Diksha Sundriyal
The third season of Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ serves as the final chapter in the story of Seong Gi-hun, who was inducted into the games when he had nothing left to lose. After suffering through and winning the brutal first turn at the game, he returns for another iteration with the intent to dismantle the whole thing from within. By the third season, it becomes clear that the games are much more expansive than previously thought, and despite everything, Gi-hun is fighting a losing battle. It ends on a bittersweet note, but it also leaves enough to explore over the course of subsequent seasons. However, the streaming service has declared it as the final season, which doesn’t make sense in the context that ‘Squid Game’ is one of the biggest shows on Netflix. Creatively, however, it is a different story altogether. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Ending Squid Game With Season 3 was a Creative Decision
In the world of television, a show either dies a hero or runs long enough to drown its reputation in mediocrity. Several shows that started out great have fallen to the trope of milking the cash cow for as long as possible. With ‘Squid Game,’ however, Hwang Dong-hyuk did not want to do the same. The writer-director came up with the storyline after being inspired by his own financial struggles in an increasingly capitalist world with deepening class disparity. From writing the story in 2009 to having it accepted by Netflix in 2019 was a long and trying journey, but it bore fruit with the massive success it experienced on its release.
The streaming service soon commissioned a second season, but before its sophomore run graced the screens, the third season was announced to be its last one. In truth, the second and third seasons were written as one entire arc and were filmed back to back. But they were broken up as a strategic decision made to amplify the show’s reach and impact. The second season was even more successful, but it did not inspire Hwang to continue with the fourth one. He revealed that the idea of continuing the story had been discussed but rejected. He also went on to add that while the third season leaves several loose ends, this does not mean that they need to be tied up. For all intents and purposes, this story has found its end.
Another reason that Hwang decided to end the tale of Seong Gi-hun here is because of the toll that it started to take on him. He revealed that he lost eight or nine teeth while making the first season of ‘Squid Game,’ and lost at least two more teeth by the time the final season wrapped up. The challenge of making the series has been too physically demanding, and Hwang wishes to prioritise his health for once. Moreover, the three-season arc works impeccably well for the show, and it would be unwise to ruin it by forcing another season that does not come organically. However, this does not mean that we have seen the last of the ‘Squid Game’ universe.
Squid Game Season 3 Finale Teases the American Spin-Off
While Hwang Dong-hyuk may be done with ‘Squid Game’ for now, he hasn’t entirely scrapped the possibility of returning to the universe in other forms. He has talked about his desire to explore spin-offs and other aspects of its universe, particularly the events that happen between the games in the outside world. He talked about having a “faint ideation about the three-year gap between season 1 and season 2 when Gi-hun looks around for the recruiters” or “have a portrayal of what the recruiters or Captain Park [Oh Dal-su] or officers or masked men were doing in that period, not inside the gaming arena, but their life outside of that.”
Considering that he has given it some thought, there are a few ideas spinning around his mind which might be explored in depth when the time is right. For now, however, Netflix has a different treat in mind. In 2024, the streaming service revealed that an American spin-off of ‘Squid Game’ is in the works, with David Fincher coming onboard as a director. So far, no details have been revealed about the plot or cast of the project, but the finale of ‘Squid Game’ Season 3 gives us a glimpse into this new world of possibility.
Six months after the games, the Front Man comes to Los Angeles to give Gi-hun’s money to his daughter. On the way back, he witnesses a scene which resembles the subway scene at the beginning of ‘Squid Game.’ It turns out that a Recruiter is playing ddakji with a possible recruit for the games. The Front Man and the Recruiter (played by Cate Blanchett) lock eyes for a moment before the mysterious man moves on. This scene gives us a taste of the American version of ‘Squid Game,’ showing that while we might not be returning to Seong Gi-hun’s world, there is a completely different set of stories and characters waiting to be unleashed in the spin-off.
Read More: Squid Game Season 3 Ending Explained: Is Seong Gi-hun Dead?
