#The Games Have Just Begun

The residents of the Beach believe that they are living in a safe zone of sorts … that is, until the Beach itself becomes a game arena and everyone trapped inside is forced to take part in a literal witch hunt. Except, of course, they weren’t “forced” into anything; rather, when Aguni (Shô Aoyagi) hears the rules of the game, he decides to cut the Gordian knot and simply start killing and burning people until the game ends, signifying that the “witch” is dead.

This is a Ten of Hearts game, however, which means that the solution can’t be as simple as straightforward violence — or even as simple as overpowering Aguni and killing him. After dozens of Beach residents have already been killed, Arisu realizes that the game could have been won without a single act of violence, as the “witch,” Momoka (Kina Yazaki), was a victim of suicide rather than murder. Just like the Seven of Hearts game that Arisu played earlier, which resulted in the deaths of his friends, the true agony of the witch hunt game lies in knowing that all of those deaths could have been avoided if the players had simply paused and approach the problem rationally.

Even more intriguing than the game itself, however, is the reason why Momoka killed herself. As the phone camera footage in the “Alice in Borderland” season finale reveals, Momoka and Asahi (Mizuki Yoshida) arrived in the Borderlands together and were recruited as “dealers” — players who secretly work for the game masters and perform various tasks, including setting up the games and sometimes playing in opposition to the other players (whether they want to or not). Dealers cannot warn the other players about their true nature, as Asahi demonstrates when she confesses to being a dealer and is immediately struck down by a laser beam to the head.

The witch hunt and the winning of the Ten of Hearts marks the conclusion of the Borderland players’ hunt for all 40 numbered cards in the pack. At this point, Hatter  promised the residents of the Beach that he would ascend and be allowed to return to the normal world, and that each of them in their turn would be able to do the same. However, while Hatter’s theory about the players being able to pool their cards to win the game turned out to be true, the part about the game being “complete” once all 40 numbered cards were won was rather off-base. In fact, all the remaining players have done is move up to the next level.