Squid Game: One More Game

"Only 110 people died? Is that all?"

We begin with the tense resolution of the second game, in which the characters we're following get toshow their character, and loads of redshirts get gunned down, all with so much tension. And we end with the beginning of the third game. But so much happens in=-between in what is yet another extraordinary episode of Squid Game.

Plot threads advance- the search for the island continues, while No-eul is assaulted and threatened by other guards. We get to know some of the characters better- Young-mi, the desperate pregnant girl, and Hyun-ju, the poor trans woman whose life has been destroyed by scum and their vile bigotry. Everyone playing the game has a backstory, a reason to be desperate, and a reason to keep playing. Some have only themselves to blame, but others have been through real tragedy.

Which is what makes the central scene of the episode sopowerful as the players vote again, and more decisevely, to continue, with much tension and must impassionned debate. One more game. For many, the prize money accumulated this far is simply not enough to save them from destruction. And so the brutal, deathly competition needs to continue, despite the horrible risks.

The subtext is powerful: the games stand, I suppose, for the free market. And yes, people vote, so they have a choice, on the surface. But is a choice made from desperation truly a free choice...?