Squid Game Season 3

Missed opportunities

This review contains spoilers!

I do not share the view that the story should have "ended" in Season 1. I would argue it would have left too many questions unanswered as (i) Gi-hun's red hair and unrelenting ambition to pursue the game creators further (at the cost of not being with his daughter) and (ii) the unknown fate of the Front Man's brother prompted too much intrigue.

Season 1 had a winning formula, from the way the characters' deaths were written (i.e. many key characters suffering the same fate as the sins they once committed/threatened), to the emotional attachment generated after learning their backstories, and so much more. This created a massive rewatch value to catch every detail of a near masterpiece.

Unfortunately Season 2 and 3 felt very much like the latest Star Wars trilogy. In the sense that the writers/producers went for "surprises" in attempt to do something different and throw the viewers off their scent. I don't fully blame them for this as YouTube and other social media platforms went nuts over Season 1 with all sorts of theories and future season predictions, however, it felt too big a deviation from the winning formula.

Below is what I felt were the main downfalls / missed opportunities:

1.) Betrayal of Gi-hun's character. This was the main reason why I brought up Star Wars as most die hard fans felt Luke's character was far too inconsistent compared to original trilogy. In Gi-hun's case, he represents the hope in humans vs. the Front Man's view that mankind is hopeless and unworthy of being saved. One of the defining moments of the Season 1 ending was Gi-hun winning the bet against Il-nam when they both stared across the street at the man needing help. For someone who survived the entirety of season 1, won the the final bet, plus the stand-off against Gong Yoo's roulette game (which had amazing dialogue), it just felt too easy on how the Front Man broke him. Yes his best friend died, but him putting all the blame on Dae-ho and subsequently becoming so "out of it" for the rest of the episodes, including having almost no dialogue just seems way too out of character. Gi-hun was the one who was so scared of dying that he lied to/tricked an old man in attempt to survive in Season 1, would he not have had more sympathy for Dae-ho for being scared? It was his plan after all to attack the soldiers, which was in itself ironic since if his plan was to shoot and kill so many soldiers all along, doesn't this break the moral code he stood for all along? It completely diminishes the beautiful roulette dialogue with the recruiter (Gong Yoo), as he could have just shot him when there were 2 bullets left instead. I had so much hope that it wouldn't go this direction as if I recall correctly, they never re-zoomed into Dae-ho's death. I thought it was still in the cards for a surprise reveal that Gi-hun loosened his grip and Dae-ho only passed out, redeeming Gi-hun's character.

2.) Misuse of actors. During the initial Season 2/3 teaser unveiling new characters, YDG looked so badass and Kang Ha-neul looked like such a good bad guy. It felt like a big missed opportunity in terms of how their characters were utilized in the show.

3.) Missed opportunity to revive entire series with Myung-gi's character? Yim Siwan was the star of the show. He was the only one who consistently played his role so well that his character became believable. If the story needed to end and the whole theme has been light vs. darkness, inherently good vs. inherently bad, Myung-gi's character could have personified the final "bet" in the show when him, the baby and Gi-hun were the final 3 players. The exact outcome could have stayed virtually the same, but the presentation could have been different if they simply tweaked the rule so that only 1 player can remain. In this way, Gi-hun could have still died, perhaps willingly in a final act of trust in humanity as a final middle finger equivalent to the Front Man by saying he believes Myung-gi will do the right thing before jumping off. The grand finale would zoom in on the expression/reaction of the Front Man who would then have await the verdict with a pounding heart as to what Myung-gi's character would decide on - i.e. humans are hopeless should he throw his own son down or whether Gi-hun could still strike victory in death if Myung-gi comes to his senses and jumps down himself to repent for his past crimes and for letting Jun-hee die.

Something super awesome that I felt was missed as well, is that when Myung-gi convinced all the other players to tie their suit jackets together, it would have been an absolute perfect opportunity for Myung-gi to backstab them and push 1 of the guys at the end off, which would have dragged all 4-5 guys down at the same time. This would have fit so well with his scheming character of tricking people (i.e. his crypto scheme).

4.) Poor use of side characters. In Season 1, every character (good or bad) was so meaningful, even Ji-yeong who had minimal screen time but made a huge impact. Season 2/3's characters just didn't have the same feel at all with too much time being devoted to a few. It also felt like over use of characters taking their own lives as the old mom, Jun-hee and the lunchbox guy all decided to self eliminate.

There's a ton more to discuss, but overall it just felt like the last two seasons were rushed and things ended abruptly/awkwardly, missing all the little details in Season 1 that took the creator 6 months to write and ultimately 10 years to refine.

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A GREAT ENDING TO THE SERIES!

Season 3 was nothing short of my expectations for the final season. It was a blast of emotions. Of course with how the season 2 ended I did start watching it knowing my favorites will die. And of course the ending was the most realistic one.

