WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Squid Game season 2.
It’s unfair to blame Dae-ho’s apparent cowardice or post-traumatic response in theSquid Gameseason 2 finale without considering Gi-hun’s flawed plan. At theend ofSquid Gameseason 2, Dae-ho reveals his true colors by failing to gather more ammunition for his fellow players-turned-rebels. This results in the execution of several players who follow Gi-hun’s plan to fight against the pink guards and ambush The Front Man. There are signs thatthere is something up with Dae-ho inSquid Gameseason 2, which raises the question of whether he was ever in the Marines like he claimed to be.
Dae-ho has become one of the more controversial charactersin the second season ofSquad Game, with some viewers empathizing with Dae-ho’s predicament while others criticize him for being a coward. The fact that there are two equal sides to the Dae-ho coin makes it one of the more intellectually stimulating philosophical questions thatSquid Gameseason 2 has to offer. Similar toUpham’s failure to intervene as a comrade was killed inSaving Private Ryan,Dae-ho’s inaction can be said to have caused the deaths of others. The truth about Dae-ho should be explored inSquid Gameseason 3.
Dae-ho Bringing The Mags Wouldn’t Have Made Much Difference In Squid Game Season 2’s Finale
Dae-ho Hiding Actually Indirectly Saved Cho Hyun-ju’s Life
Even if Dae-ho brought the ammunition to the other Squid Game rebels, it would not have affected the outcome ofSquid Gameseason 2. Once Dae-ho entered the safety of the player’s quarters, he hid for cover beneath one of the bunk beds, exhibiting what appeared to be symptoms of past or present trauma. The fact that he didn’t return with the ammo actuallyled Cho Hyun-ju, Player 120, back to safety. She likely would have been killed with the rest of the rebels who stayed to fight the pink guards if she hadn’t gone back to check on Dae-ho.
Imagine that Dae-ho heroically returned with the magazines and was able to hand them over to Cho Hyun-ju and others in the nick of time. The gunfight would have continued and they could have taken out more pink guards.
Even in the best-case scenario where Dae-ho was the hero, they would all have walked into The Front Man’s trap.
Even in the best-case scenario where Dae-ho was the hero, they would all have been walking into The Front Man’s trap.The Front Man was the only person in controlof the situation. More pink guards would eventually have arrived to kill Dae-ho, Hyun-ju, and others, or The Front Man would have done it himself if they made it that far.
The Real Problem With Gi-hun’s Plan Was Trusting Young-il
Gi-hun Could Have Been More Cautious With His Rebellion Plan
Blaming Dae-ho for his apparent cowardice misses the entire point ofSquid Gameseason 2’s ending. Whether Dae-ho was actually a Marine or not is one thing butGi-hun, as their leader, essentially walked them all into a trapbecause he somewhat blindly trusted Young-il. There were enough signs for Gi-hun to suspect that Young-il was not an innocent victim and fellow player, the most obvious being that he was wearing the same Player 001 uniform as Oh Il-nam, the Squid Game’s creator from season 1. Young-il deceived Gi-hun, so the blame can’t fall entirely on him, or Dae-ho.
The Dark Reason Gi-hun Didn’t Warn The X Team About The Fight In Squid Game Season 2
Gi-hun’s decision not to warn his fellow X players about the O team ambush in Squid Game season 2 suggests he’s primed to “break bad” in season 3.
Casting blame on Dae-ho or Gi-hun for being sabotaged by In-ho isn’t just. Yes, the actions and/or inactions of both characters cost people their lives, such as at the beginning of the rebellion when the O-team ambushed the X-team.Viewers can blame Gi-hun for allowing those murders to happento spark the rebellion, just like Dae-ho can be chastised for cowering in a clutch moment.
Gi-hun is typically praised for instilling hope but In-ho made sure there wasn’t a real chance.
While both can cause outrage from an observer’s perspective, they wereacts of desperation in a hopeless situation. Gi-hun is typically praised for instilling hope but In-ho made sure there wasn’t a real chance.
Dae-ho Not Coming Back Might Have Secretly Saved Hyun-ju In Squid Game Season 3
Whether Dae-ho Is A Liar Or Not, He Still Has His Life In Season 3
Following the rebellion in theSquid Gameseason 2 finale, the pink guards arrive at the player’s quarters to ensure that all remaining players are back in their rooms. Since Hyun-ju went back for Dae-ho, it seems as though she won’t be executed like the two other players who surrendered. It appears that Dae-ho’s cowardice or PTSD response lured Hyun-ju back to safety, even at the expense of the other players. It’s tragic that those players died waiting for Dae-ho’s help and Dae-ho is not entirely innocent, but he will be alive at the start ofSquid Gameseason 3.
