The Front Man Keeps the Games Alive in 'Squid Game' Season 3 as an Unexpected Player

What's a season of Squid Game without a totally unexpected and wild twist before the first half of the episodes are over? That's what happens in Season 2 when the Front Man joins in on the fun as an undercover player, a la the old man from the first season. But for those who still aren't quite sure, why did the Front Man join the games in Squid Game anyway?

During his time in the games, and as Gi-hun's new bestie, the Front Man seems to go back and forth between giving Gi-hun dark states behind his back and cheering with what appears to be genuine joy at their cohorts making it through another deadly challenge. But by the end of the season, it's clear that the Front Man is as cold and callous as ever. So, what was the point?

From the beginning, when Gi-hun (player 456) enters the games again, it's clear that he has every intention of using his experience to help others, which means less deaths. And since the point of the games is to give the VIPs entertainment in the form of players' deaths throughout the games, that is in direct opposition to what the Front man and all the other people in charge want.

The Front Man joins the games when there is a vote to keep the games going or to end them, and he breaks the tie when he chooses to keep the games alive. It's clear that he's in the game as a mole, and that he intends to keep the games going while he also keeps a close eye on Gi-hun. Fighting with other players like Thanos seems to just be the Front Man's way of keeping things under control, rather than a way for him to show viewers that, underneath it all, he's actually a good guy.

The Front Man is part of the games in Squid Game so that he can keep a close eye on Gi-hun and control him in the games rather than from a distance. But when it comes to the fan theory and hope that the Front Man also joined the games to have fun and maybe even find a redemption arc, the final season will have that answer.

Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk explained to The Hollywood Reporter that, although the Front Man was once a player like Gi-hun, when he saw how low humans could be, he decided to turn his back on them rather than try to help others. That's where a big difference lies between the two men, even if Gi-hun doesn't know the true identity of the Front Man as Player 001.

There's also some complexity to how the Front Man views Gi-hun, since he might remind the Front man of himself a little, according Hwang, but also might intimidate the Front Man in his strength to keep trudging on despite everything that has happened to him.

Hwang also told the outlet that "there's an answer" in Season 3 to the question of whether or not there's hope left for the Front Man.