Warning! This article contains spoilers for Squid Game season 3.
This article contains mentions of murder and suicide.
As disturbing as the games fromSquid Gameseasons 1 and 2 may seem, they come nowhere close to being as gruesome and consequential as a season 3 game. The firstRed Light, Green Light game fromSquid Gameseason 1 arguably had the greatest shock factor because of how it established the high stakes of the titular games. It hinted at how many main characters from the series would eventually not make it out alive. With what followed, games like Dalgona put Gi-hun’s presence of mind on full display, while others like Tug of War showed how grit can overcome strength.
Other games like Marbles established how most characters were willing to cross many moral boundaries to be able to survive, while others, like season 1’s final Squid Game, showed the last bits of humanity left in the show’s morally skewed characters. Each game has been an effective narrative device in the series so far, so it would be a little unfair to rank one above the others. However, when it comes to being distressing and extremely tragic, oneSquid Gameseason 3’s gameeasily tops the list by a huge margin.
It Was The First Game That Openly Encouraged Players To Kill One Another
Squid Game’s playerswere divided into two teams in season 3’s early moments. This initially made it hard not to wonder if the show was introducing a complex, new game. However, instead of adopting a novel game,season 3 introduces one of the most familiar ones in the world: hide-and-seek. Even the rules are as simple as they can be. While the players of one team have to hide and escape the game’s arena, the ones from the other team have to find them.
However, to raise the stakes, the show adds several new rules to the game. Each player from the hiding team gets a key, which they can use to unlock doors in the game’s arena and ultimately find the exit door. Players initially believe their keys will take them anywhere in the arena but soon realize that three types of key shapes exist: square, circle, and triangle. Players can only open the doors that have keyholes corresponding to the key shapes they possess.
The compulsion to kill a fellow player in the hide-and-seek game makes it far darker than all the others.
To make the game even harder,the taggers/seekers are given sharp knives and are told that they must kill at least one hider within 30 minutes after the game beginsto be able to qualify for the next round. Although players committed murder in many previous games in the show, killing another player was never a part of the rules. In the hide-and-seek game, however, killing is a condition the taggers must fulfill to be able to ensure their survival in the games. The compulsion to kill a fellow player in the hide-and-seek game makes it far darker than all the others.
Many Key Characters Surprisingly Died During The Game
Since most main players survived towards theend ofSquid Gameseason 2, many were expected to die in season 3. However, the first game in season 3 seems to kill far more players than I expected. Even some of the strongest competitors, like Hyun-ju, who were expected to reach the finals, were killed off in the most unexpected ways. After watchingSquid Gameseason 2, most viewers could see how death loomed over the mother-son duo, Jang Geum-ja and Park Yong-sik, because of how attached they have been to one another since the beginning.
However, despite this,Yong-sik’s demise came as a massive surprise because of the horrifying circumstances around it. The shaman, Seon-nyeo, was never among the show’s likable characters. But her ability to fool people into believing she had real supernatural abilities made it hard not to believe she would go far in the games. Owing to this, even her death catches one completely off-guard, especially after she ends up finding the exit door.
Dae-ho made a big mistake inSquid Gameseason 2’s final moments. If he had not messed up, Gi-hun and the team might have been able to overpower the guards. However, it is still hard not to empathize with him, given how he only lied about his military background to be able to get along with the stronger, morally righteous players.This makes his death quite tragic because his intentions were never driven by malice. He wanted to do the right thing and get along with the good guys, but his fear consumed him and drove him down the wrong path.
It Portrayed The Most Predictable Deaths In The Most Unpredictable Ways
Squid Gameseason 3’s episode 2, “Starry Night,” initially gave me hope when Hyun-ju single-handedly protected both Geum-ja and Jun-hee, while the two characters put their trust in her. In a game where deception was rampant, the trio fought together, and Geum-ja and Hyun-ju even helped Jun-hee give birth. When Hyun-ju finally found the exit, it looked like the lovable trio would make it out safely.Hyun-ju could have made it out alone, but they selflessly returned to Geum-ja and Jun-hee to take them with them.
Yong-sik’s death was not entirely unpredictable, but I could not have imagined that his own mother would use her hidden knife to kill him.
This tragically cost them their life because Myeong-gi mercilessly stabbed them in the back. The episode further broke me when Geum-ja and Jun-hee somehow held themselves together after watching Hyun-ju and attempted to escape but were stopped by Geum-ja’s own son. Yong-sik was among the heroes inSquid Gameseason 2, but seeing him grow increasingly desperate in the hide-and-seek game is horrifying.The fact that he even considers killing Jun-hee right after she gives birth shows how broken and dehumanized he becomestowards the end of the game.
Yong-sik’s death was not entirely unpredictable, but I could not have imagined that his own mother would use her hidden knife to kill him. Geum-ja, who was willing to put her own life on the line for her son, lived her worst nightmare when she made the ultimate sacrifice by killing Yong-sik to protect Jun-hee. This makes her story and Yong-sik’s death all the more devastating. Similar to Yong-sik, Min-su, too, ends up changing as his underlying guilt prompts him to kill the shaman. His transformation from being a timid, harmless boy to becoming a murderer is heartbreaking.
How Squid Game’s Hide-And-Seek Changed The Trajectory Of The Final Season
The Game’s Aftermath Led To Several Other Tragedies
After the game, Geum-ja carries the heavy burden of killing her own son and gradually loses her will to live. Tragically, she dies by suicide and leaves Gi-hun with the responsibility of helping Jun-hee and her baby. This significantly changes the trajectory of the season because it gives Gi-hun a new sense of responsibility. After twisting and breaking her leg during the hide-and-seek game, Jun-hee becomes incapable of competing in the Jump Rope game. With this, she, too, loses her life because of one tragic misstep during hide-and-seek.
22
3
Budget
US $21.4 million in season 1 and ₩100 billion in seasons 2 & 3
Streaming On
Netflix
As a result, Gi-hun is solely left responsible for the baby,which becomes a solid driver for him to survive and finish the games for good. After previously losing his will to survive and save his fellow players, Gi-hun finds a new reason to walk down the morally right path. Therefore, even though the hide-and-seek game leads to many upsetting character deaths, it seemingly shows Gi-hun the light at the end of the tunnel — his final shot at redemption.
Squid Game
Squid Game is a South Korean series released in 2021 that follows numerous financially struggling participants who are invited to partake in children’s games with deadly outcomes. As they compete, they vie for a substantial cash prize, all while navigating lethal challenges orchestrated by mysterious figures.
