Squid Game Season 2 Episode 3’s Front Man Twist Explained

This article contains spoilers for “Squid Game” season 2

Critics are hailing “Squid Game” season 2 for being bigger and better than its predecessor, and some elements will take viewers by surprise. Episode 3 sees Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) reluctantly return to the deadly competition as a contestant, hoping to shut it down once and for all. That’s going to be an arduous task, however, as Hwang In-ho, aka the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun), the guy running the entire operation, has also returned disguised as a player, and that can’t be good for anyone.

“Squid Game” season 2, episode 3, reveals that the competition’s founders have introduced a new rule. After each game, participants can vote to split the money and leave the game, or stay and play for a chance to win a bigger prize in the next round — which means risking their lives again. The first post-game vote ends in a tie with one person left, participant 001, who reveals himself as the Front Man in the episode’s big twist. Naturally, he votes for everyone to stay, essentially guaranteeing more deaths — and more money (yay!) — in the next round.

It could be worse, though, as the participants could be stuck in Netflix’s terrible “Squid Game: The Challenge” reality competition, starring in a show that very few people like for an inferior prize. All kidding aside, the Front Man’s involvement guarantees some drama in “Squid Game” season 2, but why would he risk his own life performing these tasks when he has a comfortable office job?

Before the Front Man became the Squid Game’s mysterious representative, he was a debt-ridden participant who won the competition. Why he chose to remain part of the family afterward is a mystery, but the fact he’s playing again suggests that he got a kick out of it.

What’s more, Seong Gi-hun isn’t familiar with the Front Man’s real identity, so he’s under the illusion that 001 is just another participant. Of course, the Front Man is very familiar with Gi-hun and the threat he poses to the games’ existence, so viewers can expect some lies and manipulation in the remaining episodes. Before agreeing to return to the games, Gi-hun tells the Front Man (who is speaking to him via a speaker in a limousine) that he wants to shut down the games, while the Front Man replies that the people who run the games are simply providing a service that players choose to participate in. Gi-hun wants to prove the Front Man’s worldview is wrong, but that likely won’t be so easy — people in debt need money, and as season 1 proved, many of them are willing to risk their lives to win big.  

The Front Man’s return in “Squid Game” season 2 was expected following the events of the previous season, but viewers probably didn’t expect the villain to become a contestant again. He obviously has an ulterior motive, which becomes clear as season 2 progresses, but that doesn’t stop him from remaining one of the show’s most mysterious characters.

“Squid Game” season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.