Squid Game Season 3 Review: It’s the (Lukewarm) End!

Squid Game Season 3 Review: It’s the third and final season, and, picking up after the events of season 2, Gi-hun is back to finish what he started and put the games to an end once and for all. However, the path to justice isn’t easy; in fact, he might have to kill everyone once again!

Squid Game Season 3 has 6 episodes, each with a runtime of around 60 minutes.

Squid Game Season 3 Review

Squid Game Season 1 had me completely off guard in 2021, and 4 years after the fact, regardless of how silly things have gotten since then, I am still hooked. Following Gi-hun’s quest to find justice for everything that the games have put him and others through, the last season is all about deception, opening locked doors (yeah, there’s a lot of that) and holding guns to people’s heads. There’s a certain goofiness this time around that made me crack up, but I still found myself pressing next as soon as one episode was over.

So, as mentioned, this season is all about vengeance and backstabbing. Some beloved characters die, a lot of them end their own lives, and the creators completely give up any semblance of logic as the episodes move forward. I can’t talk about some of the most egregious parts of it, but rest assured, if you found season 2 insane, this one’s a whole lot worse.

The vengeance portion of the series is quite arresting, and despite the lack of judgment and logic, I found myself rooting for the characters. Gi-hun is a wet blanket for the most part, but others get to shine because of that fact – Jun-hee (Jo Yuri), Hyun-ju (Park Sung-hoon) and Geum-ja (Kang Ae-sim) are memorable in every frame for being the positive influence that one needs in a grim atmosphere such as this. Myung-gi (Yim Si-wan) is another memorable character, although he’s more on the grey side, while Song Young-chang as Jeong-de is an annoyance of a different kind.

Other than the players, Lee Byung-hun returns as In-ho/ the Front Man and Park Gyu-young is guard 011, both of whom are fantastic. Poor Wi Ha-joon returns as Jun-ho and continues to be a menace, and is as forgettable as he was in season 1. The world-building, as always, is fantastic, although I will say that I didn’t enjoy the special effects that much, especially in one of the games. Although I enjoyed that particular game as a concept, I didn’t like the execution, especially with an added, unnecessary component that just feels silly after a while.

Also Read: Netflix’s Squid Game Review: Absolutely Thrilling

Other than that, the season is thrilling, albeit illogical, and the magnitude of silliness made me giggle. It completely misses the thrill, anticipation and tension of the first season because you know exactly what is about to happen. Now, you just wait for who will push whom over, and the antagonists have gotten a bit too cartoonish for my liking. I have always been of the opinion that this should’ve been a one-and-done show, but alas.

Either way, the series is going out with a small bang, and it’s entertaining either way. Just don’t expect anything too mind-boggling this time around. However, probably the only reason the season was a damper for me was the VIPs – these people are neither entertaining nor menacing and can’t act to save their lives. They get too much screen time and literally add nothing. I mean, the participants are heinous enough, we don’t need a bunch of white people to point and laugh and make bets. We get it. It’s so cringe!

Also Read: Squid Game Season 2 Review: Murder, Mayhem and a Ton of Fun

Final Thoughts

Squid Game Season 3 is questionable; it’s definitely entertaining, but it’s also very silly and infuriating at the same time. The performances are its best part, and all the actors are fantastic. Well, except a big oof to anyone who decided to bring the VIPs back. It’s time to bid Squid Game adieu, and I think it’s been a great time overall.

Also Read: Squid Game Season 3 Ending Explained: Is Gi-hun is Able to Stop the Games? What Happens in the Series Finale?