The “Squid Game” rebellion is as good as over . . . right?
The second season of South Korea’s survival drama “Squid Game” ends on a massive cliffhanger in which the insurrection led by Gi-hun (Lee Jae-jung), aka Player 456, ends in failure. His intention wasn’t just to save the lives of those in the current game – in which debt-ridden people risk their lives for a million dollar prize – but to put a stop to the games once and for all. This would necessitate taking down those at the top who are running the games to entertain the wealthy. Instead, Gi-hun’s armed shootout through the pastel stairways and jewel-toned hallways of the Squid Game facility ends in a bloodbath, with the Front Man himself (Lee Byung-hun) delivering a fatal blow to Gi-hun’s friend in front of his eyes.
When Season 1 was released in 2021, neither Netflix nor creator Hwang Dong-hyuk had plans for the show to continue. The show’s global popularity changed that, and Hwang had to scramble to figure out how to extend Gi-hun’s story. The seven episodes in Season 2 is the result. Netflix has already confirmed that the third season of “Squid Game” will also be its last.
Here’s what we know so far:
When can we expect Season 3?
Squid Game (Netflix)The reason why Season 2 ends so abruptly (and feels like a lot of setup) is because it’s precisely that. Hwang had conceived of Gi-hun’s return to the Squid Game as one big arc, but ended up splitting it in two after his disastrous failure.
“When I first wrote the story of Seasons 2 and 3 it was one long story arc,” he told Variety. “And I was originally planning to write this story across a span of about eight to nine episodes, but once I finished the story, it came to over 10 episodes, which I thought was too long to contain in a single season . . .
“All of his failures lead to this heavy, heavy crisis of having to lose his very best friend, Jung-bae [Lee Seo-hwan], at the hands of The Front Man. And when you think about Gi-hun’s journey, I thought that that was an adequate moment to put a stop and give him a little bit of closure along that long story arc.”
Fortunately, this means that Season 3 has already been written and in production. Netflix has yet to announce an exact premiere date, but it shouldn’t take another three years for the show to return.
“After Season 2 launches, I believe we will be announcing the launch date for Season 3 soon. I probably expect that to launch around summer or fall next year,” added Hwang.
Will the rebellion continue? Who’s left alive?
Squid Game (Netflix)When Season 3 begins, Gi-hun could either be demoralized or even more fired up after his repeated failures and being outmaneuvered.
“As for the storyline of the third season, Gi-hun having lost everything, including his best friend, and all of his attempts going to failure, it’s now, what is he going to be like?” Hwang said. “What state is Gi-hun going to be in? And what will he choose to do? Will he continue on with the mission? Is he going to give up or persist? And so you’re going to meet our character Gi-hun at a very critical crossroads as we begin the third season. Gi-hun will not be the man he was in Season 2.”
It’s important to note that at this point, Gi-hun does not yet know that his ally Oh Young-il, aka Player 001, is actually Front Man. Once that betrayal is revealed, that may also affect Gi-hun’s drive, one way or another.
In the meantime, it’s looking pretty grim for Gi-hun’s true allies. Jung-bae is presumably dead after being shot in the chest by Front Man. Those in the barracks-like dorms are alive for now, but last we saw them, they were facing down a bunch of soldiers with guns. Those survivors/friends includes: former special forces soldier No. 120 Hyun-ju (Park Sung-hoon), elderly mother Geum-ja (Kang Ae-shim) and her adult failson Yong-sik (Yang Dong-geun), former Marine with daddy issues Dae-ho (Kang Ha-neul), failed cryptocurrency bro Myung-gi (Im Is-wan) and his baby mama Jun-hee (Jo Yu-ri).
Squid Game (Netflix)
It should be noted that even though we see Gyeong-seok (Lee Jin-wook), No. 246, shot, it may be too soon to declare him among the dead. As a reminder, he’s the father who entered the games to win money to treat his young daughter’s blood cancer. However, when we last see him, he’s shot by a soldier bearing a triangle mask — the same mask worn by former soldier and North Korean defector Kang Noe-ul (Park Gyu-young). While she has been seemingly ruthless in her job as a sniper who exterminates the game players who fail, she also has sympathy for Gyeong-seok, having left behind a daughter of her own up North.
As for those on the outside, police officer Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon) and chatty Choi Woo-seok (Jeon Seok-ho) are still intent on finding the island where the games are held by boat. Unfortunately, they have yet to realize that Sea Captain Park (Oh Dal-su), who has been sailing his boat for them, is working for the other side and has even killed one of their colleagues.
Who else can we expect to see?
Squid Game: The Challenge (Pete Dadds/Netflix)The Season 2 end credits scene reveals our first glimpse of Season 3. We see three players – 096, 100 and 353 — approach the giant killer doll Young-hee with the motion-detector eyes. But then we also see a giant boy version of the doll wearing a green-striped shirt and green cap. The Red Light, Green Light traffic light then switches to green.
“That’s actually a [sneak peek] of Cheol-su, who, like Young-hee, is a new giant doll that we’re going to be showcasing in Season 3,” Hwang told Entertainment Weekly. “And that’s also a hint at the most exciting game in Season 3 as well. So, while it hasn’t been shared yet, I hope everyone will be excited to meet Cheol-su and the new game.”
In June 2022, Hwang first teased the introduction of Cheol-su when he announced the show was renewed. “Join us once more for a whole new round,” he wrote in a message shared on Netflix’s X account. “You’ll also be introduced to Young-hee’s boyfriend, Cheol-su.”
Young-hee and Cheol-su are two children’s characters seen in South Korean textbooks, sort of the equivalent of Dick and Jane to Western audiences. The “Squid Game” version of Young-hee’s hairstyle was inspired Hwang’s daughter’s hair.
Young-hee has become a mascot of sorts for “Squid Game,” not only for her deadly-cute vibes, but also because she has been a consistent presence in the games across the seasons. Even though new games were introduced in Season 2 (and to Gi-hun), the Red Light, Green Light game was still the first one — perhaps because it’s winnows down the playing field in an efficient and horrifying manner that sets the tone and stakes for the games.
Not to be outdone by a giant doll, but some other overly dramatic folks will also be returning for the final season. Yep, the VIPs are back, Hwang confirmed. Known for only wearing metallic animal masks and formal attire, the VIPs are the filthy rich who pay to watch and bet on the desperate hoi polloi who compete in the Squid Game.
“You will get to see the VIPs in the third season,” Hwang told USA Today. “They’re coming. They’re on the way. Their chopper is flying over the island now.”
Let’s hope that their promised presence means Gi-hun will achieve his dream of taking them down. Regardless, the VIPs are international spectators, which could also mean that we could get a glimpse of the Squid Game being played elsewhere in the world.
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