MIXED EMOTIONS!
The depth and emotions of this season were incredible. While I'm not sure what ending we all anticipated, a part of me always believed the game would never truly end. These individuals had been trapped in it for years. Perhaps with a stroke of luck, they could have been taken out, but it wasn't just one person; the game's longevity felt inevitable. The most heartbreaking aspect was the hope—the hope for change—which we learned the hard way was sometimes unattainable. Honestly, it felt realistic, which isn't always what people want, but it resonated with the rawness of the situation.
I'm still reeling from the deaths. They were more aggressive, brutal, and emotionally charged this season, leaving me in tears. The characters felt closer, making their losses even more painful. It was clear the writer was wrapping things up, not rushing but still leaving us hanging, as if to say, "It's done, that's it."
It's the end of an era, and I, for one, had a fantastic time with the series. I'm eagerly awaiting the next global sensation from the world of K-dramas. It was amazing to have a K-drama to discuss with friends who didn't even know what a K-drama was! Finally, the ending hinted at a US version, but I'm not keen on it. I'd rather this remain a K-drama thing. I hate to sound selfish, but let them enjoy their moment in the spotlight.
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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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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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A clumsy conclusion
It was alright, but it could have been better. They set up several interesting characters and stories in s2 but didn't follow these up properly here so it feels like something is missing. So that review is going to be mostly just me trying to figure out what exactly, without spoilers.So, the games. Great overall but I do feel like we end up following several characters I just didn't care for personally. As for Gi Hun, as much as I like the beginning and the end of his arc in this season, I wasn't really sold on the journey in-between. The VIPs were awful once again, and they had so much more screentime... You can tell that they are just saying their lines instead of actually having a conversation. Really wish the time they got had been given to anything else, really.
Soldier 011. That's a story that could have been more interesting but it ended up being just there, happening in the background in a way that felt really disconnected from the games. I like her though.
Track the island squad. Now... honestly, it was already dragging in season 2 so going back to that was a bit boring. Instead, I would have loved to have more of Jun Ho and In Ho. It's a shame because Jun Ho's plot from the first season was really good. I did enjoy whatever Jeon Seok Ho's character was doing though.
The epilogue time-skip thing. Objectively, I don't think there's anything wrong with it but everything feeling so disconnected this season made it feel a bit hollow. The tone was a bit off too.
Overall... it was okay? I mostly enjoyed the games and those characters but everything around it felt unfinished and/or rushed so I couldn't get behind the "aftermath" part. So, yeah, it's a 6/10.
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Not Every Game Needs a Loud Ending — And That’s Okay
Squid Game 3 might not hit with the same explosive impact as its first season, but it lands exactly where it needs to. While some viewers expected more twists or a grander finale, I personally found the ending just right — bittersweet, tragic, and reflective. It stays honest to the story’s core: a man who refused to lose himself in a system designed to break people.The emotional weight might feel lighter this time around — maybe because by now we know the rules, or maybe the writing didn’t push quite as far — but the quiet symbolism stuck with me. Watching the main character stay true to his principles, even when he couldn't change the system, was deeply moving. It felt like the ultimate act of resistance. I couldn't help but see the game master as a mirror — someone who once stood for something, but let the system twist him into something else.
That said, I still feel Squid Game told its strongest story in Season 1. It had the rawness, the shock, and the emotional pull that didn’t need a follow-up. Seasons 2 and 3 had their moments, but nothing quite matched that original impact. Still, I respect how it closed—with conviction, not convenience.
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A masterpiece turned into a money minting machine
Season 3 of Squid Game, directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk and produced by Siren Pictures Inc. under Netflix, had all the elements to be a strong continuation. However, it felt more like a forced sequel aimed at cashing in on the global success of its predecessors. The season begins right where Season 2 ended, pulling viewers back into the chaos of a morally grey world. It poses a haunting question: Do you still have faith in people? Unfortunately, the story fails to answer this question coherently.
