Squid Game: Season 3 Review
Cast: Lee Jun Jae (Gi-Hun , Player 456), Lee Byung Hun (Frontman, Player 001, Hwang In Ho), Wi Ha-Jun (Hwang Jun-ho), Jun Suk Ho (Choi Woo-Seok), Yim Si-Wan (Myung-Gi, Player 333), Kang Ha-Neul (Dae-Ho, Player 388), Lee Jin-Uk (Gyeong-Seok, Player 246), Park Sung-Hoon (Hyun-Ju, Player 120), Yang Dong-Geun (Yong-Sik, Player 007), Kang Ae-Sim (Geum-Ja, Player 149), Lee Seo-Hwan (Jung Bae, Player 390), Jo Yuri (Jun-Hee, Player 222), Park Gyu-Young (No-Eul, Sharp shooter on Red team), Chae kuk-Hee (Seon-Nyeo, Player 044), Lee David (Min-Su, Player 125), Roh Jae-Won (Nam Gyu, Player 124), Choi Seung-Hyun (Thanos, Player 230), Won Ji-an (Se-Mi, Player 380) etc..
Creator/Writer/Director/Executive Producer: Hwang Dong-Hyuk
Music/Sound Score: Jung Jae-il
Art Director: Chase Kyung-Sun
Production: Firstman Studio
Original Language: Korean
Release Date: 27th June 2025
Platform: Netflix
Rating: 3/5
We pick up from where Season 2 left off, Gi Hun is left traumatised by the death of his friend Jung Bae and the death of all the other accomplices who followed him to the unsuccessful coup. Amateurish tactics….One that was bound to fail and expected to fail by the looks of what they were up against.
Jun Ho continues to unsuccessfully find the island. The operations suffer due to a mole on board, placed to mislead and misdirect if they get close to the truth. Woo-Seok tries to snoop around to find the true perpetrator…
The main question is will Jun Ho manage to find the island in time to save Gi Hun? And will there be anyone left to save?
Gi Hun relies and survives on pure play luck that has been following him since the second season; not determination, not strategy, not planning or even basic survival instincts. Gi Hun initially drags himself through the tasks, till he gets an aim to safeguard and protect Jun Hee’s new born daughter. That’s right! We have a full fledged birthing scene right in the middle of a task, killing et al happening in the background! Gi Hun’s character as a figurehead does not pose much attraction in this season till he delivers the master stroke at the end where he leaves everyone dumbstruck with a “ We are humans Not Horses “. Perhaps the most poignant moment and ending to the season. Whatever else that follows is just postscript in a resounding silence.
Season 3 , fails to give us the same adrenaline charged environment as the first two, or perhaps we are so auto tuned to character deaths that their inevitable deaths one after the other like falling pieces on the board does not pose the same surprise and heart stopping moments. The prima facie factor that makes squid games so popular, its unpredictability regarding the survival of the characters remains intact. The deaths happen, some through heartbreaking and tough choices and others just brutal. Gi Hun’s lacklustre attitude but lucky survival in the beginning of the season is one main area that the season falls short. Besides that, it’s the lack of answers. What is the background of the Squid Games? What is In Ha’s true purpose and motivation in holding the position of the frontman? A flashback and then some hazy relationships built between some of the crew are all we are offered. If, as Hwang Dong-Hyuk confirmed, there are going to be no more seasons of The Squid Games, then that leaves us with a lot of speculation and no conclusion except a closure to Gi Hun’s story.
We have a special appearance by Cate Blanchett in the end credit scene, playing the role of The Recruiter in America, confirming that the next Squid Game will be held there. Which also raises the possibility of an American spin-off.
