Well, it’s over…or is it? That’s the question I actually have after finishing the “last” episode of Squid Game.
Even though we’ve been told that this is the final season, I have my doubts…and even some worries for the franchise. Like most people, I loved the Emmy award-winning first season of Squid Game. While Seasons 2 and 3 didn’t come anywhere near matching the storytelling of that first season, I’m still glad that we got them.
For instance, I like that we got some new characters. So much so that I, like many others, was upset by a few of their deaths. I also liked most of the new games that we got to see (though I’m not entirely sure that Seasons 2 and 3 had to be split up into halves). Even so, now that it’s supposedly over, I still have some concerns. Care to listen?
Oh, and MASSIVE spoilers up ahead.
The Show Might Not Have The Best Ending, But There’s A Definitive One, And I Want It To End Here
Squid Game, Seasons 2 and 3, were ultimately a redemption arc for Seong Gi-hun, a.k.a. Player 456, played by Lee Jung-jae.
Player 456, wracked with survivor’s guilt after the events from the first season, spent most of his time and money on getting back into Squid Game in order to take them down from the inside. Most of Season 2, which I mostly liked, headed in this direction. Player 456 tried and failed spectacularly as he and a few others tried to take down the heads of the game with force. He ultimately ended up losing, mostly since The Front Man, played by Lee Byung-hun, infiltrated their group and threw a monkey wrench into their plans.
So, Season 3 begins with a defeated Seong Gi-hun, who spends most of the season in an almost catatonic state, as he’s pretty much given up all hope. That is, until Player 222 has a baby girl, and he feels a new responsibility to protect her once the mother dies. He even sacrifices himself in the last episode so that she can live.
This is an ending. I mean, it’s not the best ending, but it’s a definitive one. I honestly didn’t think Squid Game needed two more seasons, but if we were going to follow 456 to the bitter end, then at least we got a conclusion to his story.
But that’s just it. Even though his story is definitely over, some of the loose ends are still not tied up. Which leads me to one of my biggest concerns for the franchise.
Seasons 2 And 3 Of Squid Game Were Nice, But I Don’t Want There To Possibly Be A Season 4
Like I said, I know we’ve been told that the series is over, but I honestly don’t believe that for a second.
At the end of Season 1, Seong Gi-hun is about to get on a plane, but then decides against it, only for The Front Man to order him to board the flight…which Seong Gi-hun refuses. Honestly, I don’t know why I thought that the series was over at the time when it clearly wasn’t (I mean, were they really just going to leave it with Player 456 not boarding the flight?). However, I thought that the first season was so good, they really didn’t need to go any further.
Now, we have The Front Man at the end of Season 3 (The “last” season), and he’s still alive and delivering Seong Gi-hun’s clothes to his daughter. After he does so, he sees that the ddakji game is being played by none other than…Cate Blanchett! (I know she’s playing an undisclosed character, but I imagined The Front Man thinking, Wow! It’s Academy Award-winning actress and star of Tar, Cate Blanchett, right outside my window!)
Anyway, The Front Man still being alive – as well as a number of other characters – still leads me to believe that there’s room for more story, and possibly a Season 4, and I don’t like that idea.
I only believe this because Season 3’s ending feels as inconclusive as the ending to Season 1, but Seong Gi-hun’s story is over, and we really don’t need to see the Front Man’s story. Oh, and you know what I also don’t want?
Squid Game Has Always Worked As A Korean Show, And I Think It Should Remain That Way
I legitimately do not want an American version of Squid Game. Squid Game is a Korean show, and I think it should remain that way. I don’t want this to be like Fight Club (Even though I love Fight Club!) where the word has spread and now it’s gotten out of control, with other people catching wind and creating their own version of it (For example, I don’t need any, “His name was Seong Gi-hun,” chants in an American version).
Squid Game was unique because it was Korean. If it had been American, I’m sure it would have gotten viewers, but I don’t think it would have been the cultural phenomenon that it was in America. Seeing all of these unique (some familiar, some very unfamiliar) games played by Korean people just hit differently, and it felt both universal and yet distinctly something else entirely.
Plus, you had the narrative of North and South Korea baked into the series with fan-favorite character, Kang Sae-byeok (played by Jung Ho-yeon) in the first season, and Kang No-eul (played by Park Gyu-young) in Seasons 2 and 3.
These North Korean defectors offer a sort of commentary on the frayed relationship between North and South Korea. If there were an American Squid Game, I feel it could be a Red State/Blue State kind of thing, and do we really want that? I mean, you might, but I definitely don’t, which brings me to my last point.
In The End, Squid Game As A Concept Has Kind Of Run Its Course, And l’d Rather Not See The Franchise Expand More Than It Already Has
Can I be honest with you? I’m kind of done with Squid Game.
When the creator says that he has an idea for a spin-off show, I’m just like, please no. That’s not because I don’t like Squid Game. It’s actually because I LOVE Squid Game. Or, at least, I loved it. Haven’t we had enough by now? We already got the reality show, Squid Game: The Challenge, and that whole Mr. Beast Squid Game in Real Life video. What else do we possibly need?
I feel like the show has been slightly tarnished a bit by the expansion of the story. Squid Game was like this perfect one-season thing, and it was one of the best shows on Netflix (Hell, it outright made history at one point with how many people watched it). Season 2, which again, I liked, kind of sullied the show’s reputation, and now that it’s over, I feel like it should remain over if it wants to maintain any of the goodwill that it once had.
Think of it like the Rocky series. The first movie was so beloved that it actually won Best Picture. However, with subsequent films, it kind of became a shadow of its former self. I mean, I love Rocky IV, but does it have the same respect as the first movie? Absolutely not. It’s cheesy as all hell, and I love it for being cheesy, but in no way would it have ever been considered a frontrunner for Best Picture.
I feel the same way about Squid Game. Seasons 2 and 3 were interesting, but I don’t want to see any more of this world. I’m worried about Season 3’s ending, that more might eventually come in some way or another.
So, what do you think? Would you like more Squid Game? I’d love to hear your thoughts.