The season starts with promise, showcasing emotional depth and character-driven storytelling, but quickly loses its way. Dae-Ho’s character arc is inconsistent; his shift from an anxious participant to someone who mindlessly blames Gi Hun feels sudden and unearned. Gi Hun, too, becomes a contradiction. His refusal to kill seven contestants on moral grounds is puzzling, especially since he kills Dae-Ho without seeking closure, driven by bitterness from his past. The moral compass that once guided his character becomes erratic.
A major plot twist, introducing a baby as a player, initially sparks interest and suggests emotional and ethical depth. However, it falls flat when the baby is absurdly named the winner, stripping the story of logic and meaning. Gi Hun's death, while perhaps expected, lacks emotional impact. The ongoing roles of the Front Man and his brother add little value; in fact, the brother's storyline resembles that of a lost explorer, searching for an island he already knows, contributing only narrative clutter.
The Front Man could have shown emotional growth after witnessing Gi Hun’s sacrifices, but he remains a static figure, merely going through the motions of “the game.” His actions, like giving Gi Hun a chance to save himself or taking the baby with him, lack emotional clarity and feel more like rituals than meaningful gestures. Myung Gi’s transformation from a responsible man to a deranged psychopath willing to harm the very baby he once protected seems completely out of character and poorly written.
One of the most criticized aspects of Season 1, the exaggerated VIPs, unfortunately returns in Season 3. Their lifeless acting and monotonous delivery drain energy from the scenes. Their presence only brings annoyance, wasting screentime that could have better developed unresolved character arcs, particularly those of the Front Man and his brother.
In a move that signals Netflix’s profit motives, the season ends with a tease for an American spin-off via the dakjji game, a Korean element awkwardly inserted into a context unrelated to American culture. This reflects the network's tired strategy of simply repackaging a hit across cultures without sensitivity or depth.
The central themes of morality, desperation, and the fragility of human trust are overshadowed by rushed character deaths, most of which happen in the second and third episodes, leaving little room for emotional engagement or character development. While Season 1 explored how far people would go for survival, Season 3 assumes that betrayal, death, and shock value are sufficient to sustain the story, which they are not.
The human emotions that once gave Squid Game its soul appear intermittently but are buried beneath incoherent twists, plot holes, and an overwhelming sense that the director, perhaps under pressure, was pushed to extend the franchise regardless of creative rationale. Ultimately, Squid Game Season 3 feels less like a continuation and more like a corporate product: technically polished but emotionally empty. What could have been a poignant and thought-provoking season ends up as a disjointed collection of scenes that disappoint both the characters and the audience. A few moments shine, but they cannot redeem the season from its narrative chaos. It had potential and a voice, but it chose profit over purpose.
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It isn't the best but it is also not as bad as others are making it out to be!!
The drama is being hated on for no reason, it wasn't the best or perfect in anyway but it was also not as bad as it is being rated.We already knew that none of our faves were going to survive, the whole plot of the show is how greedy people are and how good people get fk*d over because of the bad ones.
Player 333 was an @ss through and through, from the beginning its shown how selfish he was and he played the games as such. Though every game its shown how it played in his favor, he never learnt his lesson and continued to be greedy and selfish. Shows how some people never change. Even after the hide and seek game, when he already saw Jun-hee had given birth, he never approached her to apologize or hold the baby even once, so what he did at the final game did not come as a surprise. Good for Jun-hee for not trusting that B!t*h with the baby.
Player 456, though he has been shown kind to an extreme level, he's only human. Him k!ll!ng Dae-ho was kinda sad but I could understand why, he felt betrayed and his mind was fk*d up. The end scene where he says 'We are not horses, we are humans. Humans have -" gave me goosebumps and it was a heartwrenching scene. The only thing I didn't like was how he played in the final game. He could've survived but the writers didn't want him to so well. Nonetheless I felt the ending was realistic given 456's character.
Jun-ho's character played no role in the story what so ever, even if he didn't search for his brother or the island, I feel like the story would've played the same for him. Alot of wasted potential for being one of the main roles, he seemed more like a side character.