The part that took me by surprise was player 149 killing her son to save jun-hee and the baby. I knew the mother-son wouldn't make it together from the trailer but never in my wildest dreams did I expect that to happen. And then her hanging herself was a shock.

And then Dae-ho I did not see that confession coming. He was kne my favorites in the second season but seeing how he lied about himself it was satisfying to see him die.

Hyeon-ju she was a character which took all of us by surprise in season 2 dying in the first game of season was very disappointing. I knew she would die sooner or later but killing her off in the first game when she was so close to surviving was a stab in my heart.

And again I'm disappointed how long it took Jun-ho to realise he was being fooled by the captain like the whole season 2 bro was just wandering around trying to find the island and when he finally did it just got burned to ashes. One of the bad parts was the VIPs. Their acting was very bad it felt very forced them trying to portray themselves as some superior beings was total

The soundtracks of S3 are great aswell. Overall squid game final season did not dissapoint my expectations

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some series are just not meant to have multiple seasons

nothing will unfortunately ever compare to the first season.

the season just feels dragged out and the characters werent even interesting anymore bc their actions and deaths became predictable

yes it was basically a new set of games but because the main character stayed the same, it became pretty boring and annoying

i think it wouldve been better if they actually just put out a new set of games and player

and its just bad for me bc at the end... nothing was still resolved... like the cops didnt even find the island and the games are still going on for the next season (probably)

and like its just weird that the creator made this thing to shed light on how the division of rich and poor is and the greed for money yet i know damn well the reason this season got an addition and will probably be dragged out more is because it makes more money for them.. just ironic.

it really wasnt for the art anymore at this point, they're just greedy to keep the fame of squid games going lol

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Boring, disappointing, and all of the above

First things first it was all predictable. You could predict almost everything while watching except the fighting sequence. The ending was spoiled by the director before the airing saying it is going to be a sad ending which already gave it away that Gi hun will die. The story was disappointing It felt like they just wanted to shock people by killing everyone. There was too much drama, especially with the kid. Netflix made it feel more like a money-making show than a good story. Season 3 was a complete disappointment to me. And I for sure knew this would happen. Felt like it was forcefully made and stretched cuz of the popularity. They should've just ended it after 1 season.

Guys please save your energy & time and don’t waste it on this!

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Embarrassing and very disappointing sequel due to abysmal script

Maybe the screenwriter and director should have asked for help when suddenly in the position to come up with a sequel.

The continuation of the rather ingenious (because it works on so many levels) Squid Game is embarrassingly bad and sloppy written. Hardly anything makes sense, too much is just for justifying really bad script ideas. Like the utilisation of an infant. Who would let a very pregnant woman participate in the game - unless you have no ideas apart from making a newborn the centre of attention and of the fight to survive (and the reason for self sacrifice of course). And more children in general the driving force behind the motivation of characters. Well. it's like children in advertising - it always works. Here it is absolutely despicable, uninspired, and quite frankly pathetic.

Too many things didn't make sense: The motivation and obsession of the main character? It's not as if he is much interested in anybody else before the game, right? Couldn't figure out if it's his sense of justice or his hurt pride or what else that's making him that philanthropic and determined to end the game. And for that much money he couldn't find a bunch of people a little bit, well, make that a lot more professional? How could he expect to get away with that "tooth transmitter" in an obviously high tech environment? The insurgence of a few against dozens and dozens of armed minions? Sounds like a good idea? I could go on and on.

Of course it had moments. Especially liked the hiding game with the three different keys for instance. And I can be quite lenient toward (minor) plot inconsistencies - up to a certain point that is. But overall I was really annoyed by the lack of logic and common sense (that scene where that moron breaks into the house of the suspicious captain, anyone?) Not even the truly stellar cast could save this.

And if you thought the VIP scenes in the first season were cringeworthy - they are even more superficial and superfluous in the third season, not to mention the even worse acting.

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CASHGRAB AND DISSAPONTMENT WTF WAS EVEN THAT....

WAS DEATH OF ALL IS THE POINT OF THIS SERIES ? YES. WAS IT NECESSARY? MAYBE..?! BUT TO LET THE VIPS ESCAPE UNSCATHED ...... WTF!! WANNA MAKE HOLLYWOOD DEBUT ?......HELL YAH!!!! BUT A GIVE A GOOD STORY LINE? ......NAH!!
THATS WHAT I UNDERSTAND FROM IT. ALL THE BETRAYAL AND SELF SACRIFICE AND UGLYNESS OF HUMAN NATURE...... AINT THE ENDING ALL SAME REPATATION OF S1....WITH ADDITION OF FEW SURVIVERS & HERO'S DEMISE/SACRIFISE TO MAKE A POINT... WITH POLICE FAILLING AGAIN (SYSTEM FAILING ITS PEOPLE) AND INTRODUCTION TO A NEW FRANCHISE SO THAT THERE IS MORE CASH TO GRABE AT EXPENSE OF THE VIEWERS( WHO ALSO PARTICIPATE IN THIS GAME BY CHOICE OF WATCHING IT AS ENTERTAINMENT).... PARHAPS THE FOCAL POINT OF THIS CONCEPT.
IT HONESTLY FAILED IT SELF FROM ALL THE GLOBEL ATTENTION IT TRIED TO BE SO BIG AND EXPERIMENTAL THAT IT STUCK TO OLD PATTERN WITH NEW TWIST WITH THE MESSAGE THAT THE GAME WILL NEVER END. AND ALL PLAYERS CAN HAVE ONLY ONE WINNER.

