Easily the best episode of the season
A very emotional episode that gives insides into the backstories of the main characters and makes you question morality.
My heart. I can’t remember the last time I became this emotional from a TV show. Straight up ugly-cried. That was rough. RIP Il-Nam.
Stellar episode. Slowing it down, but ramping up these characters and the stakes.
They managed to make me sad about the death of a character that barely appeared (the girl). This is the best episode so far and this show is a masterpiece.
This episode was very hard to watch. :cry:
Ughhh! I hated watching this episode... it messed up all my emotions :(
What a sad episode. Very human and realistic though of what we’ll do when faced with death.
I'm a quite sensitive watcher so you can imagine how much I cried during this episode. Like a baby. So sad yet brilliant!
This was a really hard episode to watch. Pulled at every single emotional string in your soul. The ending, was beautifully done, but wow, crying like a baby.
crying and sobbing. ji-yeong was so sweet. and ali! and il-nam. fucking hell.
This episode really made me think about the evil that surrounds humanity, in every aspect...
the hearts game episode here
The true self of human beings was beautifully portrayed on this episode. Breaking trust, Fooling people, self sacrifice the 3 most used weapons all round the world!
I'm not crying, you're crying.
karma will get sangwoo i will not accept other outcomes
This episode wrecked me emotionally.
Incredible episode, effortlessly replacing the ultra violence of previous episodes with raw emotional violence. I know which one hit harder.
Not convinced the final death is final. There's more to a player being #1 than meets the eye...
fuck this episode, i was almost crying throughout
This episode is the most messed up of all. Ali got so totally screwed over, of course the old man did too. Saddest episode ever!!!
lot of character development for Je-Yeong in this episode and they managed to kill her. best episode so far.
I FUCKING SOBBED. All the deaths hit so damn hard
Despite the fact that you know it will reach this point from the very beginning, I can't remember the last time I felt such powerful emotion from a TV show.
They should've applied the majority rule just then.
this episode was so fucking brutal omygod.
This was high on morality and gave depth to characters but was really very emotional to watch.
My goodness... My heart hurts.
Fuck this show. Justice for Ali, my boy done dirty by that snake ass Sang Woo.
Definitely the most emotional episode of the entire series. So much love for the old man (Oh Il-nam) and so much hate for Sang-Woo.
I admit it, I cried, I cried like never before. Personally, I thought everything was very perfect in this episode. I will make a point of giving a rating of 10 specifically for this episode.
What a dark one! This game had the twist of all twists
This is getting more hard, there is some tears in my eyes
ali and that old man :/ that's unfair like wtf you are passing by all of this
it's makes you feel that they are real people and it's about the much this world is bad
fuckkkkk
What a heart-breaking episode. The look the married couple had to give each other. Oh my... I wasn't expecting Ali to die in this episode, to be honest!
Even more than the rest of the show, this episode was instantly predictable since the moment they ask to make pairs.
- They all think they will be a team, but obviously it is a trap and there will be something where only one survives.
- Meaning that the one left alone will pass doing nothing.
- 218 will win by playing nice but being a piece of shit like he's been since the beginning
- Gi-hun will team with the old man and win
- Seeing the girls pair, you know 240 will let 67 win
- 101 will survive
It was not too bad, but the so cliche predictability of it made it a bit boring.
Cute moment between the two girls, though disappointing. I really thought 240 would be an entertaining psychopath.
One good point: they could actually make their own rules and play however they want.
So they get you to choose the one your trust the most with your life. Only to make you want him to die. Damn.
Oh man, I fucking hated this episode (in a good way?). I knew I'd get attached to Il-nam, but man, to lose both him and Ali in the same episode, and for both of them to be tricked by a trusted main character... I shed tears. :sob:
I don't understand how could none of the smarty-pants even think about maybe playing against their partner, like... that's was basically my second thought, but when I saw that most of the main characters paired up with each other, I was like "nah, surely they wouldn't do that". But they did...
Man, I pitied poor Ali so much, can't believe he didn't even hesitate to trust all his marbles to that prick who insulted and threatened him literally minutes before that (which I thought was just acting but I guess the lawyer guy really is that cruel then).
This show is so good and this episode... My heart! We lost three good ones here but let's especially hold that moment of silence for Ali! Sweet sweet Ali! The purest of them all, Sang-Woo did him so so so dirty!