Was happy they showed Sae-byeok's family reunion, player 246 and his daughter and No-eul potentially finding her daughter. In the end player 456 did make a difference and helped them.
Didn't like how they are thinking to expand the franchise to America, i's unnecessary and they should just stop here.
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"A Ruthless Return to the Deadly Arena"
Squid Game Season 3 keeps the tension high and the stakes even higher. With new games, deeper twists, and more insight into the mysterious organization behind it all, the season stays gripping from start to finish. While some parts feel familiar, the emotional moments and clever surprises keep it fresh. It’s a thrilling, dark ride that fans won’t want to miss.Was this review helpful to you?
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« We are not horses. We are humans. Humans are... »
His sentence is left unfinished on purpose. After everything we’ve seen, how do you define humans? The games showed us the worst. Betrayal. Cruelty. Cowardice. But they also showed us sacrifice, love, and resistance. The word humanity sort of starts to lose meaning when you realize the same species capable of kindness is also capable of cruelty.We critique the vips for their actions, yet we're also watching humans kill each other for our own entertainment. We’ve been waiting for season 3, trying to guess who would die, just like the vips do. This is probably the reason why Gihun looks at us when he says this. Maybe we should think about why we enjoyed watching this.
Squid game also showed that in such a deeply corrupted and capitalist world, no matter how hard you try, sometimes you just can’t change things. The good guys don’t always win. Gihun spent all this time trying to warn people, trying to end those games and save everyone. But in the end, nothing changed. The games have existed before him and will continue to exist after him, because the system is bigger than us. As the front man said, even in death, someone else would simply take his place as the game’s overseer.
It reflects the harsh reality of corruption and the exploitation of people. This concept isn’t meant to have a clear resolution, seeking closure misses the very message of the show.
But Gihun did what he believed was right. The front man thinks every human is selfish, driven by survival and greed, no better than horses forced to run for other’s amusement. Gihun proved him wrong by refusing to play and sacrificing himself.
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What the fuck went on that writing room
They spent a whole entire season making us love the new characters, learn things about them, connect with them... to have them all killed in the first 3 episodes and leave us watching a final game full of random people?Hide and seek was by far the best game in this season, we had the characters we liked and cared about, the set was absolutely stunning, editing was amazing and the music, sound effects, ambient... it all played its role perfectly. The story worked, we got to see an aliance of Geumja, Junhee and Hyunju that was beautiful, the birth scene was extremely unrealistic, but it worked, having Hyunju be there in such a sacred, protected space for women was beautiful for her character, she got to experience acceptance in womanhood before dying. Gihun and Daeho's part was just character assasination for Daeho, his character did a whole 360º in an episode and it made no sense at all, most of the characters forgot about him too like, does nobody care that he died? He was part of like the main group but they didn't gaf when he died? It was weird. Geumja having to kill her own son was a good plot, she saved him of the guilt he was going to live with for killing a mother and potentially her baby. I also like the narrative of her stopping her son of becoming his father, overall, kind of unrealistic but heartbreaking. Hyunju's death was absolutely devastating, she could've abandoned Geumja and Junhee multiple times, she had all the keys, but she decided to stay, and because of her good heart, she went back to get them and died protecting them. I feel like her character wasn't done justice with her death, she was the strongest character, an amazing fighter and she went down with a stab on the back by the baby daddy of the girl she has been protecting the whole game. Her final scene with Geumja caressing her face and showing her earings, giving her a mothers love that we know she didn't get, heartbreaking. Player 100 and the shaman were funny, played well in this game. Minsu's arc was fine, it was interesting but at the same time kind of random. Overall, heartbreaking game, they took out Hyunju because they know she would win.