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Should've stayed a one season show

You're telling me that 456 went back into the game to stop the games forever and bring down the VIPs/the institution and ended up reduced to a babysitter who lost his life at the end and accomplished nothing?? 🤬🤬

And Junho spent two full seasons looking for the island, only to find it 30 minutes before it's about to blow, proceeds to shoot a few screens/windows, finally confronts his brother again after three years and asks him "WHY?" and then swims back out before the island blows up?? What did he accomplish?? 🤬🤬

This season was horrible. If they were planning NOT to end the show at S1, they should've let 456 & Junho bring down the Front Man, the VIPs and end the games. What a disappointing conclusion to an otherwise good show.

A much better ending would've been Gihun (456) visiting his daughter after bringing an end to the games in Korea. After spending some quality time with his girl, on the way back to the airport he sees Cate Blanchett's character playing ddakji in the alleyway and he realises that the game has now gone global. Maybe it could've left the ending open to interpretation where he would try to stop the American games??

I'm just pissed. 456 was my favourite character from S1. He deserved to get his revenge on this horrible institution after everything he went through and everyone he lost. I knew he would end up sacrificing his life for the baby. I know it was noble of him to do but it was gut wrenching to see.

I also wanted to give a shout out to Hyunju (120) who was the other player that I really loved. The fact that she had all three keys and could've saved herself but went back for Junhee (222), the baby and Geumja (149) absolutely broke me because I knew in that moment that she had just sealed her fate and would die in that very game. What a contrast to how that piece of shit grandpa (100) was when he used to sharman to get through the exit and then closed the door on her. It breaks my heart that Junhee's baby will grow up not knowing how many people loved her and sacrificed their lives in order to protect her through this barbaric games😭💔

Finally, lets talk about the villians: 100, the piece of shit grandpa who annoyed me in every scene literally the moment he opened his damn mouth. He was such a horrible person from start to finish. Always suggesting things to do to progress the game, bullying people to do things his way, but being a coward where it counted. I wanted to see a more horrific death for him because of out everyone he deserved it. Namgyu (124) I really hated the way that he bullied Minsu from the start and how he killed Semi. Side note: Minsu reaching out for Semi's hand as he fell to his death in Sky Squid Game broke me. And finally, probably the only other contestant who was a bigger piece of shit than 100, was Myunggi (333). Like I kept waiting for this guy's redemption arc from his introduction in S2. But Junhee was smart not to trust him. I thought he was going to redeem himself and then he killed my Hyunju and it was all down hill from there. I can't believe that Gihun a stranger to his baby, cared more about his child than he did. It was disgusting that he was planning to kill the baby in the final game.

Overall, I dont think I'll ever rewatch this show now that its ended. I would've prefered an alternate ending where 456 and the baby both made it out alive. The games could've continued in America since The US are making their own squid game series but it could've been brought down in Korea with the help of 456 and Junho. What a disappointing ending. I'll forever be angry about this. 456 deserved better and we, the fans deserved a better ending.

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A Perfectly Executed Finale – Brutal, Emotional, Unforgettable

I just binged all of Squid Game Season 3 in one sitting—and what a ride! This final chapter was everything I hoped for and more. The story picks up right where Season 2 left off, plunging us straight into the chaos of a failed rebellion, betrayal, and loss. The pacing is relentless, the tension never lets up, and yet it still finds space to explore the emotional aftermath of everything Gi Hun has endured.

Lee Jung Jae delivers his most powerful performance yet. Watching Gi Hun hit rock bottom, only to be forced back into the nightmare of the Games, was heartbreaking and raw. Each game this season felt even more brutal—not just physically, but psychologically. The moral dilemmas hit hard, and the consequences of each choice left me shaken.

The return of the Frontman (In Ho) added a chilling, calculated energy to the season, and the dynamic with his brother Jun Ho raised the stakes even further. Their storyline had me on edge the whole time, especially with the ever-present question of who can really be trusted. The reveal of the traitor? Absolutely jaw-dropping.

The writing was tight, the twists hit hard, and the ending? Bittersweet perfection. It was a grim yet fitting close to a series that never shied away from exposing the darkest corners of human nature.

If you’ve followed Squid Game from the beginning, Season 3 is the brutal, emotional payoff you’ve been waiting for. A masterclass in storytelling that left me breathless.

Highly recommended.

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