Emmy Catch-Up: Squid Game

Squid Game: Season 1, Episode 6 “Gganbu” (B)

I’ve been careful not to do too much research into these characters for fear that I might get plenty spoiled for myself watching this show so many months after it first aired. I’m glad I didn’t since we lost two of the main cast members in this episode, including Emmy nominee Oh Yeong-su, who was the very endearing Player 1. I had a feeling that people were going to have to turn on their partners, something that Player 218 knew and why he chose Player 199 as his partner. He was particularly devious in how he stole his marbles when he convinced him that there was going to be a way for them both to survive, while Player 456 felt much worse about it. Player 1 indicated that he knew that Player 456 was taking advantage of him, and thanking him for playing right before he got executed was a sad way to see him depart. This was also a great showcase for Lee Yoo-mi, who earned an Emmy nomination in the guest actress category for her performance as Player 240, who initially seemed quite prickly but then ended up being an unexpectedly endearing and all-too-brief part of the show, forgetting multiple times as she was talking to Player 67 that they couldn’t both go on to accomplish what they wanted. Sacrificing herself so that Player 67 could be with those who mattered to her was entirely selfless and a rare bit of sentimentality on this show. Player 212’s fate is a mystery, since it theoretically wasn’t her fault that she couldn’t find a partner due to the newly odd number of players, and I have a feeling that, since we didn’t see her get killed, she’s still alive.