional deaths. Ali (Anupam Tripathi) was among the unlucky contestants who met his end during the marble game. However, upon rewatching the show, we can see how his death was foreshadowed. In the show's second episode, we see Ali return to a former employer and demand receipt of his unpaid wages. The boss denies having enough money to pay him, despite the fat envelope of cash sitting on his desk. As Ali physically accosts his former employer to try and get the money, the man falls back into the surrounding machinery, crushing his hand. Ali spots the envelope on the ground and quickly runs off with the cash.
Later on in the series, theft also plays a role in Ali's death. During the marble game, Sang-Woo (Park Hae-soo) manipulates Ali into thinking they can fool the system and both make it out of the game alive. However, we soon find out this plan was a ruse, and Sang-Woo actually stole Ali's marbles — just as Ali stole the envelope of money.
Deok-soo falls off a bridge
During the fifth game in Episode 7, the players have to cross a bridge made of both tempered and ordinary glass. With only 16 players left in gameplay, the stakes are high, and many contestants crack under pressure. This includes Deok-soo (Heo Sung-tae), the calculating gangster and primary hellraiser among the contestants. While standing on the bridge, he refuses to step forward, wishing to instead run out the clock so all the players die. Mi-nyeo (Kim Joo-ryoung), consistent with her wild card ways, is determined to stay true to her word that she would kill Deok-soo if he ever betrayed her–so she wraps him in a tight bearhug and falls backward towards the floor, killing them both.
This gruesome death is foreshadowed in Episode 2, when Deok-soo is betrayed by one of his minions and faces the wrath of some Filipino casino owners to whom he owes money. He jumps off a bridge to escape them, much like his ultimate demise.
Sae-byeok takes a knife to the throat
Sae-byeok, the determined young woman motivated by love for her brother, is one of the most memorable characters of "Squid Game," largely thanks to the performance of the beautiful and talented Jung Ho-yeon. The character's death in the "Squid Game" finale was shocking and devastating; however, it was also alluded to earlier in the series. Sae-byeok is a defector from North Korea, and we see her meet with the man she paid to try and smuggle her parents out of the dictatorship of the North. However, when he tells her he's been conned himself and therefore can't attempt to smuggle her mother over the border again, she holds a knife to his neck and threatens his life.
Later on in the series, moments before the final game is to start, Sae-byeok is killed in a shocking moment by Sang-woo. He slices her throat using the knife from the dinner party, cutting open her artery in the exact same spot in which she previously held the knife to the man.
Sang-woo commits suicide
When "Squid Game" started, Sang-woo appeared to be a strong leader and loyal friend to Gi-hun, whom he knew from childhood. However, we soon discover he was the most deceitful and conniving of all, up until he very end. When the contestants initially vote to leave the game and return home, we see Sang-woo plagued with depression, over his head in debt that could leave his mother penniless and homeless. He then chooses to die by suicide, planning to hang himself in his apartment. It's a knock on the door that stops him, though, which turns out to be an invitation to return to the Squid Game.
In the chilling final moments of the brutal tournament, Gi-hun begs with Sang-woo to end the game, forfeiting the money but keeping both men alive. Sang-woo, perhaps realizing he didn't want to live without the money (or with the knowledge he killed his childhood friend) fatally stabs himself, ending life on his own terms, as he had always wanted.
What will happen next with Squid Game?
"Squid Game" is without a doubt one of the most gripping and thought-provoking shows to come out this year. The show's attention to detail, Easter eggs, and foreshadowing are part of what make the nine-episode series such a compelling viewing experience. Fans clearly can't get enough, continuing to take to social media to theorize and dissect every episode. But will the mystery be continuing?
While no plans have been announced yet for a second season of "Squid Game," writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk is definitely open to the possibility. With such booming success — it's on track to become Netflix's most-watched show ever (via CNET) — it's likely the streaming giant will want to keep the momentum going and continue the series.
We'll have to wait and see what the future holds for "Squid Game." For now, though, we'll be clamoring over all the theories we can get while living with masked men (and that haunting soundtrack) in our nightmares.