Netflix’s Squid Game took the world by storm, and people everywhere loved it wholeheartedly. But would you have loved it all the same if I told you the series almost ended in a different way?
That’s right, creator and director Hwang Dong-hyuk has revealed that he had considered a much different ending than the one that made the cut.
As we all know, the series ended with Gi-hun talking to the Frontman on call, who warns him that he should just move on and ‘get on the plane.’ However, Gi-hun decided otherwise and turned back on the jet bridge, walking towards the camera with a determined look of revenge on his face.
While talking to Entertainment Weekly, Hwang revealed that there was a good chance the first season could’ve ended with Seong Gi-hun (Player 456) actually boarding the plane to go see his daughter.
We actually wrestled between two different scenarios for the ending. There was one, the other alternate ending, where Gi-hun would get on the plane and leave. And then there was, of course, the one where he would turn back and walk towards the camera. We constantly asked ourselves, is it really right for Gi-hun to make the decision to leave and go see his family, to pursue his own happiness? Is that the right way for us to really propose the question or the message that we wanted to convey through the series?
Hwang Dong-hyuk
I, for one, considered this to act as an open ending that could spawn into a second season. The director added that his hopes for season 2 renewal also played a part in this decision.
We came to the conclusion that the question that we wanted to propose cannot be done if he left on the plane. The question that we want to answer — why has the world come to what it is now? — can only be answered or can only be proposed if Gi-hun turned back and walked towards the camera. So that’s how we ended up with that ending in the finale.
Hwang Dong-hyuk
While talking about season 2, Hwang added that he does have ‘the basic story line’ planned and is currently working on the details to make it more ‘concrete.’
Previously, in another piece for The Hollywood Reporter, the director talked about what the ending symbolized,
And that was, in fact, my way of communicating the message that you should not be dragged along by the competitive flow of society, but that you should start thinking about who has created the whole system — and whether there is some potential for you to turn back and face it. So it’s not necessarily Gi-hun turning back to get revenge. It could actually be interpreted as him making a very on-the-spot eye contact with what is truly going on in the bigger picture.
Hwang Dong-hyuk
However, he also added that there were other open-ended storylines season 2 could focus on, like the story of the police officer and his brother, the Front Man.
So is Hwang Jun-Ho still alive? Rule no. 1 of thriller/mystery shows – if a character’s dead body hasn’t been shown, it means there’s a 99.99% chance that they survived.
Maybe Gi-hun will work with the detective to expose the game in season 2.
Although Squid Game hasn’t officially been renewed for season 2, it’s a no-brainer that Netflix wouldn’t want to let this golden goose sit idle without squeezing a few more eggs out of it.
Let’s just hope the company doesn’t get too greedy because we all know how that story ends.
About Squid Game
Squid Game is a South Korean survival show written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk. The nine-episode series released on Netflix on September 17, 2021 and has become an internet sensation.
It features an ensemble of Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, O Yeong-su, Wi Ha-joon, Ho Seong-tae, Kim Joo-ryung, Jung Ho-yeon and Anupam Tripathi. It became the first Korean show to reach No. 1 in the U.S.
The plot revolves around 456 people deep-in-depth, playing multiple dangerous games based on children’s games in a bid to win 45.6 billion KRW. The employees wear a mask with a triangle, square and a circle, signifying the hierarchy and an ode to the ‘Squid Game’ Koreans play.
It’s acclaimed for its dark satire, violence and the class and wealth inequality showcased flawlessly.
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