Jump rope could've been fun, but it wasn't, when the random guy 1 started pushing random people off we were suposed to feel the tension, get nervous, but the effect was fully lost because we didn't know the people playing, we didn't care about more than a half of the characters playing, Gihun passed with the baby, Junhee was waiting, Namgyu had already died, tbh I didn't care about Minsu and we all hated Myunggi, so who am I supposed to be nervous and anxious about? Geumja was out before getting to this game and the lack of women was loud. If they kept Geumja, Hyunju or Daeho for this game and they were jumping as the guy was pushing people we would have gotten anxious and nervous but because we didn't care about the players it was kind of whatever. The baby passing this game is so unrealistic, you can't shake a newborn baby because they don't have a hard skull, she would be gone at the first jump and Junhee killing herself is also giving the baby away to death. How the hell did player 100 pass? That's someones grandpa, I know his knees aren't that strong. But well, game ends and we're officially out of women (but the baby). The set is still amazing, the color of the scenes was beautiful, Junhee's death had beautiful colors and again the music, sound effects and ambient were on point, editting was still great. Main problem with this one is the lack of characters we care about
The final game, was boring as hell, I know the baby is not gonna die, I know Gihun is gonna survive at least till the final tower so this whole 15 minutes of random characters that popped out of nowhere talking was just boring as hell, I couldn't even bring myself to care it just felt like it was wasting my time. Minsu's hallucinations were fun i guess, but he went out in like 3 minutes so the rest of the game was just player 100 talking about democracy, Myunggi trying to be Sangwoo and throwing people with a stick and the rest of the guys just complaining. They kill everyone in tower 2, I didn't care, we move to tower 3. Myunggi was SO annoying throughout this season but damn, he was annoying in the end, idc if he wasn't gonna thow his child out, he threatened to and literally put his daughter at risk by holding her in the edge, Gihun had already said he would jump so he could win with the baby just take the deal and accept it, live with your daughter, but no, he had to spend the whole last scene of this game being stupid, insinuating Gihun cared for Junhee because they had an affair? Threatening to throw his baby off a tower? And in the end when he was gonna fall, he put sad eyes like noo i dont want to die, girl i dont care, his character was all over the place, one moment he cared about Junhee and her baby and was willing to die for them, next scene he's going on a killing spree reducing the blue people the reds could kill and making it more likely for her to be attacked, then he joins the useless uncle squad and acts to protect the baby, then he wants to throw out the baby? He makes no sense. When Gihun realized the button hadn't been pressed, plot armor to kill him cause he could've just called a vote and leave with the baby (I found funny how he cared for every girl like they were his daughters, like anyone but HIS real daughter) because leaving the baby to the people who organized the games where people die every two seconds is obviously extremely smart. We're not horses period, final game was boring as hell but at least he ate that final line.
Now that we have covered the games lets see the side plots;
Noeul saving this random man who did nothing in the show but show us that he had a daughter that was sick was entretaining only because of Noeul, Gyeongseok was so boring, when they parted ways so he could like escape on the boat his scenes where so boring. Noeul carried this season tho, she was determined, amazing, we felt bad for her and we wanted her to win and to survive when she fought with the square soldier. Solid plot, loved her ending too.
Junho was just doing nothing the whole entire season, wasted character, he got into the games in season 1 and you're telling me he couldn't do it in seasons 2 AND 3? Like yes the man who saved him was thowing him off and everything but in season 1 he got in under one of the cars, why couldn't he do it again? The reunion with his brother was one of the things I was most excited about in this season and we just got HYUUUUNG WAEEEE? WAEKURESOOO? and Inho not gaf and leaving the scene with a baby who later apeared on his dinner table like, hi junho you're my papa. Okay. Wasted potential everywhere, he was one of the best in season 1, they should've used his character better.
The so promoted, very exciting confrontation between Inho and Gihun was so dissapointing I could just laugh, "OH MY GOD YOU'RE YOUNGIL?" "yes, sorry about jungbae. You know? I've been thinking, what if you kill everyone and I let you leave with the baby?" and Gihun leaves in silence that's literally the scene. I liked how they match cut the present Gihun with past Inho, great editting and part overall, we should've seen more of that. Overall dissapointing, Gihun didn't even find out his real name, or that he was Junho's brother.
