Squid Gamecreator Hwang Dong-hyuk explains season 2’s bread and lottery ticket scene. In the first episode of the long-awaitedSquid Gameseason 2, Lee Jung-jae’s Gi-hun (Player 456) is trying to find a way back into the deadly games that he won three years prior. He figures that his best bet may be to track down The Salesman (played by Gong Yoo), who is indeed trying to recruit the naive and the financially vulnerable. One twisted method he uses is to invite his victims to choose between a bread roll or a scratch lottery ticket.
In an interview withRadioTimes, Hwang was asked about why The Salesman would choose to toy with homeless people by offering them the choice between food and a cash prize and then ultimately punishing them regardless. Hwang notes that The Salesman has lived a difficult life,explaining that his actions are an expression of self-hatred:
I believe that Gong Yoo’s character [the Salesman] is someone who lived a difficult, tough, rock-bottom life, just as much as those that are depicted as the homeless people in the series.
And he is someone who is so filled with self-hatred, it is expressed in the hatred he harbours for other humans. And by hating these people, he believes that he is different from them. [He is] showing and expressing his hatred for the people who choose lottery tickets instead of bread, almost as if he’s trying to escape his own self-loathing nature.
Hwang also praises Gong Yoo, a veteran actor, who is known for a variety of roles, includingTrain to Busan, and howhis performance elevated the premiere’s face-off between Gi-hun and The Salesman:
While Gong Yoo has a brief appearance in Squid Game, I think it was very impactful and I was very much in awe of his performance. For the story of season 2, Gong Yoo does a great job kind of starting off the story and leading the story and letting people learn about what’s going to happen.
What The Salesman’s Return Means For Squid Game
It’s One Of The Season’s Most Tense Moments
Although he’s a relatively minor character in season 1, The Salesman gets a bigger spotlight in season 2. He traps the duo who are tracking him, on Gi-hun’s behalf and plays a deadly game of Russian Roulette. Once he and Gi-hun come face-to-face, he tells a story abouthis history with the games and how he killed his own father. Gi-hun is unmoved, mostly wanting to get to the people in charge of the games.
Why Squid Game Season 2 Only Has 7 Episodes
Squid Game season 2 has two episodes less than the first season, but after the finale, it’s clear why that was director Hwang Dong-hyuk’s choice.
The Salesman shoots himself after he loses a game to Gi-hun. The scene could becompared to the death of a famous actor in a horror movie. It’s mainly there to give a jolt to the series and to the audience, especially those familiar with Gong’s work. But it’s also a standout scene forSquid Gameseason 2, which has gotten mixed reviews, with tension at a high.
Our Take On The Salesman’s Return
It’s A Solid Start
Squid Gameseason 3comes out in 2025, hopefully lessening the blow that the long-awaited second installment ultimately only ends up telling half the story of Gi-hun’s revenge. The Salesman’s return, wonderfully acted, does hint at how much more impactful the show’s return could have been if it was operating on that level all along.
Squid Game
Cast
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.
