How will Squid Game end this week? We have some horrifying predictions

Gi-hun’s closest ally is dead, his rebellion has failed, and his rescue team is on its way to nowhere with a traitorous sea captain onboard. This is where season two of Squid Game, Hwang Dong-hyuk’s chilling South Korean survival drama, left us in December. What’s in store for our hopeless protagonist now, and will he ever be able to dismantle the murderous games?

All will be revealed once the third and final season lands on Netflix on Friday. But in the meantime, we have some theories on how this thrilling mega-hit will wrap up.

Meg Watson, deputy TV editor: I’m predicting a bloodbath. The kind of “Red Wedding”-level shocker that leaves you sitting motionless, mouth agape, while the end credits roll, unsure of how to process what you just saw. The creator is hardly hiding his intentions. In a recent interview, Dong-hyuk promised the season will be “more dark and bleak” – which is really saying something for a show that gunned down half its cast in the first episode.

“People like a happy ending,” he said. “I’m like that too. But some stories, by nature, can’t have one.”

Though Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) has gone on a hero’s journey from a scrappy hustler to crusader for collective good, he never really stood a chance bringing down the system itself – which has always been the real focus of Dong-hyuk’s dystopic series. I think he’ll go out in tragic fashion, entrusting his fate to the final players to prove a point or, if he’s foolish enough, the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) he thinks may be capable of change. Some fans are convinced the Front Man will end the games to protect expecting player Kim Jun-hee (Jo Yu-ri), as she reminds him of his wife who died while pregnant...

“Player 456. Do you still have faith in people?” the Front Man asks ominously in the season three trailer. Anyone paying attention should bet their bread on disappointment.

Karl Quinn, culture reporter: In an ideal world, I’d love to see the young police detective Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon) and the North Korean infiltrator Kang No-eul (Park Gyuyoung) team up with Player 456, Gi-hun, to topple the Front Man and bring the game to an end forever.

But while that would be momentarily satisfying as a viewer, it’s hard to see how it would land as anything other than a bit of wishful thinking and a betrayal of the bleak vision that has guided Hwang Dong-hyuk’s critique of late-stage capitalism from the outset. It’s the system that’s at fault in Squid Game, not just some corrupt individuals within it (though the VIPs are Vileness Itself, Personified). So really, I’m expecting Jun-ho to kill his brother, and for Gi-hun to succumb to the lure of vengeance and become the new Front Man.

Who knows, though; maybe he’ll use his newfound power to send the VIPs into the arena instead of the poor. I might not buy it entirely, but I’d still cheer for that.

Oh Young-il (Lee Byung-hun) has been unmasked as Front Man in Squid Game. But is Gi-hun next?Credit:

Nell Geraets, culture reporter: The writing is on the wall: Gi-hun will become the new Front Man. That’s the only fitting conclusion to the series’ scathing critique of capitalism, after all. But everyone probably sees that coming, so let’s consider the nitty-gritty.

The police detective will discover and capture the treacherous captain on their search boat. They’ll force him to reveal the location of the island on which the games are set, and immediately set sail to rescue Gi-hun and finally put an end to the madness. However, once they arrive, they’ll notice Gi-hun isn’t there. Instead, an entirely different group of tracksuited participants are competing for their lives. It turns out Gi-hun’s game is just one node in an extensive, global network of games, some of which have been occurring concurrently only a few islands away.

Completely unprepared for such a discovery, the rescue team will be quickly overcome by guards and executed on the spot. With no help on its way and most of his allies slain, Gi-hun will finally succumb to the mindset of his nemesis, Front Man: if you can’t beat the corrupt system, join it. The only question is, where will Gi-hun’s new game be set?

Policeman Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon) is relentless in his quest to find his brother.Credit: Netflix

Gabriela Sumampow, social media journalist: A Mockingjay-style revolt from guards and players would make a relieving end for Squid Game, but the show wouldn’t be a societal critique without doubling down on power and class dynamics by having Gi-hun defeated by the Front Man in some way. Plus, the ill-fated rebellion at the end of season two leaves players with no other choice but to keep playing. Perhaps Gi-hun will become the next recruiter (not one that stomps on bread, I hope) or a new mole for the Front Man as player 001.

Knowing K-dramas can’t resist a tear-jerker, I also fear for the characters introduced in season two: particularly former couple Jun-hee and Myung-gi (Yim Si-wan), and mother-son pair Yong-sik (Yang Dong-geun) and Geum-ja (Kang Ae-shim). It’s hard to think of a scenario where both pairs walk free together, and I fear one might sacrifice themselves for the other.

On the other hand, I suspect Hyun-ju (Park Sung-hoon) has more to hide than her impressive combat skills, and is capable of betraying an ally a la Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo) in season one.

Yang Dong-geun as Yong-sik (left) and Kang Ae-sim as Geum-ja (right).Credit: No Ju-han/Netflix

Hannah Kennelly, trainee reporter: I’ve grown really attached to these characters – shout out to the brilliant mother-son duo – but I’m anticipating a bittersweet conclusion with inevitable fatalities. I can foresee two possible endings.

One pretty bleak theory is that a heavily pregnant Jun-hee gives birth during one of the games and her newborn is the only survivor. Or the series could end with Gi-hun succumbing to vengeance and becoming the new Front Man after defeating his predecessor in a dramatic finale.

The end credit scene will show the game itself is actually international and there a multiple other dystopian arenas in other countries. Cue incoming spinoff series? Absolutely.

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