Warning: This article contains mentions of suicide.
WhileSquid Game’sfirst season was widely praised for its creative, violent premise, season 3 proved to be a lot more divisive, with some damaging moments standing out. The K-drama first premiered during one of streaming’s biggest eras, making the dystopian twist on Korean children’s games must-watch TV, henceSquid Gamebecoming Netflix’s most viewed show of all time.
Season 2 may not have had quite the same cultural impact, but it added new dynamics to the interesting story and kept audiences invested, setting up a massive finale. Unfortunately,Squid Gameseason 3’s endingleft a lot to be desired, as"Humans are…" became the lowest-rated episode in the series according to IMDb, highlighting the discontent among fans.
However, it wasn’t just the finale that faced problems, as season 3’s entire plot and message rubbed some people the wrong way. Disappointing payoffs and bizarre out-of-character moments ultimately played a part inSquid Gameseason 3’s mixed reception, with a handful of flaws emphasizing everything that was wrong with the show’s final outing.
Despite Saving Jun-hee’s Baby, Gi-hun’s Death Failed To Really Change Anything
Image via Netflix
Gi-hun’s decision to rejoin the games in season 2 was bold after everything he endured the first time around, making his quest to stop the games extremely honorable. Sadly, he failed to really change anything. His second stint challenged his morality once again, and despite some questionable moments, he made a truly noble sacrifice in the end.
Rather than killing Jun-hee’s baby to ensure his own survival, Gi-hun decides to take his own life by jumping from the elevated platform, making the child season 3’s winner. In theory,Gi-hun won hisSquid Gamerivalry with the Front Manby refusing to give up his morality, making his final choice the perfect demonstration of who he really was.
Unfortunately, this left a bitter taste in the audience’s mouth, as Gi-hun’s quest for justice ended up being all for nothing. He may have successfully changed In-ho’s outlook on humanity, but this doesn’t feel like it will impact anything in the long run, providing an unsatisfying conclusion to the protagonist’s grueling journey.
6Myung-gi’s Villainous Turn Completely Ruined His Character
Becoming A Heartless Villain Halted 2 Seasons Of Development For Myung-gi
Myung-gi’s season 2 introduction set up a thrilling character arc, but season 3 failed to deliver any significant progression. His early actions suggested he was morally gray, as his scams and abandonment of Jun-hee showcased his flaws, yet he stood up to Thanos and eventually killed the antagonist, proving there was also good within him.
It looked like season 3 would focus on a potential redemption arc, even after he killed Hyun-ju, making his random villainous outburst in the finale feel completely out of the blue. With all the other players except his daughter and Gi-hun eliminated, Myung-gi started lashing out, hoping to kill Gi-hun before sacrificing his own child to win the money.
While grief and panic may have played into his behavior, it was hard to buy intoSquid Gameseason 3 suddenly making Myung-gi its main villain. Removing his moral complexities also made it far easier to root against him than Sang-woo in season 1’s ending, which destroyed his character development, adding to season 3’s problems.
5Squid Game’s Final Battle Lacked A Strong Variety Of Characters
Outside Gi-hun & The Baby, There Was No One Else To Root For
On top of Myung-gi being an inferior villain to Sang-woo, the final game lacked a good variety of characters altogether. Season 1’s final game was a lot more intimate, pitting two ofSquid Game’s best charactersagainst one another in a battle to the death. Understandably, season 3 didn’t want to repeat this, having nine finalists instead.
Unfortunately, Gi-hun was the only person audiences could really get behind, other than the baby. Myung-gi failed to do anything heroic in season 3, Min-su’s arc didn’t really go anywhere, while Jeong-Dae and the other finalists were there to be hated, meaningthe final challenge lacked the emotional depth necessary to provide a truly gripping conclusion.
