The third and remaining season of the industry-defining Squid Sport confidently delivers every new spherical of the deathly video games with spectacularly brutal aplomb — however its makes an attempt at worldbuilding are disappointingly drained and uneven.
A few of Squid Sport’s most fascinating dynamics from the primary two seasons — the politics among the many masked guards, the organ-harvesting operation, the connection between Entrance Man/In-ho (performed by Lee Byung-hun) and brother Jun-ho (Wi Ha-jun), the crew of burly males led by Jun-ho making an attempt to uncover and infiltrate the island internet hosting the video games — screech to frustratingly lackluster conclusions, with out enlarging the world past what we now have already seen thus far.
A brand new season of any present ought to at all times purpose to ask new questions. For Squid Sport, there are loads to select from. What’s the choice course of like for guards, and the way do they get promoted up the hierarchy into the “triangle” sergeants or, ultimately, the “sq.” leaders? What are their internal politics like? What different issues occurred between brothers In-ho and Jun-ho earlier than In-ho joined the video games? If Jun-ho’s crew manages to infiltrate the island, will the video games be stopped? How will that occur? Who’re these English-speaking VIPs, actually? Have there been events prior to now the place the video games had been practically publicly uncovered?
Nevertheless, the third season’s worldbuilding efforts stay frustratingly unimaginative for essentially the most half, though the season’s remaining 10 minutes ship a few of its most wonderful moments that happen exterior the video games. They’re so intriguing that it makes you surprise why we didn’t simply begin there.
Picture: Netflix
The third season picks up a number of threads from the place the earlier left off (season 3 capabilities extra as a second half to season 2 than a standalone season). Jun-ho and his crew stay adamant about discovering the island, whereas loyal helper Woo-seok (Jun Suk-ho) claims a stake in one of many present’s extra thrilling scenes when making an attempt to uncover the boat captain’s previous. There’s one plotline between North Korea-born guard No-eul (Park Gyu-young) and one other trooper, with the sport’s top-ranking guard getting pulled into the scuffles. But, these endeavors are inconsistently fleshed out and don’t enlarge the Squid Sport universe a lot.
Squid Sport creator Hwang Dong-hyuk appears to be at his finest when directing the action-filled contests, which characteristic youngsters’s video games like Bounce Rope and Conceal and Search on this season. From the vertigo-inducing, towering sport of Bounce Rope to lengthy photographs down Conceal and Search’s labyrinthian corridors of seemingly limitless doorways and rooms in arresting colours, Hwang is a magician of worry, suspense, and aid. Within the throes of the video games’ battleground, the alchemy of circumstantial belief, cast and damaged alliances, and flashes of humanity reminds viewers of all the weather that made Squid Sport such a world hit when it first premiered in 2021.
The easiest a part of Squid Sport additionally grows into its largest curse: it’s a present that simply works so properly with an ensemble solid. Past headliner Gi-hun/Participant 456 (Lee Jung-jae), different characters — just like the chilly, calculative crypto bro Myung-gi (Yim Si-wan), strong-willed and closely pregnant Jun-hee (Jo Yu-ri), keen however self-doubting Dae-ho (Kang Ha-neul), former marine Hyun-ju (Park Sung-hoon), unpredictable however charming Nam-gyu (Roh Jae-won), and mother-son duo Geum-ja (Kang Ae-sim) and Yong-sik (Yang Dong-geun) — all pull their weight.
A part of the third season’s unsteady steps could be pardoned on the idea that among the characters that audiences are most invested in simply… die, because of the nature of the present as a survival sport. That is amplified significantly on this season, as greater than three quarters of the gamers have already been eradicated. The spectacle and extravaganza of Squid Sport thrives on the cacophony of 456 determined however advanced people decked out of their blocky inexperienced tracksuits taking over their lives’ largest likelihood at redemption within the video games area. It’s the sensible conflict of gallows humor, personalities massive and small, and 100 totally different worth methods that has propelled a lot of the present’s momentum.
Picture: Netflix
Because the gamers are killed off, the dormitory empties out and the present wants to show elsewhere to search out its verve and momentum. Whereas this presents a chance for the story to change into extra intimate, fleshing the remaining characters out with better depth, Squid Sport out of the blue turns into uncharacteristically too timid to tread these waters.
The third episode, titled “It’s Not Your Fault,” is the present’s most affecting one, and maybe its strongest. The boisterous area of video games provides strategy to honest emotional change. Because the video games declare their victims, among the surviving characters utter the phrase “it’s my fault” of their despair. They grapple with an overbearing guilt that their private survival has come at such nice price, and in addition blame their very own missteps and shortcomings that introduced them to the video games within the first place.
But, amid all of the ache and harm, the episode makes approach for expressions of profound grace and knowledge. Whereas Gi-hun has turned practically mute, burning with unspeakable rage and guilt after an unsuccessful and costly rise up (which we noticed in season 2), it’s on this episode that he speaks essentially the most, in looking for connection and catharsis. One sagely character muses to Gi-hun, “Regardless of the way you take a look at it, life simply is unfair. Dangerous folks do unhealthy issues, however they blame others and go on to stay in peace. Good folks, alternatively, beat themselves up in regards to the smallest issues.”
Contextualized within the present’s wider critiques of unchecked capitalism and inequality, this episode brings the query of guilt into sharp aid. As a lot as the sport fashions its personal heroes and losers, victors and victims, everybody who’s a participant right here is finally a casualty of society within the “actual world” exterior the video games. Some are born into poverty or into damaged households. Others can’t discover assist for his or her drug or playing habit. Some simply by no means had one of the best playing cards to begin life with. Who is basically at fault?
Whereas the third episode flows easily in its plot and character improvement, the identical can’t be mentioned for a lot of different components of the season. Among the season’s plot twists may even show divisive amongst audiences — for instance, a brand new participant is unceremoniously launched into the video games with out with the ability to give their consent, and even take part in every spherical of voting. This introduces a remarkably new dynamic among the many gamers, though the participant’s participation could make for uncomfortable viewing at occasions.
The present adjustments gears in its remaining minutes, when it picks up the tempo dramatically. It additionally ends in a approach that opens up many new instructions for future Squid Sport spinoffs, which really feel like an inevitability at this level. With such a giant prize to be received, it’s exhausting to think about Netflix staying away from one in all its most profitable collection for lengthy.
Squid Sport season 3 is streaming on Netflix now.
