REVIEW: Squid Game Season 3
The third and final season of Squid Game has arrived and the international hit sensation about contestants fighting for survival in a series of deadly games for life changing money finishes on a high. The Korean continues Seong Gui-hun’s attempt at taking the games down from the inside and wraps up the core story whilst leaving ample space for what now looks like the start of a Squid Game universe.
Squid Game S3 is a step up from the slower paced second season. We spend more time on the island where players are trapped and competing in the deadly games and the brutality ramps up in a series that has never shied away from darkness. Whilst Squid Game S3 doesn’t have the freshness of that first season, it is a step up from the plodding second season. Gi-hun is still reeling from his failed rebellion and betrayal by a man he thought was on his side. The Front Man, played brilliantly by Lee Byung-hun (A Bittersweet Life, I Saw the Devil, Terminator: Genysis) is one of the best characters of the season. Looking after the games whilst his brother frantically searches for him, he displays moments of heart that go against his role as the face (or mask?) of the brutal games. He is one of the characters that shows true development and it has been interesting to watch his progression throughout the series. There are emotional moments as characters show some compassion within the games but do not always get the reward they deserve as the deadly nature of the games take over and the greed and corruption in such an environment threaten to take over. Squid Game has always been about what can happen when people truly have their backs against the wall, contestants and guards alike, and it is the choices that are made whilst survival is almost within the grasp of some that make Squid Game S3 standout. The kills are as brutal as they ever have been and there is a sense of loss in this season that permeates as we follow Gi-hun at his lowest. He could have left for America to be with his daughter but instead he starts the season chained up in a room and struggling to find a will to fight any more. Of course, he is given a reason to live and his fight is compelling as he faces incredible odds once more as he tries to save as many people as he can.
There are other story arcs within Squid Game S3 but none really have the depth of Gi-hun’s. There is a final tease of where the show is heading in the future and with Squid Game 87 and Squid Game USA already announced, this isn’t the end of the hit show. Look for more brutality, more downtrodden folk, more greedy capitalist westerners, and Cate Blanchett – I can’t wait!
Whilst it doesn’t hit the heights of the first season, Squid Game S3 is a great send off to what has been a remarkable series. The South Korean show stands alongside stories such as Battle Royale and Hunger Games and adds its own spin to make it stand out against such efforts. Seong Gi-hun is one of the best characters seen on TV this decade and whilst I am glad to see his story wrapped up with a grimdark bow, I am excited for what else is to come.
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