Squid Game • Season 3
Squid Game
TV-MA
Gi-hun and the players fight for survival in ever-deadlier games, which have dire consequences. In-ho welcomes the VIPs while his brother Jun-ho continues the search for the island, unaware of a traitor in their midst.
rg9400 reviewedJune 29, 2025
First thing first, this is not Season 3. This is just the second half of Season 2, and considering both were released just a few months apart, it should be treated as such. I think the first 3 episodes of this season have the hallmark strengths of the show, catapulting characters whose stories are compelling into tense and heartbreaking situations. By the end though, it's hard not to feel like the show lost a lot of steam. I think this can be attributed to numerous factors. For one, it seemed like this arc was being framed as this philosophical argument between the protagonist and antagonist, yet that dynamic is completely removed from these last few episodes. If this show was trying to showcase human empathy against human greed, it didn't do a particularly great job. The side stories from the last season continue here, and they almost always feel like an interruption that breaks the momentum of the actual story. These side characters do not make any sort of meaningful difference in the end, and their stories remain disparate and weak. Netflix clearly wants to milk this IP as much as possible, and that prevents the show from going in more daring directions. Instead, it often feels like a repeat of season 1. The games are better, and the show is still good at creating a wide variety of interesting characters. However, it fails to recognize which characters would resonate with the audience the most, leading to the final 3 episodes being significantly weaker than the first season due to the much weaker remaining roster. The ending makes it clear that this arc was probably unnecessary, a rehash that doesn't add much new into the mix. I think it will frustrate some viewers. Regardless, it is still very easy to binge, and when this show is hitting on all cylinders, it is extremely engaging with characters that are more compelling than the vast majority of death games. It's just such a shame that the show was unwilling to continue the framing from the last season and analyze its central themes with a different lens. Side note, the VIPs remain atrocious actors with horrendous dialogue.