‘Squid Game’ Season 3 Review: A Short, Bitter Farewell To A Pop Culture Giant

When Squid Game first premiered in 2021, it took over the internet. While the idea of the show wasn’t anything unique – movies like Battle Royale and the Hunger Games franchise have similar concepts – it succeeded in its delivery in a way other stories hadn’t. You couldn’t go to a single convention or Halloween party that year without seeing green tracksuits and masked guards. Even Mr. Beast got on the trend!

Squid Game’ Season 3 is a brief, emotional finale that closes the chapter on one of the biggest pop culture sensations of the decade.

A Shorter Season That Feels Rushed

At just six episodes, Season 3 is noticeably shorter than its predecessors—Season 1 ran nine episodes, and Season 2 spanned seven. Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk previously stated that these episodes were supposed to be one season, but were split into a 2nd and 3rd season due to the episode count (source). This is why season 3 really doesn’t feel like season 3 – it takes place literally right after season 2. And because there’s only 6 episodes, it feels like there was a lot that wasn’t fleshed out, or moments that weren’t given room to breathe.

There’s Still Great Performances

Despite its narrative shortcomings, the cast once again delivers outstanding work. Lee Jung-jae returns as Gi-hun, bringing a raw, haunted intensity that makes his tragic arc land even when the writing stumbles. Newer players like Park Sung-hoon and Jo Yu-ri shine in morally gray roles, illustrating how quickly compassion erodes in the face of survival.

How Do You End a Show like ‘Squid Game’?

Well, you should have ended it at season 1. Just like Netflix’s Queen’s Gambit, season one of Squid Game was perfect and could have lived as a singular season. It told the story it needed to and it ended wonderfully – adding Gi-hun at the airport at the end was certainly not necessary, but even if that scene remained, you could have left the rest to the viewer’s imagination. Season one forced viewers to reconsider the cost of economic disparity and the twisted games the system plays on ordinary people. Season 3 simply felt like the very greed and capitalism that season 1 criticized.

It shouldn’t be understand how season three does dilute this brilliant masterpiece. Granted, season 2 was enjoyable and at that point, you needed more to really tie things up. In my season two review, I praised the second season for complimenting the intensity of season 1. It’s something I stand by today. However, after looking at season 3 and how it ends, especially with what it promises; I’m left wishing it ended with season 1.

Spoilers Ahead: The Setup for the American Version

Gi-hun’s arc concludes in a moment of grim self-sacrifice, destroying the game from within rather than surviving it one more time. It’s a harrowing end that speaks to the show’s inherent cynicism—a worldview that insists some systems are too corrupt to fix from the inside.

But Netflix is not quite done. As mentioned earlier, it looks like the show is going for the MCU effect in building up their world – something that it feels like their show is criticizing. It’s been teased in the past that we’re getting an American version, but I also didn’t believe it until Cate Blanchett showed up. Do we really need this? Oh, Hollywood, how you never fail to absolutely squeeze every last drop you can out of a previously perfectly devised story.

In The End…

This review has felt more negative than originally intended. In the end, Squid Game is a great show. Personally, I love this show, and we cannot deny the cultural significance that season one had. Gi-hun is the standout in season three and it should be applauded that the show really leans into darker themes this season, and in the end, is bold in where they took Gi-hun’s story.

And while we don’t know if the American version will hit the same way as the South Korean version (guarantee it won’t), we’ll still look upon the work the writers and actors did in bringing us Squid Game, and I don’t think anyone will look at any of these beloved childhood games the same way again.