Squid Game: Player 393 Sparks Controversy by Playing the 'Sympathy Card' in Marbles
Squid Game: Player 393 sparks controversy in Marbles game as fans remain divided over accusations of playing the 'sympathy card'
The Marbles game in Squid Game has left fans divided over Player 393, with some accusing her of playing the "sympathy card." With $4.96 million at stake, players will do anything to survive and make it to the final of the Netflix series.
Similar to the real-life Squid Game, contestants have shown their willingness to play unfairly, betray friends, and sacrifice their own chances in order to sabotage others. The ultimate winner remains a mystery, with the answer set to be revealed next week. In the meantime, viewers can enjoy binge-watching nine episodes, with one game in particular sparking intrigue. Warning: Spoilers ahead!
Squid Game: Player 393 accused of playing “sympathy card” in Marbles
During Episode 6, the participants engaged in the intense Marbles game, resulting in the elimination of half the competitors. Tensions ran high as Player 393 (Jackie) passionately expressed to Player 382 (Tim) her reasons for wanting to emerge victorious in Squid Game: The Challenge.
"I believe in the power of representation for the deaf community. I want to be a source of pride and inspiration for others like me who haven't seen themselves represented before - someone who's deaf, uses sign language, and also uses their voice."
She then discusses the joy of teaching other contestants sign language, but Tim reveals that he is also deaf and wears hearing aids, asking why she hasn't taught him. She responds with, "That's not my responsibility." Tim accuses her of "playing the sympathy card" and saving it for this moment.
The exchange has caused a divide among viewers, with one Reddit user stating, "I'm legally deaf and wear hearing aids, so I feel completely comfortable expressing my opinion on this. What a complete joke and a disgraceful act."
Her claim of wanting to win for 'representation' was met with disdain. The idea of her becoming the face of the deaf community was seen as ridiculous and her attempt to use her disability as a ploy was obvious. It was pointed out that she had not been signing up to that point, suggesting her disability was not as debilitating as she claimed. Another participant called her out for trying to elicit sympathy, and he was absolutely right to do so.
“After that, her behavior was incredibly embarrassing. They even questioned if Tim was expected to approach her and just hope she knew ASL and would be willing to teach him?” However, not everyone agrees with this perspective. One Redditor responded, "Personally, someone close to me has had health issues so when Tim said that, I was not impressed. Then he turned it around."
Head over to X/Twitter, where one user posted: “382 called it, player 393 attempted to play the sympathy card… but both of them are deaf #SquidGame.” Meanwhile, another user chimed in with: “The way 382 interacted with 393 was just cringeworthy.”
Catch all episodes of Squid Game: The Challenge, 1-9, streaming on Netflix. Be sure to explore our additional coverage.
Editor's P/S
As a Gen Z fan, I have mixed feelings about Player 393's actions in the Marbles game. On the one hand, I understand her desire to represent the deaf community and be a source of pride and inspiration for others like her. On the other hand, I think it was unfair of her to try to use her disability as a way to gain sympathy and win the game.
I think Player 393's intentions were good, but her execution was poor. She should have been more upfront about her reasons for wanting to win and not tried to hide them until the last minute. I also think she should have been more willing to teach Tim sign language if he was interested in learning.
Overall, I think Player 393's actions were a bit misguided, but I don't think she was trying to be malicious. I hope that she can learn from this experience and use her platform to promote awareness of the deaf community in a more positive way.
