It’s pretty unfair to treat Squid Game 3 as the third season of the show, because it’s not. It’s pretty obvious that they shot 13 episodes worth of content and then haphazardly divided it into 2 seasons. So, this is essentially Squid Game 2 Part 2. And if you’re going to say that every show in existence is a sequel to the first season of a show, then I’m afraid that you don’t even know how series work. By the way, this practice isn’t all that new for Netflix. They had (allegedly) done this with The Cuphead Show, where they paid the artists for one season only, but they released what they worked on as three separate seasons. Usually, whenever a new season is greenlit, contracts are renegotiated, salaries are hiked, resources are increased, and more. So, to avoid all that “hassle,” the streaming platform apparently scammed the artists by earning a bunch of revenue for approximately 1/3rd of the money it’d have taken to actually make 3 seasons. After that, Netflix released several shows in parts without claiming that they were different seasons. However, I guess, since Squid Game is such a profitable IP, they decided to go back to their old ways, and, yeah, it was bad. I didn’t like Squid Game 2. I am apathetic towards Squid Game 3 because criticizing it feels like beating a dead horse, which Netflix won’t stop milking till the end of time. But I’m going to do it anyway. So, brace yourselves.
A Baby? Really?!
Using a baby to give Gi-hun a sense of purpose and increase the borderline non-existent stakes of the show was cheap and extremely unimaginative. Having a pregnant girl in Season 2 was the OG cheap and unimaginative move. But, yeah, putting a literally newborn baby into the game seemed unnecessarily manipulative. If you don’t care about the baby, you are like the VIPs. If you care about the baby, you are falling for the simplest trick in the book. I’m going to be honest, and judge me all you want, but the baby did nothing for me. This was the final season of the South Korean chapter of the show. So, I knew they weren’t going to kill the baby. And, as soon as that realization set in, that CGI baby could’ve been a football for all I care. They could’ve chucked the baby several feet into the air several times over the course of those 6 episodes, and I wouldn’t have batted an eye. All the characters’ reactions to what was actually being done to the baby (they didn’t toss it into the air several times, by the way) were pretty predictable. Hence, it didn’t shock me. I can’t even give points for cuteness because the baby wasn’t real, at least while she was in the game.
Uninteresting Games
Hide and Seek, Jump the Rope, and Sky Squid Game were all boring as hell. I think Hide and Seek was single-handedly ruined by Nam-gyu. I understand that he was supposed to get on the audience’s nerves by acting like a psychopath. But his whole shtick was so repetitive and one-note that it just prompted me to passively watch the episodes. So, by the time the fight between Gi-hun and Dae-ho began, I was like, “Yeah, whatever, just get it over with already.” Jump the Rope had a similar problem. It had a decent twist in the form of Player 096 deciding to not allow players to cross the bridge, but then the way they resolved it was so mind-numbingly stupid that I didn’t have the emotional threshold to care about Jun-hee’s “sacrifice.” The only good thing about Sky Squid Game was the twist that Gi-hun hadn’t pressed the “start” button before killing Myung-gi, thereby forcing him to choose between himself and the baby. As mentioned before, I knew that the show wasn’t bold enough to kill the baby and turn Gi-hun into the monster he had once vowed to kill. At least that would’ve underscored the destructive nature of capitalism better than his act of self-sacrifice. Instead, the show opted for some saccharine nonsense that might seem “optimistic,” but as soon as the inevitable Squid Game spin-off kicks off, the hollowness of that ending will become apparent. Hence, enjoy it while it lasts, I guess.
Not-So-Happy Pride Month
Killing off a queer character in Pride Month always seems fishy to me. I’m not saying the killing off of queer characters in movies and shows that are being released every other month is fine by me because, historically speaking, they’ve been on a rough journey, which has led to discrimination against their real-life counterparts. But when it happens in Pride Month, it just rubs me the wrong way. If you think that such decisions are made in a vacuum, you’re wrong. Sure, Hwang Dong-hyuk has been presented as the auteur behind Squid Game. However, I’m certain he has to consult with a bunch of people before making certain decisions so that the broader ramifications of artistic choices are favorable for the IP. From what I have heard, South Korea is becoming more and more accepting of the trans community. Now, I’m not naive enough to think that Hyun-ju should’ve made it all the way to the end just because the show has been released during Pride Month. It’s Squid Game. I know how it works. However, having a cisgendered man play a trans character and then having them be killed off in such a random way just felt odd. I think the show wanted to evoke shock. That said, all I felt was disappointment, which then transformed into doubt… doubt about the showrunners’ true intent.
Weightless Conflicts
I suppose I’m an idiot for assuming that, after the ending of Squid Game 2, the central conflict of the third season would be between Gi-hun and In-ho. Was it? Was it?! No, it wasn’t. Instead we got a face reveal that was probably worse than that of Dream’s. I mean, in Dream’s case, at the very least there was a sense of surprise. In In-ho’s case, his face was public knowledge in every country with internet access. Gi-hun finally learned about it? Big whoop! Also, the amount of time spent on Gi-hun feeling betrayed by that revelation was so short that the whole exercise felt pointless. Min-su’s rivalry with Nam-gyu was so forced. It seemed like they were just there to do some anti-drug PSA. This was the final season of a highly anticipated show, man! Going from 9 episodes in the 1st season to just 6 episodes in the 3rd season was a mistake anyway. But Dong-hyuk could’ve used that handicap to finetune the weight of the conflicts. Instead, he told us kids to not do drugs. Great. Last but not least, the VIPs versus the contestants. I don’t know if it was purposeful, but those overhyped VIPs felt dumb, not diabolical. If you think involving a baby in a game show is the most radical thing rich people can do, I think you’re pretty out of touch. That’s the issue with making a show that’s in conversation with society: reality has become stranger than fiction, and if you’re no good at predicting what the elite will do when presented with a scenario such as spectating a Squid Game, you’ll fail to impress. I liked it better when the VIPs didn’t talk much; at least they felt ominous, thereby making me care for the contestants.