As far as Mi-Nyeo goes... I don't believe we've seen the last of her. When a character dies it is always stated as 'number ... eliminated' and so long as I don't here those words or see her lifeless body I believe she will be back!
The plot thickens with each episode, such a treat! I didn't expect to love it this much!
what the fuck!!! sang-woo, you absolute fucking asshole. straight up can’t believe he did that to Ali. such a dick move. what Gi-Hun did was shitty too but MAN. RIP Ji-Yeong, Ali, and Il-Nam. fuck you again sang-woo, i would not be sad if they axed his character lol.
Aside from the rapid-onset Alzheimers this was absolutely incredible
Damn, these onion ninjas seem to be on every TV series, nowadays, and they've brought the whole clan for this one!
Wow isn't it fun all that misogyny plus killing good characters in a way that hurts the most, all in the same episode
[7.5/10] I believe this is the first time we’ve seen a game take up practically the whole hour. The choice doesn't fully work out. The pace is leisurely, which is good because this is a more cerebral episode that features the (apparent) deaths of some major characters for the first time in the series. But overall, I like the choice, as it gives these scenes room to breathe.
The game of marbles isn’t as riveting or full of tension as the other games so far, but the open=ended and freeform nature of the game gives it a different flavor and some additional intrigue than the ones we’ve seen so far. The fact that the players can choose their own games, set their own rules, so long as someone ends up with the right 20 marbles at the end creates more space for the players to express themselves and more importantly reveal themselves as part of the game.
There’s a recurring motif to all of these things. People seem willing to play fair and be magnanimous when they think they’re on the same side, but turn deceitful and even vicious when they’re suddenly opposed to one another. It makes the turn -- from players thinking they’re picking partners, when in reality they’re picking adversaries -- that much more dramatic.
Some of the turns aren’t shocking. Deok-su is losing at the marble wagering game and so appeals to the notion of fairness to switch to a marble throwing game where he can win it all. There’s not much to it, but it’s a testament to how self-serving Doek-su is, and there’s some sports movie excitement when the last marble toss knocks his into the pit.
The game between Sang-woo and Ali is much more compelling in my book. Say what you will about Doek-su, but he’s transparent about who he is and how he is. Sang-woo has the marks of intelligence and high-minded sophistication, but as soon as he’s losing to Ali, who is innocent and gracious to the last, he accuses him of cheating and becomes the same sort of self-serving jerk.
I’m not sure there’s anything more despicable in the game so far than Sang-woo taking advantage of Ali’s trust and good nature with a promise that they’ll get through this together, only to fool him with a bag full of rocks meant to be for “safe keeping” that is, in fact, a ruse for Sang-woo to end up with the winning marble bag by any means necessary. There’s a commentary there, that nice is different than good and that the high class Sang-woo’s supposed kindness and decency only goes so far when the chips are down. The fact that he’ll throw someone as pure and good as Ali under the bus is a stain on his character.
Gi-hun’s deceit is still lamentable, but also more tolerable. Maybe it’s because we see his kindness earlier in the episode. When everyone thinks they’re securing partners, Gi-hun gives up the chance to team up with someone his own age, because the odd man out will be killed, and he doesn’t want that to be Number 1. His altruism, in reducing his chances of victory (or so he thinks) to save Number 1 puts him in the moral win column, especially after providing his coat to the old man to help him preserve his dignity after peeing his pants.
But then he lies to Number 1 in their wager game. When by all accounts, he should lose, he takes advantage of Number 1’s dementia to cheat him, to claim he guessed right or wrong until he can take the win. It’s made that much more sad, that much more immoral, after discussions about them being best friends, “gganbu”, which provides the title of the episode. There is genuine care and compassion between them, which makes the cheating that much worse.
You can see Gi-hun’s logic more than Sang-woo’s. The old man is clearly having a crisis (or so it would seem, at least). His chances of surviving are slim to nil, and if he does, he still has a brain tumor to contend with. The old man is as innocent as Ali is, but the scenarios of what could come next are different. And yet, the most poignant moment in the show so far comes when Number 1 acknowledges that Gi-hun has been cheating him, and gives him the last marble anyway, telling him his name in the process, as a sign of that care, despite everything. The acting from both performers is superb,
And yet, the sentimental favorite here is the exchange between Sae-byeok and Ji-Young. They are the purest ones here, because rather than bickering or twisting games or bending rules, they agree to just play one game for literally all the marbles. They play this thing fair and kind in a way nobody else we see seems to. Instead, they take their last half hour to talk about their hopes and dreams, to learn about one another, to make this uncivilized thing civilized in a way others cannot.
