Squid Game Season 3 Episode 5 Recap: Sky Squid Showdown

Squid Game Season 3 Episode 5 kicks off with No-eul sneaking back into the base through a vent while Gi-hun returns to the bunker. With the Frontman In-ho watching, Gi-hun makes a move to kill the remaining players, starting with Player 100. The scene flashes back to In-ho’s own game, where Chairman Oh once gave him the same ruthless choice. Despite his initial hesitation, In-ho had slaughtered the last five players to win. In the present, Gi-hun stops short when he hallucinates Sae-byeok, pulling him back from the edge.

Out at sea, trouble brews as the pursuit team closes in on Player 246’s boat. Jun-ho keeps searching for the island, but In-ho warns him over the radio to stop or die. Jun-ho refuses. Meanwhile, No-eul finds the Officer and forces him to erase 246’s digital records. He reveals there’s a hard copy, but only he and the Frontman can access it. When they reach the elevator, he turns on her and they fight for the gun.

The Officer taunts No-eul about caring for 246, and she admits she’s doing this for his daughter, sharing that she lost her own child in North Korea. The Officer confesses he feels for her because he too lost someone dear. He stabs her but underestimates her resolve. As she crawls, she grabs the dropped gun and shoots him inside the elevator.

Back on the island, the horrifying final challenge is unveiled — Sky Squid Game, a brutal three-round test. Players must push at least one contestant off a tower each round to advance, or everyone dies. Each tower has a button to start the round and timer.

The Blue Team, unable to pick which of their own to kill first, decide to “vote” on who dies. They plan to target Gi-hun and the baby last, needing three eliminations to complete the rounds. Myung-gi proposes they start with Min-su. Despite putting up a fight, Min-su is shoved off by Myung-gi using the tower’s central pole. Min-su’s last vision is of Se-mi as he apologizes before falling to his death.

No-eul searches the archives and finally finds 246’s file. Meanwhile, the remaining players step onto the second tower. Gi-hun cleverly takes position at the edge — if the Blue Team kills him and the child now, they’ll be forced to turn on each other for the final round. Impatient, the erratic Player 203 starts the timer, betting Gi-hun will abandon the child to survive. The others know better. When 203’s plan flops, he gets aggressive, but Myung-gi steps in with another idea.

Out at sea, the pursuit team corners 246 and opens fire. He returns fire but runs out of bullets. Before they can kill him, Jun-ho intervenes and wipes out the squad, saving 246.

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Back at the tower, the Blue Team tries to lure Gi-hun into the center with promises of drawing lots — really a ploy to grab the baby while Myung-gi pushes Gi-hun off. Gi-hun sees through it and refuses. The “loser” lunges anyway but Myung-gi turns on him and shoves him to his death instead.

Tension spikes as Myung-gi tries convincing Gi-hun he’s the baby’s father. The Blue Team scoffs, but Gi-hun recalls Myung-gi helping Jun-hee earlier — could he be telling the truth? The group suggests drawing lots for real but betray Player 39 instead, breaking his leg to offer him up for the next kill. Gi-hun refuses to play dirty, insisting they do it fairly. As chaos erupts, 203 and another Blue Team player attack. Gi-hun and Myung-gi fight them off, killing them in the scuffle.

A rattled Player 100 begs to side with Gi-hun but Myung-gi casually pushes him over the edge too, boosting the prize money. Gi-hun is horrified but has no time to grieve when Player 39 decides to jump on his own terms, refusing to be manipulated any longer.

In the end, only Gi-hun, Myung-gi, and the baby remain as Squid Game Season 3 Episode 5 fades to black, setting up a chilling final showdown.

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