Pointless Character Arcs
I know that the header says “arcs,” but this section is just dedicated to Jun-ho and In-ho. What was the thought process behind these 2 characters? I don’t know if the people who watch Squid Game are familiar with the Dhoom series. In a nutshell, ACP Jai Dixit goes after a new thief in each installment and fails to capture him. But since he is the protagonist, the movies have to set up loopholes to make Jai look smart. Jun-ho, to me, is the Jai Dixit of this Netflix series. However, I think Jun-ho is worse than Jai Dixit because Jai had to go up against 3 different thieves in those 3 movies. Jun-ho only had to go after In-ho, and he failed every time. As a consolation prize, he got a baby and 4.56 billion won. However, we’ve seen what happened to Gi-hun when he got that kind of money. So, it’s pretty obvious what’s going to happen to Jun-ho; he’s going to try and capture In-ho again and fail… again. You know what? At this stage, they should make Jun-ho and In-ho going around in circles the running joke of the series. I mean, the show won’t be able to reach the satirical highs of that pitch-perfect 1st season. Therefore, it might as well turn into a Charlie Chaplin-esque slapstick comedy series. I know that it sounds like I’m being ironic and sarcastic, but I’m being deadly serious.
No Lessons Learned
I am going to be honest; when Netflix announced that Squid Game was going to come to an end with a third and final season, I was actually happy. Because I had seen it get bastardized by YouTubers and Netflix itself. I had high hopes for Season 2. But once that turned out to be a massive dud, I was glad that the streaming platform had decided to not ruin whatever remains of the goodwill that that amazing 1st season had earned. I didn’t know that a USA spinoff had been announced, with David Fincher at the helm. So, when I saw that Cate Blanchett teaser, my heart just plummeted. I know for a fact that all the hype-addicts, who were somewhat critical of these last 2 seasons, will forget about the series’ shortcomings and get all excited about all the spin-offs that Netflix has in store just for them. And, yeah, that makes sense. Of course a streaming platform run by capitalist numbnuts will miss the forest for the trees and continue to do exactly what the show is critiquing because… money. In an ideal world, people would’ve watched the 1st season, realized the error of their ways, and worked towards making the world a better place for everyone, except millionaires and billionaires. However, we live in a bizarro world, and we’ll keep making Squid Game sequels, prequels, spin-offs, reality shows, ripoffs, and knockoffs until the train has run out of steam. Actually, said train will keep running until its wheels have rusted over and there’s no more track left for the locomotive to cover.
What Was the Point?
Here’s a basic rundown of all the topics that the 1st season had covered: capitalism, classism, lack of class solidarity, misogyny, weaponizing nostalgia, anti-immigration sentiments, the illusion of democracy, greed, revenge, and the need to be compassionate. What did seasons 2 and 3 add to this? How did Season 3 flesh out these themes? What was the point of making 2 more seasons of a show if there was nothing new to say? The bad guys always win, and sacrifices are futile in the larger scheme of things? Yeah, they went over that in that 1st season. So, I ask again, what was the point of making Season 3? Just setting up a bunch of spin-offs and earning a bunch of money? At what cost, though? Well, as long as people are willing to mindlessly consume content, we’ll keep getting more meaningless iterations of Squid Game Season 1, and I’ll continue to ask, “What’s the point?” until one of us (the streaming platform or I) gets fed up and leaves the entertainment industry for good. Yeah, yeah, I know that Netflix will outlive us all. But what do I have to lose in this self-imposed struggle? Nothing but my sanity. At the time of writing this article, I’m already at the brink of losing it. One more step into the great unknown won’t hurt.
Final Thoughts
You know, when Squid Game became the most popular show in the world, a lot of cynics and contrarians tuned into it just so that they could say, “Eh! It’s overhyped.” After watching 2 awful follow-ups to Season 1, I still can’t be as spineless as those cynics and contrarians because, deep down, I know that I love that 1st season. Given how I hate the 2nd and 3rd seasons of the show, I can totally say that my admiration for Season 1 has been ruined, thereby adding to all the hate that the series is already getting. Yet, I’ll still say that if you are one of those rare people who hasn’t watched a single frame of Squid Game, please, go and watch the 1st season, and then stop. Don’t press play on the 2nd and 3rd seasons. Imagine whatever you want to imagine about Gi-hun’s fate; I can assure you that it’ll be better than what the show has to offer. Suffering through these seasons is just not worth it. I’m pretty sure that once the Chinese and US versions of the series are about to be released, there’ll be a lot of hoopla around them; ignore it. Avoid it like the plague. Yes, there’ll be positive reviews and whatnot, but I assure you that none of them will be as great as Squid Game Season 1. That’s the bittersweet truth. Anyway, those are just my thoughts on Squid Game 3. If you have any opinions on the same, feel free to share them in the comments section below.