Then, Ji-Young sacrifices herself for Sae-byeok. Despite their mutual sad stories, of mothers lost under different circumstances, Ji-Young decides she has no idea what she’d do if she got out, but Sae-byeok still has something to live for. It’s the most selfless thing we’ve witnessed in the series to date, and the contrast that choice cuts with how selfish everyone else has been makes it that much more impactful.
Otherwise, we see the grim fates of the Doctor and the workers who broke the rules in the last episode. Number 212 seemingly gets her karmic comeuppance from so much betrayal and side-switching. Though I’ll note that we don’t actually see her, Number 1, or Ali get shot; it’s just implied, so I wouldn’t be shocked if they come back. As a giant nerd, I’d be remiss if I didn’t note that the marble game arena has the same aesthetic as Twilight Town from Kingdom Hearts 2, which probably means little to anyone but me. And we see Hwang making incremental progress, with a hint that the VIPs will be arriving soon.
All-in-all, this one is more languid and cerebral than others episodes, with fewer thrills and more conversations, but as with “Hell”, that’s a necessary break and breather from some of the other pulpier developments to date. Onto the final third of the season!
Marbles have never been so intense and heartbreaking before :')
To survive in this world you have to be as selfish as possible
That was so unbelievably boring.
SADNESS. This the word to describe this episode. WHY DID THEY DO THAT ? NOOOOOOOOOOO. I hate this episode's writers... Oh Il-nam was really a good character, always smiling and Ali the kindest person all over the world. He wanted to be kind once more with 218 but it was too many times. I wished he win the game... and they kill him. I will cry all night long...
Because of the rules, I thought at least one group would swap the bags, and thus both would have their partners marbles and both would win. And I'm getting more suspicious of player #1, I bet 10 marbles that he's not dead.
You silly detective. I almost yelled when he didn’t put the phone cord back properly.
Everyone seems to conveniently forget they can stop the games if all agree. Then again last time it just sent them home not just stopped it.
The rules didn’t say anything about what happens if you have an even number marbles. You win when you have all but do you have to assume you lose if you have even? The rules are a little loosy goosy sometimes. Conveniently.
Absolutely heartbreaking episode. Such a horribly well crafted move from the game maker having people pair up like that.
I got dehydrated due to excessive crying. What a great experience. It was like an ayahuasca trip.
It's rare a show can ever pull off a "perfect episode". This was a perfect episode.
Messed up. They liked the only diverse character on the show. Fucked up.
Fuck this show. All the deaths hurt this one since we became so emotionally invested in them, but Ali's hurt the most. He was the kindest person ever and trusted that shitty ass Sang Woo who's been terrible this entire time and it fucking wrecked me.
This episode is so intense, l just can't watch it straight all the way through.
I just wish ji-young, Ali and player 1 could go even more episodes but duh! It was very emotional.
So far out of all episode this episode made me upset..
If this never broke you, I salute you :broken_heart::broken_heart::broken_heart:
Was so clear Ali is just to good for himself, Sang-Woo finally showed his true colors and came up with the most stupid unconvincing story and my beyond naive guy Ali be like "Sure bro what you jus said made totally sense lets win together thumbs up, grin", actually Sang-woo kinda already came out as an ass before the second game, well like I always say never trust a broker. Other than that almost everything was as usual predictable and bad staged. Specially ill-nam and gi-huns last scenes.
Ok. But what if the VIPs are the winners of previous games? Like in Hunger Games? Is that a crazy assumption?
And yes. This episode was absolutely heartbreaking. But it was so dumb of them to assume that forming groups of two would mean playing as a team instead of against each other. It was such an easy guess.
Powerful episode. This show wasn't perfect, but it's worth watching for this episode alone.
This episode… right in the feels
Damn... Shit just got real and heavy.
I'm starting to think that Sangwoo is a cursed name in Korea or something.
Shout by JimmyVIP 2BlockedParent2021-10-02T16:55:44Z
Incredibly well written episode. Putting friends up against each other, seeing what lengths they will go to to survive. There have been more entertaining episodes but I don’t think any have been this good