Netflix’s Squid Game was never meant to be a cheerful watch, but its final season takes that bleakness to exhausting extremes. What started as a gripping social satire wrapped in brutal suspense now ends as a heavy, sometimes sluggish spectacle, burdened by its own ambition and a sense of creative fatigue. While Squid Game season 3 delivers a few jolts of twisted brilliance, it mostly stumbles through recycled ideas, underdeveloped characters, and grim spectacle, confirming what some fans feared: the show might’ve peaked in its debut season.
The Aftermath of Revolution: Picking Up Where Season 2 Left Off
Season three begins in the immediate aftermath of season two’s violent climax. Gi-hun’s rebellion has been crushed. The dorms are littered with the remnants of resistance. The few remaining rebels are quickly silenced, their bodies swiftly cleaned up. Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), though alive, is emotionally shattered. He doesn’t speak much early on — his grief and guilt render him mute, his presence ghost-like.
The game resumes with 60 players left, still chasing the tantalizing reward of a massive cash prize. The format remains the same: children’s games twisted into deadly trials. Yet the impact feels dulled. The inventiveness that made the first season’s challenges unforgettable is missing. “Sky Squid Game,” a deadly push-off atop towering platforms, tries to bring tension, but lacks the novelty of earlier games like Red Light, Green Light or the glass bridge.
Voting, VIPs, and the Disguise of Democracy
The twisted illusion of choice remains central to the season’s themes. Players must vote before each game on whether to continue or quit. On the surface, this suggests democratic fairness, but as one line bitterly reminds viewers, “In accordance with your free and democratic vote, the next game will resume tomorrow.” The satire here is sharp: the system is rigged, choices are manipulated, and even murder is disguised as majority rule.
But the problem lies in repetition. This theme was already explored in previous seasons. The votes feel like filler now, dragging momentum rather than building tension. One VIP, with the show’s usual awkwardly wooden English dialogue, insists the voting is “more exciting than the games!” It’s hard not to hear the creators trying to convince us of the same — unsuccessfully.
The VIPs, those masked rich spectators who symbolize the voyeuristic cruelty of unchecked capitalism, return — but their presence still feels like a misstep. Their scenes seem out of sync with the rest of the show, adding little more than empty commentary and tonal confusion.
A Bloated Cast with Little Depth
If season two introduced new characters with minimal development, season three barely even tries to expand them. Even the more sympathetic figures — like trans soldier Hyun-ju (Park Sung-hoon) or expectant mother Jun-hee (Jo Yu-ri) — remain thinly drawn. Others, like sadistic Nam-gyu and greedy Jeong-dae, fall into caricature without complexity. They’re pawns in a bloody game, not people we care about.
Even Gi-hun, once the show’s beating heart, is transformed into a silent, almost empty figure. There’s a sense that the humanity — the small moments of kindness and empathy that once balanced the violence — has all but vanished.
There are bright spots, though. Loan shark Woo-seok (Jeon Seok-ho) adds some much-needed levity and charm, and Park Gyu-young’s guard No-eul brings intrigue with her covert attempts to protect someone she knows. Meanwhile, Wi Ha-joon’s ex-cop Jun-ho continues his solo investigation, hopping between islands in search of his brother In-ho (the Front Man, played by Lee Byung-hun), though his storyline contributes little more than screen time.
The New Contestant Twist: Shocking But Strained
One of the season’s biggest reveals — a late-game twist involving a player who enters the game without giving consent — walks the tightrope between shocking and absurd. It pushes the show’s credibility even by Squid Game standards. While it injects some intrigue and emotional stakes into the final episodes, it also feels like a desperate attempt to raise the emotional bar without proper buildup.
This twist becomes a major plot point in the final stretch, but instead of adding weight, it further exposes the narrative cracks. The drama becomes louder, but not deeper.
The Brutality Overpowers the Message
Squid Game was never a feel-good show, but early on, its brutality was balanced by a deep empathy for its characters and a smart critique of capitalism and class systems. Season three still aims for social commentary — this time spotlighting how the illusion of democracy is used to justify systemic cruelty — but it does so with a heavy hand and little nuance.
The violence is relentless, the suffering constant, and the story bleak to the point of fatigue. One scene involving a baby is particularly disturbing, more for its shock value than emotional resonance. The cleverness that once made Squid Game thrilling is largely gone, replaced with exhaustion and gloom.
A Finale That Feels Like a Mercy Kill
The final two episodes aim for operatic intensity, and to some extent, they succeed. The finale ends with a shocking twist — one so unexpected that it reportedly left even critics stunned. But by then, the emotional investment is gone. Rather than a cathartic payoff, the ending feels like a final jolt from a show running on fumes.
The lingering question is whether this twist hints at a spinoff or a final statement. For the sake of the story — and the audience — one can only hope this marks the end. The show’s universe no longer feels like a place for commentary or character, only suffering and spectacle.
Final Verdict: A Game That Should Have Ended Sooner
Season three of Squid Game offers occasional moments of insight and impact but is largely a grim march toward an unsatisfying conclusion. The show’s initial promise — a brutal but brilliant blend of satire and suspense — has faded, replaced by repetition, shallow characters, and a bloated narrative.
What was once a razor-sharp critique of social inequality now feels like misery for misery’s sake. Squid Game may still have fans, and its cultural footprint is undeniable, but this final chapter confirms that some games are better left not replayed.
Rating: 2.5/5 – Stylish but soulless, and ultimately, too much game for too little reward.
Also Read: Ironheart Review: A Flawed Origin Story That Still Shows Potential
