WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for Squid Game season 3.
Gi-hun’s powerful speech about what human beings are made of at the end ofSquid Gameseason 3 was recently elaborated on by series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk. Theend ofSquid Gameseason 3saw the tragic and selfless sacrifice made by Gi-hun, who had no other choice but to take his own life to save that ofthe newborn baby, Player 222.
Throughout all three seasons ofSquid Game,Gi-hun stood as a force of purity and goodness, which perplexed and fascinatedThe Front Man, In-ho. Ultimately, Gi-hun’s martyrdom changed In-ho for the better and destroyed the Korean Squid Game once and for all. In the Netflix special Squid Game in Conversation, Hwang Dong-hyuk further explained Gi-hun’s final words, “Humans are…”.
“I knew I wanted to end with, “We are not horses. We are humans.” But I wanted to continue with, “As humans, this is what we should do. As humans, this is how we should be. And starting now, this is how we can turn this world of ours into a better one.” But as I wrote that all out, it became clear I couldn’t sum this up in a single line.I decided the rest of what I wanted to say would instead be expressed physically by Gi-hun, through his actions, through his deeds, and the sacrifice he makes to save that child.”
What Hwang Dong-hyuk’s Explanation Means For Gi-hun’s Squid Game Death
Hwang Wanted To Avoid Making An Overly Definitive Statement About Humanity
Hwang Dong-hyuk avoided making a definitive statement with Gi-hun’s final words, knowing they would leave a lasting impact on not just the life and death of his character, but on the legacy of the Squid Game series. Allowing viewers to fill in the blank of Gi-hun’s final statement increases the ability to interpret Gi-hun’s sacrifice in various ways. The fact thatGi-hun finishes his sentence with an action instead of an adjectivedrives the point home of not only what humans can be, but should be.
Emmy winner Lee Jung-jae, who played Gi-hun, also notedhow difficult it was to portray what Gi-hun was feeling at that moment. “As the actor, do I need to convey the emotion more explicitly? Or instead, should I, like the writer, who’s also our director, find a way, through whatever kinds of different choices, to make my performance in that final scene more open minded?”
Hwang filmed several different takes of Gi-hun’s final moments, some even included his character tearing up. Lee recalls, “I was really torn about that, so… We got all sorts of takes with varying levels of emotions when we shot that day, but it felt like there was no right answer.”
Our Take On Gi-hun’s Final Words & Ultimate Sacrifice
Gi-hun’s Final Statement Could Not Have Been Made With Words Alone
The expression “actions speak louder than words” applies perfectly to Gi-hun during his final bow in Squid Game season 3. Gi-hun’s words had been mostly powerless throughout all three seasons ofSquid Game, which nearly broke his spirit.He was able to maintain his integrity through his actions alone, which truly became the source of his power. He remained unfaltering, true, and defiant of those in power from day one, who never cared what Gi-hun had to say and only saw him and the others as horses for sport and gambling.
Gi-hun stood as a sacrificial figure with the promise of a better future, a statement that could only be made through his actions, not his words.
Ironically,The Front Man became fascinated by Gi-hun’s actions, which is why he couldn’t resist watching him in the game. Knowing that he was in the same exact position that Gi-hun was in, he aimed to break Gi-hun and force him to submit to self-interest. Gi-hun stood as a sacrificial figure with the promise of a better future, a statement that could only be made through his actions, not his words. Gi-hun was the hero who died with the hope of a better tomorrow inSquid Game, which showed In-ho that, while humans can be greedy and selfish, they can also be remarkable and altruistic.
