History Recap / SquidGameS1E4StickToTheTeam

* MakingLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces: Deok-su and Mi-nyeo have sex in the game's public restroom. This is [[JustifiedTrope justified]], however, as the main game room has a lot of people and bunk beds. There is also the fact that this takes place just after a violent PrisonRiot.

* BrainsVersusBrawn: How the second tug-of-war round ends up starting, with Gi-Hun's weaker team relying on tactical knowledge to have a chance against their stronger, all-male opponents. Il-nam tells them all to pull and lean as far back as possible. The opposing team will struggle in the first seconds before losing their footing, allowing Gi-Hun and the others to gain an advantage. However, when the other team gets a second wind and starts to pull back, Sang-woo forms a [[TimeForPlanB alternative plan.]]

** The team going against Deok-su manages to hold their ground at first, pulling as much as the thugs do. Then Deok-su shouts, "[[WhamLine Kill them]]" and swiftly leads his group in yanking the team over the edge.
** Il-nam's BrainsVersusBrawn tactic gives his team an advantage... at first.

* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Mi-nyeo gives a little "[[OhCrap oh shit]]" when she sees that her team's opponents are all able-bodied men.
* ThisIsNoTimeToPanic: The old man tells everyone in the elevator not to lose hope. They have a fighting chance to win. Another man tells him to save his strength for the game, but Gi-hun says they have nothing to lose by listening to him.

* WhamLine: "Kill them!" says Deok-su as he pulls the other team to their deaths. While he did start the riots to literally cut down the competition and kill any snitches, it's very different that he takes sadistic pleasure in winning.

* CrazyEnoughToWork: Sang-woo's plan, which doesn't sound logical. He says if they move three steps forward, ''carefully'', they can lure the other team into tripping. While Mi-nyeo is a DirtyCoward, she's not wrong in shouting that it sounds like a suicidal move.

* HopeSpot: Il-nam's BrainsVersusBrawn tactic gives his team an advantage... at first.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Though they are thugs and killers, complete with a doctor doing organ donation on living players before lights otu, Deok-su is the only one laughing when they win their round of tug of war. Most of the others are too horrified as they lie on the platform.

* JerkassHasAPoint: From Mi-nyeo's point of view, walking ''towards'' the edge of a platform that leads to a deadly fall sounds like an easy way to throw the match and sentence the entire crew to a broken neck. Sang-woo shouts at her and everyone to trust him; he was studying the other team's footing and they just need to throw them off balance.

* SpannerInTheWorks: To the YouAreNumberSix ploy that the players fight for themselves and remain nameless. An undercover Jun-ho asks Gi-hun if a prisoner by the name is Hwang of there. Gi-hun answers that they don't know everyone's names...and the EurekaMoment hits him. He advises his tiny crew that if they exchange names, it means they aren't just meatsacks, but friends that can build bonds.

* SpannerInTheWorks: To the YouAreNumberSix ploy that the players fight for themselves and remain nameless. An undercover Jun-ho asks Gi-hun if a prisoner by the name is Hwang is there. Gi-hun answers that they don't know everyone's names...and the EurekaMoment hits him. He advises his tiny crew that if they exchange names, it means they aren't just meatsacks, but friends that can build bonds.

* IWillKillYou My-nyeo promises to kill Deok-su for betraying her. He says, "Ooh, I'm so scared."

* EverybodyKnowsMorseCode: 29 did, apparently. Jun-ho when he hears the coughs transcribes it into Morse code in his notes, showing he knows the symbolism if not the translation.

* EverybodyKnowsMorse: 29 did, apparently. Jun-ho when he hears the coughs transcribes it into Morse code in his notes, showing he knows the symbolism if not the translation.

* TheReliableOne: Ali's further reinforced as this when Gi-hun has him take up the rear of the rope since he's strong and dependable.

Player 111, a doctor, is working with a handful of staff to harvest organs from the dead players in exchange for information on what the next game will be. He joins Deok-su's team by offering them the information he's learned in the hopes of getting their protection. Meanwhile, Gi-hun realizes that Sang-woo could have helped their team in the previous game. The staff foments discord among the players when Deok-su and his team steal more food for themselves, leaving others without. When one confronts him, Deok-su kills the player, which adds another 100 million Won to the prize money total. After the lights go out, a riot erupts and numerous players are killed. Player 067 joins Gi-hun's team, who protect her from Deok-su's gang. When Player 001 begs everyone to stop, the Front Man sends his soldiers to end the riot. Gi-hun's team exchange names to build trust: Player 199 is Ali Abdul, and Player 067 is Kang Sae-byeok. Player 001, however, seems to have trouble speaking and remembering his name. While the staff retires for the night, the guard in the room next to Jun-ho sends him a message by coughing in Morse code. In the third game, players are told to form groups of ten. Deok-su, knowing that the upcoming game is tug-of-war thanks to the Doctor's intel, picks the biggest and strongest men and rejects Player 212, Han Mi-nyeo, despite her having helped him previously and even trading sex with him, leaving her to join Gi-hun's team of weaker players which includes him, Sang-Woo, Ali, and Sae-byeok, as well as Players 001 (the old man), 240 (another young woman named Ji-yeong), 196 (a paranoid grouch), 244 (a misogynistic pastor), and 276 (the only other non-Korean contestant besides Ali). Deok-su's team easily beats its opponent, leaving them falling off the platform they're playing on and to their deaths. Player 001 gives the team advice on how to best their opponent. It initially works, but then the opposing side gets a second wind. Sang-woo says it's time for their next solution, much to Mi-nyeo's horror.

