Warning: This article contains spoilers for Squid Game season 3.As luck would have it, the leading man ofSquid Gamehas offered his own take on the main character’s dying words.Squid Gameseason 3’s endingdoes see Lee Jung-jae’s Gi-hun give his own life to save Jun-hee’s (Jo Yu-ri) baby, but not before he has the last word with the VIPs and the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun).
Cate Blanchett’s shockingSquid Gamecameoimplies thatthe system carries on when it is not within the power of the main characters to dismantle all the VIPs' global power in one go. But Gi-hun’s final words and the actions of several other main members of theSquid Gameseason 3 castaffirm the undercurrent humanity of the story.
During an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter,Lee Jung-jae gave his interpretation of Gi-hun’s final statement.After telling the VIPs that humans are not horses for them to bet on, he says what humans are, a forever-incomplete statement. Check out his full comments below:
THR: So, can you complete that final line for us? “Humans are…” — does the series end with a note of humanity, or is it the opposite?
Lee: For me, my character’s heart was truly genuine in only wanting to protect and save that baby. So for me, that line was interpreted as: “Humans are worthy of respect.”
What Lee Jung-jae’s Interpretation Of “Humans Are” Means For Squid Game
It Is Not Mutually Exclusive With Other Interpretations, Which Is The Beauty Of It
Gi-hun’s entire arc, in one of the biggest mainstream TV shows in recent history, wrapping up with “Humans are…,” naturally left room for interpretation. Notably,Squid Game’s creator Hwang Dong-hyuk said of Gi-hun’s final words, thatthey were meant to signal humanity’s complexity, with both good and bad characteristics.
However,Lee’s comments now showcase a slightly different take, but one that is complementary to the showrunner’s intention.Humans can be good, bad, and worthy of respect. No matter how you see it, the responses from the cast and crew prove that this line is meant to provoke deep discussion.
Our Take On This Meaning Of Gi-hun’s Final Words
Squid Game Is A Complex Tale Of Humanity
It is interesting and valuable to think about how Lee Jung-jae and Hwang Dong-hyuk’s comments on Gi-hun’s last line in the series work together,when they are perhaps the two single, definite authorities we can turn to. Humans are capable of compassion and cruelty; that much we see throughout the show.
Humans can be good, bad, and worthy of respect.
It is this contrast between the two that makes the series so compelling, for even in as dire circumstances as what is shown, people turn to each other for protection, while also being driven by their own will to survive. They are all nuanced figures who have good and bad impulses.
But Gi-hun’s argues until the end that humans, no matter what, are worthy of respect. Can it be that even when they are at their worst, because humans are still capable of good, is why they are worthy of respect? This is just the beginning of the discourse thatSquid Gamestarted long ago, and Gi-hu’s explosive final scene has nowhere near finished.
