1x03 The Man with the Umbrella

[7.7/10] The name of the game in “The Man with the Umbrella” is tension. Despite the fact that the main characters return to the game’s island, this episode isn’t nearly as energetic or action-packed as the first one. But what it lacks in thrills and chills, it makes up for in a sense of increasing dread as people try to avoid getting caught or to complete the delicate task on time, lest horror befall them.

The prime mover on that front is Hwang, the police officer who’s searching for his brother and managed to sneak into the island. In truth, his presence strains credulity a little bit. It takes some convenient breaks for him to be able to stealthily make his way onto the island, and assume one of the circle-heads’ identities without detection. You’d think such a meticulous operation wouldn’t be susceptible to that.

And yet, I’m willing to countenance it despite some superficial lack fo plausibiility because it’s such a good setup. He gives us a vantage pint into the lives of the employees of the game, who are at somewhat less (but not none) mortal risk, but whose drudgery and regimented existences are not dramatically better than the poor saps they’re corralling here.

There is commentary in that too, especially when one of them is unamsked at gunpoint and we learn he’s a young kid. The characters discuss a certain military spirit to this exercise, and the way the game’s enforcers walk the line between soldiers and prsioners feels like a statement about those enlisted to dole out the use of force and keep their fellow citizens in line. Without Hwang’s presence, there would be no anchor for our look into that world, and I think the show would lack some dimension because of it.

It also makes for a tense undercover story. Hwang has to bluff his way through the day’s activities, try to hide his face from the constantly-monitoring camera, and hope to spy on the events at this compound without being discovered. A stray look from a fellow circleman, an ominous instruction from a superior, and the simple act of fumbling with a key can all raise your pulse expertly as he bluffs his way through this nightmare. The fact that a superior officer seems to threaten him with punishment, only to be taken out by the front man after a player takes his gun and holds him hostage, adds some relief and catharsis when Hwang’s on the brink of discovery.

The same goes for the Pickpocket’s efforts to spy on the enforcers through the air ducts while Number 212 tries to cover for her in the bathroom. It’s the biggest indication of the way, upon their return, several players try to break the rules in service of survival or some broader agenda. The Pickpocket smuggles in a knife, and there’s similar hinky goings on with Number 101. Number 212 keisters a vial full of cigarettes, which makes her extra vulnerable to having to comply with the Pickpocket’s scheme. And the whole effort of making elaborate excuses for lack of toilet paper and constipation to hold off the guard as long as possible, as the Pickpocket skulks through the vents and avoids reacting to rats, likewise makes for a tension-filled set piece.

Of course, the most tension comes when the second “game” arrives. I’ll confess, I’m not familiar with honeycomb, but the rules are simple and clear enough for newbies to understand, and it’s close enough to American kids’ games like Operation to for the object of the game and the precision required to resonate.

Once again, Squid Game constructs some brilliantly terrifying set pieces, juxtaposing the simple and childlike with the exacting and deadly. The randomness of the shapes chosen, with the shock once it’s apparent how that affects your chances in the game, adds both to the unfairness at the heart of this exercise and the heart-pumping tone in the moment. It’s a little contrived that the first person to screw up in the game is sitting on the top of the slide, so when he’s shot in the head, his tumbling bloodstain makes for a striking image, but again, I’m willing to allow it for how much it adds to the proceedings.

It also makes it that much harder for everyone to succeed. As with Red Light, Green Light, it’s not enough to observe the rules and meet the challenge despite ridiculous standards. You also have to keep your cool in the midst of a precise activity despite the fact that gunshots are going off,a dn you have to ignore the suffering and death of your fellow man. Thus far, these games feel like thought experiments of a srot, spurring the audience to imagine how they might fare in one of these torturous challenges, and it’s hard to picture being anything but rattled attempting such a task amid such impossible, visceral circumstances.

That said, I appreciate the cleverness (or skullduggery) of some of our characters here. It’s interesting that Sang-woo seems to anticipate the game, and pick his shape accordingly, but chooses not to share the info with his supposed teammates in order to guarantee himself and himself alone a leg-up. It’s clever of the pickpocket to not necessarily comprehend the game, but to realize Sang-woo knows something she doesn’t and follow his lead to success.

For the other characters we become acquainted with, it’s hard not to root hardest for Ali, who seems genuinely touched by his new friends’ kindness and whose efforts to cut out a circle seem more challenging given how unfamiliar he is with all of this. Number 212 using the lighter she smuggled into the compound to give her an advantage seems poised to come back and bite her eventually, but it’s a smart move, and I’m intrigued by the way she tries to ingratiate herself with the mob boss. Even Gi-hun comes up with a clever solution to the problem, licking his way into clearing the piece out. It’s nice to see him show some genuine competency at something.

Despite the fact that you more or less know the more main characters will survive this round, the combination of the ticking clock, the gunshots ringing during the competition, and the sharp choices in sound design and direction still make it a pulse-quickening climax to the episode.

Otherwise, there’s a few more interesting developments. I like the idea that there’s a collaborator, or an out and out mole, getting clues and hints from someone and seemingly working with the guards. The gender dynamics between the Pickpocket rejecting the Mob Boss’ invitation, while No. 212 tries to get herself onto his team by any means necessary add a new dimension to the interactions at play. I’m also compelled by several of the main characters forming alliances to help each other get through the game. Much of this plays like an outsized reality competition show, so leaning into the staples of those programs is a deft choice, especially when it seems like there may always be betrayal at play.

(Just my guess, I think No. 1 has been through this rodeo before, and may even be the one organizing it. At the very least, he seems to know more than he’s saying.)

Overall, another strong episode, which reestablishes everyone back at the island, adds some new wrinkles to the group dynamics and to the guards’ circumstances, and comes up with another well-done final act set piece.