Warning! This article contains spoilers for Squid Game season 3.
Squid Gameseason 3 introduces a twist in its early moments, revealing that Guard 011 saved Player 246’s life. This raises many questions about the Guard’s motives and moral implications compared to others who share the same rank in the games as her.Squid Gameseason 1 maintained an air of mystery surrounding the guards' identities and the recruitment process used to have them on board. Jun-ho learned a thing or two about the characters by disguising himself as one of them, but the show avoided delving too deep into any of the guards' backstories.
The show’s season 2, however, changed this by introducingPark Gyu-young’s character, No-eul, as one of its main guards. Dressed as Guard 011 in games, she stands against the secretive human trafficking operation the Officer and several other guards run at the game’s venue. InSquid Gameseason 2’s endingarc, it becomes evident that she wants nothing to do with the games, which hints that she might do something that goes completely against her role as a guard. AsSquid Gameseason 3 begins, No-eul embraces a quiet rebellion as she sets out to help Player 246 escape.
Guard 11 Spared Player 246’s Life And Helped Him Escape
She Pretended To Kill Him In Squid Game Season 2’s Ending
Squid Gameseason 2’s ending suggested that, like several other players who joined Gi-hun’s rebellion, Player 246 also lost his life in the final showdown. However, many viewers could not help but speculate that the guard who shot Player 246 was actually No-eul.This led many to theorize that No-eul might have intentionally pretended to kill the playerto be able to save him and later help him escape. The speculations turned out to be true, given howSquid Gameseason 3’s opening moments confirm that No-eul intentionally shot Gyeong-seok in a non-vital area.
She then pretended to comply with the other guards' organ trafficking operation to ensure that they did not kill Gyeong-seok and took her with them for the organ removal surgery. Right before the doctor started the surgery on Player 246, No-eul shot all the other guards in the room and threatened the doctor to patch Gyeong-seok’s wound. When Gyeong-seok regained consciousness, he, too, was surprised that a guard was trying to help him. However, realizing he had no choice but to trust her, he complied with her and followed her lead.
No-eul’s Connection To The Girl From The Park Is Why She Saved Gyeong-seok
No-eul Empathizes With Gyeong-seok
No-eul’s backstory reveals that when the central games were not being run, she was working as a mascot at a local children’s park. During her time as a mascot, she met a young girl and learned she was battling cancer. She also spotted the young girl’s father one day and instantly recognized him as Player 246 at the games. This helped her realize that Gyeong-seok was only at the games to be able to gather enough funds to afford his daughter’s treatment.
Since she knows how painful it can be for a parent to lose a child, she understands what Gyeong-seok must be going through.
Other details about No-eul’s past reveal she was a North Korean deserter, forced to leave her husband and daughter behind. No-eul feels guilty about abandoning her daughter and even hires a private investigator to learn about her whereabouts. Since she knows how painful it can be for a parent to lose a child, she understands what Gyeong-seok must be going through.She also realizes that, like her child, Gyeong-seok’s daughter will be left alone and lostif something happens to her father. Therefore, to find a semblance of redemption, she tries to save him and reunite him with his daughter.
No-eul Realizes That The Officer Has Lost His Way
When the Officer confronts No-eul about her defiance against his organ-trafficking operation and tells her she has forgotten why she joined the games, she snaps back at him and reminds him that her job was to help those who felt hopeless by putting them out of their misery. She also tells him that he is the one who has changed because of how he is preying on the weak by trafficking their organs for his personal benefit. This puts No-eul in the crosshairs of all the other guards who wish to comply with the Officer’s orders and earn a few extra bucks.
Soon after No-eul realizes that most people running the games are up to no good inSquid Gameseason 2,she starts considering abandoning her role entirely and finding a way to rebel against the system. Helping Player 246 not only gives her the opportunity to redeem herself for leaving her own daughter behind but also gives her the satisfaction that she is doing something against those who exploit the powerless and the poor.
Squid Game
Squid Game is a South Korean series released in 2021 that follows numerous financially struggling participants who are invited to partake in children’s games with deadly outcomes. As they compete, they vie for a substantial cash prize, all while navigating lethal challenges orchestrated by mysterious figures.
