Squid Game, Netflix’s biggest show of all time, has returned for its third and final season with deadlier games than ever.
The gripping K-drama series follows 456 cash-strapped individuals who compete in a deadly survival competition themed around children’s games for the chance to win 46.5 billion Korean won (approximately $33.6 million).
Here, we unpack some of the messages, clues and Easter eggs that may have been hidden in plain sight in the final season.
The Writings on the Wall
As contestants get eliminated with each round, more beds in the players’ sleeping quarters are also cleared out, revealing some writings on the walls behind the beds.
Before the final game, the remaining nine players are treated to a grand feast in their sleeping quarters, swapping their green tracksuits for black-tie attire, and the lettering along the walls is revealed in full. On one wall are the letters “HODIE MIHI,” while it says “CRAS TIBI” on another—all in capital letters.
The cryptic lettering refers to the Latin phrase “hodie mihi, cras tibi,” which translates to “today it’s me, tomorrow it will be you.” The phrase was said to have been inscribed on many medieval tombstones, highlighting the fragility of life, which mirrors the vulnerability of the contestants in Squid Game.
…and Warnings on the Wall
During a deadly round of hide-and-seek, half the players are each given a knife to use to catch and kill the other half. Those in the other half are each given a key that unlocks certain doors to rooms within a maze-like venue, where they can hide.
During one scene, where player No. 333 (played by Im Si-wan) is speaking to player No. 124 (played by Roh Jae-won), on a wall behind No. 333 is Korean writing that reads “사람 조심 바보,” which translates to “Beware of people, idiot” or “Be careful of people, stupid.”
The warning appears fitting as player No. 333 later agrees to go on a killing frenzy with No. 124, killing off more players than required to move onto the next round of games, in a bid to maximize their potential prize earnings. He eventually ends up killing player No. 120 (played by Park Sung-hoon), who was moments away from helping others to successfully escape the venue, including player No. 222 (played by Jo Yu-ri) and her baby, who was fathered by No. 333.
In the final game round, as players arrive at the game facility, which features three giant pillars from where players are later pushed off, there is signage on a wall that ironically says “안전 제일,” which translates to “safety first.”
The Clock Strikes 4:56
During the hide-and-seek game round, player No. 456 (played by Golden Globe nominee and Emmy/Screen Actors Guild Award winner Lee Jung-Jae) goes on a quest to track down player No. 388 (played by Kang Ha-neul). Earlier in the show, No. 388 failed to deliver the extra ammunition needed during the players’ joint attempt to overthrow the game system and the people behind it.
Moments before player No. 456 manages to find player No. 388, the game timer shown just behind No. 456 reads “4:56,” marking a turning point as No. 456 later chokes No. 388 to death, participating in the very act he came back to the competition to prevent. His killing of No. 388 qualifies him for the next round.
Ode to Player No. 067
Season 3 sees some cameos from characters who died in previous seasons. One of them includes North Korean player No. 067, named Kang Sae-byeok (played by HoYeon Jung), a fierce yet vulnerable character who was one of the finalists and became a fan favorite in Season 1. The player’s name translates to “river dawn.”
Season 3 also features a female North Korean defector, Kang No-eul (played by Park Gyu-young), who is one of the game’s pink-suited guards. Her name translates to “river sunset.”
The ‘Blacklist’
The aforementioned pink-suited female guard later manages to infiltrate the game master’s quarters after a deadly battle against one of the head masked officers (played by Park Hee-soon).
She begins snooping around the back rooms to scan the archives that contain detailed information about each player. Along a shelf with several binders labeled “Squid Archives 2024” is one on the far left, which is mysteriously labeled “blacklist players” in Korean. The guard appears to ignore that binder and goes through other folders to track down the profile on player No. 246 (played by Lee Jin-wook).
The Winning Jacket
In Squid Game Season 1, player No. 001, who turns out to be the mastermind behind the games, gives his numbered jacket to player No. 456 to wear.
In Season 3, we see a similar scene—the baby of player No. 222 later wears the jacket of player No. 456, who wraps the baby in his jacket, taking it upon himself to protect the baby at all costs throughout the remainder of the game.
Squid Game Season 3 is available to stream now on Netflix.
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