Warning: This article contains spoilers for Squid Game season 2.Front Man (Lee Byung-hun), the villainous leader of the games who was introduced in the first season. This time, the Front Man personally enters the games as Player 001, competing alongside the other players in order to teach them a lesson.
As Squid Game approaches its third and final season, there are really only three ways that the Front Man's story could end: victory, defeat, or redemption. The last seems like the safest and most interesting way to bring this series to a close, but it won't be easy to achieve following the character's actions in previous episodes. Although he seemingly risks his life in Squid Game's many challenges, the Front Man's lack of comion and skewed moral com make it difficult to imagine a world where he turns to the light.
The Front Man Has One Of The Most Tragic Backstories In Squid Game
In-ho's Character Isn't As Straightforward As He Appears
The backstory behind Squid Game's Front Man is fittingly dark, and it's something that's only briefly mentioned in the first season. His real name is Hwang In-ho, and it's confirmed early in the show's narrative that he's a previous winner of the games who learned from his success and took over from the previous Front Man.
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This was five years before Squid Game kicked off, and he's been missing from society ever since. It's revealed that he originally ed the games to pay for the treatment of his wife's liver infection. The real tragedy of the Front Man's backstory actually mirrors Gi-hun's, who ed the games to pay for his mother's treatment but was ultimately too late and learned of her ing after winning the final game.
The same thing happened to In-ho, whose wife died of her illness while he was away competing. This is confirmed by his brother Jun-ho's (Wi Ha-jun) visit to the mausoleum in season 2's second episode, where a picture of In-ho's wife can be seen. This part of the Front Man's backstory almost makes him redeemable, before ing all the people that have died at his hands.
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The Police Detective Could Still Save The Day In Squid Game
However, In-ho isn't completely devoid of emotion. Not only does he genuinely grow fond of Gi-hun during his infiltration of the games as Player 001, but he also cares for his brother despite their many differences. This is obvious from his reaction to Jun-ho's arrival on the island in the show's first season: he certainly doesn't want to shoot his brother but recognizes that letting him live would put the games at too much risk. This complex dynamic between In-ho and Jun-ho could prove important in Squid Game season 3 if the latter manages to infiltrate the island again.
What's so interesting about In-ho is that he's not completely villainous — his interests are simply misaligned.
What's so interesting about In-ho is that he's not completely villainous — his interests are simply misaligned. He's doing what he genuinely believes to be the right thing, as he wants the players to learn the same lesson that he personally learned from playing the games in 2015: Resistance is futile, and the only way anything can be achieved in life is by putting yourself first. That's exactly why he enters the games as Player 001, as he wants to send Gi-hun this message after seeing his attempts to save people in the Red Light, Green Light challenge.
The Front Man's Convictions Make A Redemption Arc Very Complicated
In-ho Has Done Some Terrible Things To Get To The Top
While it seemed for a while like Squid Game's second season would redeem the Front Man by having him Gi-hun's rebellion, the show ultimately acknowledged that In-ho's priorities couldn't be changed. The only person he's interested in protecting is himself, which makes it very difficult for any kind of redemption arc to happen. The character has been completely jaded by the death of his wife, and that's sapped him of any humanity that was left. It may have looked possible for a while thanks to his friendship with Gi-hun, but his cold-blooded murder of Jung-bae (Lee Seo-hwan) essentially killed that opportunity.
It's much easier at this point to imagine Gi-hun going down a path of darkness than In-ho somehow coming to the light.
With In-ho's redemption essentially impossible, it's hard to imagine how Squid Game will resolve his storyline in its final season. Many audiences have come up with some much darker theories about Gi-hun's fate, implying that Jung-bae's death will instill in him the same nihilistic ideals as In-ho and persuade him to step up as the next Front Man of the games. This would certainly be a twist, but it's much easier at this point to imagine Gi-hun going down a path of darkness than In-ho somehow coming to the light.
Gi-hun Will Never Forgive The Front Man For Killing Jung-bae
Squid Game's Protagonist Won't Turn His Back On His Friends So Easily
However, the one obstacle standing in the way of Gi-hun turning to the dark side is, in fact, In-ho's shocking murder of Jung-bae. It's hard to imagine that Gi-hun would ever forgive the Front Man for this, particularly since Squid Game's second season dedicates so much time to exploring their long-standing history and displaying how much they care for each other. Jung-bae was Gi-hun's best friend for many years, and by killing the former in front of the latter, the Front Man may have killed any hope of an alliance with Gi-hun.
How The Front Man Can Still Find Redemption In Squid Game Season 3
In-ho's Road To Redemption Isn't Totally Blocked
That being said, anything is possible in Squid Game's final season. There are clearly more twists to be revealed, and these could easily reframe In-ho's character in a way that subsequently makes redemption possible. Perhaps he's been acting under duress, or there's somebody even higher up forcing him to be so outwardly evil. It's also possible that Squid Game season 3 will include some flashbacks to develop the relationship between In-ho and his wife, humanizing him for the first time.
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Whatever happens, there are still plenty of conflicts to be resolved before Squid Game can reach a satisfying conclusion. Whether that's Gi-hun turning to the dark side and becoming the next Front Man, or In-ho somehow repenting for his crimes and ending the games of his own volition, the violent ending of Squid Game's second season has made a peaceful resolution to this show much more difficult to find.
Squid Game
- Release Date
- 2021 - 2025-00-00
- Network
- Netflix
- Showrunner
- Hwang Dong-hyuk
Cast
Lee Jung-jaeSeong Gi-hun / 'No. 456'
Jeon Young-sooGame Guide
WHERE TO WATCH
Squid Game is a South Korean series released in 2021 about financially struggling individuals who are invited to participate in a series of children's games. The competition offers a lucrative prize but comes with perilous consequences, as the players soon discover the lethal stakes involved in each round.
- Directors
- Hwang Dong-hyuk
- Seasons
- 3
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix
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