Squid Game Season 1 Episode 4: “Stick to the Team”

Opening Scene: Uneasy Alliances

The episode opens in the massive dormitory after the traumatic events of the Dalgona challenge. The remaining players—now down to 187—are physically exhausted and mentally frayed. Having survived two deadly games, the reality of their situation is sinking in: anyone can die at any moment, and trust is as fragile as the shapes they carved in the candy.

Players have started organizing into groups, understanding that individual survival is unlikely in such a brutal environment. The key group we follow consists of:

– Seong Gi-hun (456)
– Cho Sang-woo (218)
– Kang Sae-byeok (067)
– Ali Abdul (199)
– Oh Il-nam (001)

This ragtag team of misfits, though seemingly outmatched by more aggressive factions, begins to form a genuine bond based on  trust and compassion —qualities that will be sorely tested throughout the episode

Food Ration and the Spark of Violence

A pivotal scene occurs when the players receive their next meal: a single boiled egg and a soda . The rations are deliberately insufficient, clearly engineered to provoke unrest. Sure enough, a few players (notably from gangster  Deok-su’s (101) faction) double back in the line and claim  extra food , leaving others with nothing.

This moment ignites anger among the players who went hungry. One man protests and lashes out at Deok-su, but in an instant, Deok-su brutally beats him to death —without any intervention from the guards.

Instead, a new rule is announced: “If a player causes the death of another player, and it’s not during a game, that death still counts toward reducing the number of players. Therefore, it increases the prize pool.”

This shocking declaration is a turning point. The message is clear: murder is now incentivized. The dormitory becomes more dangerous than the games themselves.

The Night of Terror: Survival in the Dark

Knowing that the guards won’t interfere with violence, players brace for the worst. Gi-hun senses what’s coming and convinces his group to **stack bunk beds into barricades**. They take turns standing guard.

As night falls, the lights go out. Then, chaos erupts.

A bloody riot engulfs the dorm. Players attack one another with makeshift weapons—anything from broken metal to bed slats. The soundtrack blares with tension as strobe lights flash. Screams echo through the room as players are slaughtered, many while they sleep. It’s a terrifying depiction of what people can become when fear and self-preservation rule.

The most chilling part? The guards  watch from above  without intervening, until a blaring siren and the Front Man’s voice finally stop the carnage. Order is restored, but at a steep cost— dozens are dead .

The message is horrifying but effective: the players are now their own executioners.

Moments of Humanity in the Horror

Amid the carnage, acts of courage and solidarity emerge. Gi-hun and Sang-woo work together to defend their group. Sae-byeok, despite her hardened exterior, protects her team. Ali proves his loyalty by saving Gi-hun from being ambushed. Even Il-nam, the frail old man, climbs to the top of the bunk beds and  pleads with the other players to stop, shouting that he’s scared.

Strangely, it’s only when Il-nam begs for mercy that the guards finally intervene. This peculiar moment hints that Il-nam may have a more significant role than previously believed.

After the riot ends, the remaining players realize one sobering truth: they are not safe even between games. The violence has changed them, stripping away more of their humanity.

Jun-ho’s Infiltration: The Detective’s Dangerous Game

Meanwhile, Detective Hwang Jun-ho who infiltrated the game facility in search of his missing brother, continues his covert operation. Disguised as a masked guard, he sneaks through the inner corridors of the compound.

He discovers that the guards dispose of bodies by cremation, and that the organ-harvesting operation is still underway—though under extreme secrecy. Posing as a staff member, Jun-ho joins in transporting a corpse, sneaking into one of the hidden rooms where black-market surgeries take place.

He overhears the guards and the doctor discussing the  next game and realizes that the integrity of the game is being compromised by a corrupt internal group . Jun-ho takes notes, photographs documents, and slowly pieces together the twisted infrastructure behind the operation.

This subplot not only adds a layer of  mystery and suspense   but also builds toward exposing the larger moral bankruptcy behind the games.

Stick to the Team: Choosing Teammates for the Next Game

The next day, the Front Man announces a new rule: players must form  teams of 10  for the next game. No one knows what the game will be, but the demand sparks  panic and scrambling .

Most players assume the game will require  physical strength , prompting them to seek out  strong, young men . Gi-hun and his group, worried about their physical disadvantage (with a woman and an elderly man in their team), face rejection and suspicion.

While trying to recruit one final member, they meet **Han Mi-nyeo (Player 212)**, the volatile and manipulative woman who had previously attached herself to Deok-su. After being rejected by his gang, she begs Gi-hun’s group to let her join. They reluctantly accept, completing their ten-member team:

1. Gi-hun (456)
2. Sang-woo (218)
3. Sae-byeok (067)
4. Ali (199)
5. Il-nam (001)
6. Mi-nyeo (212)
7. Three unnamed but cooperative players
8. One more weaker, isolated player

This diverse group is now bonded by survival, but heavily outmatched in physical strength compared to other groups of ten.

Foreshadowing: Sang-woo’s Calculations

As the team prepares, **Sang-woo begins to show darker traits**. He’s visibly frustrated by Mi-nyeo’s inclusion and even questions Il-nam’s usefulness. His earlier warm demeanor is fading, replaced by a cold strategist calculating survival odds.

This shift in Sang-woo’s personality serves as a foreshadowing of the ethical boundaries he will continue to cross in future episodes.

Themes Explored in Episode 4

1. The Breakdown of Order

The night riot reveals how quickly humanity descends into chaos when law and structure vanish. The guards’ inaction shows the game’s true intention: to observe not just who wins, but how humans unravel under pressure.

2. Manufactured Scarcity

By deliberately underfeeding the players, the game’s organizers trigger a battle for resources , mirroring real-world economic systems that pit the poor against each other while elites watch from above.

3. Loyalty vs. Survival

Gi-hun’s team, built on trust and mutual respect, stands in contrast to groups formed solely for strength. The show asks: Is it better to survive through loyalty, or manipulate others to win?

4. Corruption Within the System

The organ-harvesting subplot and Jun-ho’s discoveries show that even the game’s already immoral system is being  abused by insider , undermining the idea of fairness and “equal opportunity.”

Closing Moments: Marching to the Next Game

The episode ends with the players forming lines, ready to enter the next game. Gi-hun’s team looks small and fragile next to the physically dominant groups. Tension builds as they walk toward a mysterious industrial area, unsure of what awaits.

Just before they enter, Gi-hun looks around and sees that the death toll is growing , and  the psychological toll is mounting even faster. There’s no turning back. As the heavy door closes behind them, the episode fades to black.

Conclusion

Episode 4, “Stick to the Team,”is a powerful blend of action, social commentary, and emotional depth. It explores how fear and scarcity can push people to violence, and how survival demands hard choices about who we are and what we value.

With the looming promise of another lethal game and internal betrayal brewing, the episode positions its characters for even greater tests of morality, loyalty, and resolve. The violence may pause when the lights come on, but in Squid Game, the real war is within the hearts of the players.