Killing Dae-ho Goes Against Everything Gi-hun Stood For
Given Gi-hun’s entire story throughout seasons 2 and 3 was proving the Front Man wrong about humanity’s true nature, his arc with Dae-ho leaves a real blemish on the final season.After his revolt against the games went wrong, Gi-hun seemed to put the blame almost entirely on Dae-ho, who became consumed by fear and failed to return with ammo.
This essentially left those fighting back against the guards sitting ducks, leading to Jeong-bae and several other players being killed. As a result, Gi-hun directly targeted Dae-ho during “Hide and Seek”, opting to spare other players solely to kill Dae-ho.
Although there was hesitation and a scuffle before Gi-hun finally took his former ally down, choking Dae-ho to death went directly against his character. It may have shown In-ho’s philosophy was getting to him while highlighting his despair, butGi-hun’s actions still felt erratic and out-of-character,making his swift return to being morally righteous dampen season 3’s overall quality.
3Most Of Squid Game’s Villains Avoided Facing Any Real Consequences
In-ho, The VIPs & Most Of The Guards Never Faced Any Justice
Considering how evil and sinisterSquid Game’s concept is, it felt extremely underwhelming that barely any villains faced justice. Sure, Captain Park and the Commanding Officer were killed, but everyone else seemed to get away with their crimes.
From what the series showed, most of the guards managed to escape the games before the self-destruct sequence activated, meaning only those who died during Gi-hun’s revolt and No-eul’s attempt to rescue player 246 faced consequences. The VIPs were never exposed, and those running the games from afar weren’t even in any danger, seemingly remaining anonymous to the world.
Eventhe Front Man survivedSquid Gameseason 3, and while his view of the world may have changed, it doesn’t justify his actions. Opting to go for a dark ending is understandable, but leaving the audience with almost nothing to celebrate creates a hopeless feeling that may be intentional, but ultimately fails to pay off almost four years of investment.
2The Fate Of The Games Being Left Unresolved Meant We Didn’t Get A Conclusive Ending
It Felt Like Squid Game Intentionally Kept The Games Around For Future Spinoffs
Leaving the games' fate ambiguous does keep the franchise interesting, but it’s also part of the problem for season 3. For Netflix’s hit project to end definitively, it needed the competition to be destroyed forever, even if the bad guys still won in some capacity. Instead, the final moments teased anAmericanSquid Gamespinoff, leaving things unresolved.
Squid Game is rumored to have an American spinoff penned by David Fincher, but there has been no official confirmation.
Given the twisted contest is international, it makes sense that it would be near impossible to stop permanently, but as things are after season 3, it seems like even the Korean games could be revived after a rebuild and a new Front Man is appointed. Therefore, failing to make a concrete statement around this topic in the finale naturally left fans feeling unsatisfied.
Even if this was always the intended focus of the ending,Cate Blanchett’sSquid Gamecameo feels like spinoff bait, which goes against the franchise’s anti-capitalism message. As a result, season 3’s overall conclusion felt like it was missing a proper resolution, creating this divided reception that will ultimately damage the show’s legacy.
1Jun-ho’s Underwhelming Confrontation With In-ho Made His Entire Storyline Pointless
Jun-ho’s Achieved Nothing In The End Despite Three Seasons Of Tracking Down The Games
Some of season 3’s other mistakes may have been forgivable had it not been forSquid Gamesquandering the ending of Jun-ho and In-ho’s story. Having tracked down the games in season 1, Jun-ho came face to face with the Front Man, where he discovered it was his brother behind the mask, who subsequently shot him.
Having miraculously survived, Jun-ho spent the entirety of seasons 2 and 3 trying to locate the island and confront his brother, which he finally achieved in the finale. However, rather than having a proper conversation that wrapped up their storyline, Jun-ho asked his brother why he did what he did, only to be ignored.
In the end, In-ho did give his brother the winnings of the latest game, but it didn’t make up for Jun-ho’s story feeling pointless, which exposedSquid Gameseason 3’s ending issues. These two important characters deserved an in-depth confrontation rather than the underwhelming exchange that we got, which ruined the show’s conclusion and created mixed emotions among the fan base.