* ForcedToWatch: The teams not chosen for a set of tug-of-war have to sit and watch the preceding competition before their lot is drawn. It definitely psyches out Gi-hun and some of their team members when they see ten people fall to their deaths in a matter of seconds. Their only consolation is they only have to participate in one round and are safe from further games that day, meaning that Gi-hun's crew won't have to go up against Deok-su. Deok-su is disappointed, saying he wanted to kill them personally.

* MassOhCrap: It clearly hits all the players hard to discover there's no penalty if they kill each other, meaning they all need to keep a careful eye on a lot of people who are very motivated to bump them off.

* RewatchBonus: Il-nam's plea for the guards to stop the riot massacre takes a whole other meaning after the reveal in the final episode.

* LastSecondVillainRecovery: Gi-hun's team initially appear outmatched, but Il-nam is able to come up with a strategy that leaves the opposing team on the verge of toppling... only for said team to recover and stage a comeback, ending the episode on a cliffhanger when Sang-woo calls for a new plan.
* LiteralCliffhanger: Two teams are stationed high up where the tug-of-war takes place. The losing team that falls off their ledge hang at the center, a few seconds before a guillotine cuts the rope, sending them plummeting to the concrete below.

* ProperlyParanoid: When instructed to form a ten-person team before the game is revealed, Sang-woo and other players try to form one with all-men or at least male dominated. Sang-woo is rightfully worried with the team he has, as the game is soon revealed to be a lethal version of tug-of-war.

-->''"Move up or you’ll die! On count of three! One! Two! Three!"''

* EtTuBrute: Mi-nyeo is shocked and devastated when Deok-Su betrays her and doesn't put her on his team. He then proceeds to shove and insult her in front of everybody when she starts begging and tried to appeal to the nickname she gave him.

Player 111, a doctor, is working with a handful of staff to harvest organs from the dead players in exchange for information on what the next game will be. He joins Deok-su's team by offering them the information he's learned in the hopes of getting their protection. Meanwhile, Gi-hun realizes that Sang-woo could have helped their team in the previous game. The staff foments discord among the players when Deok-su and his team steal more food for themselves, leaving others without. When one confronts him, Deok-su kills the player, which adds another 100 million Won to the prize money total. After the lights go out, a riot erupts and numerous players are killed. Player 067 joins Gi-hun's team, who protect her from Deok-su's gang. When Player 001 begs everyone to stop, the Front Man sends his soldiers to end the riot. Gi-hun's team exchange names to build trust: Player 199 is Ali Abdul, and Player 067 is Kang Sae-byeok. Player 001, however, seems to have trouble speaking and remembering his name. While the staff retires for the night, the guard in the room next to Jun-ho sends him a message by coughing in Morse code. In the third game, players are told to form groups of ten. Deok-su, knowing that the upcoming game is tug-of-war thanks to the Doctor's intel, picks the biggest and strongest men and rejects Player 212, Han Mi-nyeo, despite her having helped him previously and even trading sex with him, leaving her to join Gi-hun's team of weaker players which includes him, Sang-Woo, Ali, Sae-byeok, and Players 001, 240 (another young woman named Ji-yeong), 196, and 244. Deok-su's team easily beats its opponent, leaving them falling off the platform they're playing on and to their deaths. Player 001 gives the team advice on how to best their opponent. It initially works, but then the opposing side gets a second wind. Sang-woo says it's time for their next solution, much to Mi-nyeo's horror.

* LastSecondVillainRecovery: Player 001 is able to come up with a strategy that leaves the opposing team on the verge of toppling... only for said enemy team to recover and stage a comeback, ending the episode on a cliffhanger.

Player 111, a doctor, is given information of each game beforehand, and is working with a handful of staff to harvest organs from the dead players. He joins Deok-su's team by offering game info. Gi-hun realizes that Sang-woo could have helped their team in the previous game. The staff foment discord among the players and Deok-su kills another player, which only results in the prize money being increased. After lights out, a riot erupts and numerous players are killed. Player 067 joins Gi-hun's team, who protect her from Deok-su's gang. When Player 001 begs everyone to stop, the Front Man sends his soldiers to end the riot. Gi-hun's team exchange names: Player 199 is Ali Abdul, and Player 067 is Kang Sae-byeok. Player 001, who has a brain tumor, seems to have trouble speaking and remembering his name. After lights out, the guard in the room next to Jun-ho sends him a message by coughing in Morse code. In the third game, players are told to form groups of ten. Deok-su, knowing that the upcoming game is tug of war, picks strong men and rejects Player 212, Han Mi-nyeo, who has to join Gi-hun's team of weaker players.

* EtTuBrute: Mi-nyeo is shocked and devastated when Deok-Su betrays her and doesn't put her on his team. He then proceeds to shove and insult her in front of everybody when she starts begging and tried to appeal to his nickname she gave him.

* RewatchBonus: If you consider the reveal about [[spoiler:Il-nam in the final episode, then his "plea" for the guards to stop the riot massacre was actually an order from the Host that the massacre has gone on long enough]].

* RewatchBonus: If you consider the reveal about Il-nam in the final episode, then his "plea" for the guards to stop the riot massacre was actually an order from the Host that the massacre has gone on long enough.

* RewatchBonus: If you consider the reveal about Il-nam in the final episode, then his "plea" for the guards to stop the riot massacre was actually an order from the host that the massacre has gone on long enough.

* RewatchBonus: If you consider the reveal about [[spoiler: Il-nam during the finale, then his "plea" for the guards to stop the riot massacre was actually an order from the host that the massacre has gone on long enough.]]

* LiteralCliffhanger: Two teams are stationed high up where the tug-of-war takes place. The losing team that falls off their ledge hang at the center, a few seconds before a guillotine cuts the rope, sending them implementing to the concrete below.