Note: This Squid Game review contains spoilers.
The games are back, and for the last time. It’s quite a bittersweet moment as I turn on Netflix to binge-watch all six episodes in one go. After all, I’ve written about the previous two seasons of Squid Game (and now the third); so there’s that bit of sentiment there.
We ended season two with a cliffhanger moment. Seong Gi-hun’s (Lee Jung-jae) best pal, Park Jung-bae (Lee Seo-hwan), got shot following their attempted coup. Season three starts off great, in classic Squid Game style. Games are played, and players get eliminated. This season has unveiled new games: Hide-and-Seek, Jump Rope and Sky Squid Game, for the finale.
The Games
I have to say, though, the games were thoroughly and tastefully thought out by the show writers. The mechanics of it were so well-crafted, for well-loved characters, old and new, to be eliminated one by one without feeling intentional. While moral dilemmas were omnipresent in Squid Game, this season brought them to another level. Killing your son to save a stranger, or killing a stranger to save your ex? These were questions that characters explored and (attempted to) address here.
The biggest plot twist was player Kim Jun-hee (Jo Yuri) going into labour mid-game. This initially came as an intriguing twist, which unfortunately fell flat afterwards. I’m not sure if this was intentional. But I appreciated the juxtaposition of Kim against Jang Geum-ja (Kang Ae-shim) as mothers, one who just welcomed her newborn and the other who killed her own son in the game. That said, this entire sub-plot of the newborn lost its flavour as we moved into the subsequent games.
Unsurprisingly, many other players were eliminated, and few remained. I did wish for more notable characters to have a chance at the last game, though. Moving to the last few episodes, that thrill subsided, and things became more predictable.
My biggest gripe with the last game was how players were so unemphatic towards the newborn, almost treating the baby like a pawn (though, ironically, that’s the whole point of the games). I read a netizen saying even the most heinous of criminals would probably bat an eyelid before thinking of harming a newborn; so what more these Average Joes off the streets? Looking past these logical fallacies, which were present just to push the story forward, the games were pretty solid, I’d have to say.
Typing Up Loose Ends
Director Hwang first teased that this season would tie up some loose ends and answer some questions the audience may have. I liked that the writers (somewhat) addressed the Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-jun) and organ trading sub-plot, but the one on the VIPs was completely off.
I’m all in for this entire VIP lore. In fact, I had expected more. Other than the fact that these VIPs are probably some international personalities, we don’t have any more information on them. Adding to the dismay is their dialogue and borderline lacklustre portrayals. The showrunners had a great opportunity there, but unfortunately, they did not tap on it.
What’s Next?
There are a bunch of positive and negative reviews about Squid Game out there. For me, it’s still an enjoyable watch just to wrap things up and get some sort of closure. It would have been a lot better if the third season were a part two of season two, just to set expectations right. While they’ve amped up the brutality and gore, there’s a fair share of emotional and heartwarming moments that are really worth ruminating on, too.
It’s also great that there’s no future seasons lined up; not because the show’s bad, but such a novel concept can only go that far. And we’ve seen it, enjoyed it, and it’s time to move on. Though it seems like a spin-off is in the making, with Australian actress Cate Blanchett making a cameo in the closing scenes. Ironically, Squid Game is all about depicting capitalism through their games and how far humans can go with their greed. Yet, we see some semblance of that in real life too, with a potential spin-off in the making, which extends this franchise once again.
This story first appeared on HallyuSG.
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