who is the mysterious Salesman?

In the first episodes of Squid Gameit is he who recruits Seong Gi-hun while the character is riddled with debt, and he is considering ending his life. If his appearances remain scattered throughout season 1, we quickly understand that the games recruiter occupies a central place in this great infernal machine.

This importance is confirmed from the first episode of season 2, as Seong Gi-hun, who has become immensely rich, embarks on a vast manhunt in the Seoul subway. The man knows that the Salesman is the only interface that will allow him to find the organizers of the game, and he intends to find him. Although we will be careful not to spoil the outcome, this new episode is an opportunity to learn more about the mysterious antagonist.

Sadistic and visibly disturbed

We already knew that the Salesman took great pleasure in unearthing his prey, by offering them to play a game of chance, ddakji, in the metro. This first test of psychological manipulation is central in the series, since it allows us to see how desperate the victim isand ready to do anything to earn a little money.

This second season is an opportunity to see the character climb a new level in gratuitous violence, by destroying a large quantity of food in front of a group of hungry homeless people in a park. He who usually stands out for his elegance and phlegm seems to slide slowly, but surely, into madness, into losing your temper in front of those he considers his inferiors.

A past winner?

Many theories flourished during season 1, making the character a former participant – and therefore former winner – of the game. Season 2 contradicts this theory, as the Salesman confides in Seong Gi-hun about his past. He would in fact be a former employee of the games, who wear a red suit and a mask during the events. Initially a simple worker (black mask with a circle), he was responsible for cleaning the proofs in collecting the corpses of the participants to take them to the incinerator.

Quickly, he explains having climbed the ranks, to become a soldier (black mask with a triangle), and to be responsible for execution of losers. A role that obviously suited him perfectly, he who loathes the participants and considers them to be rejects of society.

The point of no return, however, is reached during an edition of the games where he officiates as a soldier. During a test, he finds himself face to face with his father, and receives the order to execute him. We could have hoped that this confrontation would signal an awareness and humanity in the character, but it is rather the opposite that happens, and the Salesman sticks a bullet between his father's two eyes, without the slightest hesitation. . It is this act of cruelty that will propel him to the position of Squid Games recruiter.

Without spoiling the outcome of this episode rich in emotions, we understand from the start of this new season that the character borders on psychopathy, and that he takes great pleasure in sow chaos and desolation wherever he goes. He also seems to have a strange fascination with death and games of chance. Years of gaming have likely not left him psychologically unscathed.

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