Inho's character was abandoned, he made no sense, he had a whole scene traumatized because he shot his brother, feeling guilty and giving room for learning about his love and care for Junho and we start the season by having him being like, omg girl yes kill my brother if you need to, that makes no sense, his confrontation with Gihun was so souless, he deserved better writting.
The whole going to the US to give Gihun's daughter a BLOODY jacket of the games that ruined her father's life, like okay interesting choice I guess, and then just finding Cate Blanchett playing DDAKJI in the US was ridiculous.
Anyway, such a dissapointing season, characters killed off early, character assasination every 2 minutes and the VIP's had way too much screentime for how annoying they are, please make them shut up god. The cast did an amazing job, all of them have outstanding preformances this season. Very sad that it ended this dissapointingly
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I actually like how this ended
I don’t understand the hate Squid Game Season 3 has been getting . And I say that as someone who’s been invested in this series from day one. From the very first episode of Season 1, the show never promised comfort. It promised rawness, reflection, and a disturbing mirror held up to society. Season 3 delivered exactly that with its most brutal and philosophically profound arc yet.Yes, the ending was shocking and ehhh. A baby winning the games? Gi-hun dying after everything he went through? I get it, it's jarring. But isn't that exactly the point? Squid Game has always been about subverting expectations, exposing the ugliest parts of human nature, and forcing us to sit in discomfort. If this ending made you mad, maybe it’s because it hit too close to home. The outrage seems centered around the absurdity of a baby "winning" but I think that’s symbolic genius. A child, INNOCENT and UNTAINTED by the grotesque logic of the game, surviving when the rest tear each other apart. It's the ultimate commentary on innocence being the only thing that doesn’t voluntarily dive into the madness. Everyone else, including our beloved Gi-hun, made choices. Strategic, desperate, moral or immoral. The baby didn’t. And that’s exactly why it deserved to "win."Gi-hun’s death was tragic, but also narratively fitting. His arc was never about triumph. It was about transformation, resistance, and, ultimately, sacrifice. He died trying to dismantle the system from within and in doing so, he reminded us that even within a hellish game designed to strip people of their humanity, there are still those who will fight for what’s right, even if it costs everything.Yes, I did wish that Gi-hun had survived. Along with some of my favorite characters: Player 120 , Player 222 , and player 149. Watching them die one by one was devastating. I bawled my eyes out beginning with episode 2 and it did not stop. I held out hope that at least one of them would walk away. But Squid Game doesn’t trade in hope, it trades in harsh truths. And the harshest one of all is that sometimes, no matter how much heart, courage, or wit a person has it is never enough.
And then there's Jun-ho. My god! this season, absolutely useless. The most useless he’s ever been, honestly. I get the frustration; we were all expecting to him catch on earlier that the captain Park isn't to betrusted and that he and his team would make it to the island and take everyone out . But instead, he was clueless, never suspect it and it led to the death of his team. And as frustrating as that was to watch... I still think that worked. Because his arc, or lack thereof, speaks to something uncomfortable, that not everyone gets to be the hero. Sometimes, the villains win. Sometimes, even good people don’t make a difference. Sometimes, the fight doesn’t end in victory but just in exhaustion. It’s maddening, yes. But again brutally honest.
What I loved most about this season was how it circled back to the original philosophical heart of Squid Game: that humans, like horses, are driven, broken, trained. That the elites, those with grotesque wealth and power will watch, bet, and cheer as we destroy one another for survival. The show never glamorized violence. It exposed it, contextualized it, made us question why we accept it.Season 3 was brutal, sure. But it was also bold, introspective, and incredibly human. It didn’t pander to fan expectations. it dared to say something. And in the era of safe storytelling, that deserves praise, not hate. So no, I don’t agree with the backlash. I thoroughly enjoyed this season. It made me think, made me uncomfortable, and made me grieve. That’s Squid Game at its finest.
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