Of all the games in Netflix's Squid Game, several players participate in a series of children's games for millions of dollars. However, the games have deadly consequences. If a player loses or fails at a game, they die. And through nine episodes, Squid Game eliminated more than 450 players until Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) was the only true player remaining. However, the series also hid a twist.
In a Squid Game finale twist, the series revealed that the Old Man/Oh Il-nam (Oh Yeong-su) survived the games too. Gi-hun and Il-nam became friends during the games, with the former looking out for the older man in the deadly contest. Amid the dangerous late-night fights, Gi-hun looked out for Il-nam, and the pair were even on the same team for the tug of war. Gi-hun eventually believes Il-nam gives up his life during a marble game, allowing Gi-hun to carry on instead. However, the finale shows Il-nam survived the whole time. The Old Man was secretly one of the game's architects, and his life was never in danger.
The final twist that Il-nam was behind the games shows that the tug of war was likely rigged. In Squid Game episode 4, the players decide on teams in an unknown game that turns out to be the tug of war. Two teams stand on high platforms and try to pull their opponents off the platform and to their deaths. Gi-hun and Il-nam's tug of war team consists of several weaker players, so they are sorely outmatched against their opponents, a team full of men. Thanks to a strategy from Il-nam and some heroic last-second efforts by Cho Sang-woo (Park Hae-Soo), Gi-hun's team wins. But there may have been more at play behind the scenes.
Il-nam was never in any real danger in the games. As an architect of the deadly contest, he controlled everything and got a free several times. In the first game, a bizarre version of Red Light/Green Light where players died if a giant robot caught them moving, Il-nam wasn't killed despite moving a bit after he was supposed to freeze. Then, in the marble game from Squid Game episode 6, he loses but doesn't die like the other players. While playing tug of war, Il-nam had a strategy that helped his team early on; however, the plan eventually fails when the other team briefly gains control. Sang-woo ultimately helps the team win by making the opposing team trip. However, since Il-nam was on their team, they were likely guaranteed victory no matter what.
It's unknown how exactly Il-nam rigged tug of war, but there are options. After a team lost, a blade came down to cut the rope, which guaranteed death for the opposing team. Since Il-nam's secret twist ensured his safety, it's interesting that he was towards the back of the rope for his team. The blade could've come down early if it had to, sparing his life while other of his team fell. In addition, two guards stood behind each tug of war team as they competed. If things looked dire, the guards could've intervened. Regardless, Il-nam was never truly at the end of his rope in Squid Game.