Looking past the hype: Squid Game season three

When Squid Game first came out in 2021, it received a lot of positive feedback from fans all over the world, quickly climbing the ladder and joining other shows such as Stranger Things in the Netflix must-sees. In fact, the show garnered around 600 million views before season three. So why was it that the ending of season three had such a mixed reception, with fans feeling disappointed, angry, or excited?

Personally, I felt disappointed by the newest season, although I felt that it was already going downhill after season one as most shows overtaken by hype do. One of the things I hated the most about the newest season was how the characters were treated like plot points rather than characters at all. They had about as much realism as the CGI baby…

This becomes most apparent in episode two, titled ‘Hide and Seek’. Here we see the main character, Seong Gi-hun (otherwise known as Player 456), completely change as he hunts down a fellow player in order to get revenge for the failed takeover from season two. While I could see what the show writers were trying to do – displacing his grief and trauma from witnessing his best friend die and failing to escape the games – I still felt his vengeful hunting was out of character. After all, he knows the way the games pit people against each other better than anyone. He also returned to these games in order to save players and expose the villains behind them. Why would he then give in to what the games wanted all along: to expose a darker side of him? Considering he came to save the players, shouldn’t he have displaced his anger to the Front Man?

His final act was one of defiance

Another character that fell victim to becoming a plot point was Cho Hyun-ju (also known as Player 120). The irony of her death is that we see her tackle and fight other players with ease – not surprising considering she was a former special forces soldier. How was it then possible that two players, who weren’t exactly discreet, were able to sneak up on her and kill her?

In addition, Jang Geum-ja (also known as Player 149) was also used for shock factor.  Throughout the show, everything she does is for her son, even entering the games for him. It made no sense to me at all as to why she would kill her only child to protect the newborn. I’m not arguing that her wanting to protect the baby was unrealistic, but killing her own child definitely was. In her position, she should have forced her son to stab her or trick him into doing it. This would have been so much more realistic, though I guess it would also be more predictable. I think it still could’ve at least made for a very emotionally charged moment, similar to Ali Abdul’s death in season one.

Moving on from unrealistic characters, I do think Seong Gi-hun’s death and last words were well written. His final act was one of defiance, and leaving his sentence unfinished was a perfect way to annoy the VIPs. It also made for an introspective commentary on the nature of humans, allowing the audience to think of what he meant and how his sentence could’ve ended.

There seems to have been a plunge in quality as the show progressed

However, speaking of the VIPs, their acting and dialogue was so bad that the internet raced to make memes. I mean, it makes no sense to dub English-speaking actors with other English-speaking replacements. Not only that, but their lines and content were even more cringeworthy than before, and many fans have pointed out how their masks looked cheaper too.

Overall, the show may have started out with a strong and memorable season one, but following the pattern of most hyped-up Netflix shows, there seems to have been a plunge in quality as the show progressed. Ultimately, I agree with those who felt like season three was just a setup for an American spin-off, with its downsides overshadowing any quality content of the show.

Squid Game is available to watch on Netflix.