Squid Game season three

Hwang Dong Hyuk’s Squid Game returns for its third and final season with the same relentless intensity that gripped audiences worldwide, plunging straight back into the deadly spectacle with the fourth game – a deadly iteration of hide-and-seek. Filmed back-to-back with season two, this concluding chapter refuses to ease up, ushering us into a nightmare painted with the garish strokes and colours of childhood games.

The game’s set-piece – a vast maze resembling a nursery, complete with an oppressively low ceiling painted like a night sky and locked rooms that look like oversized playpens – cleverly juxtaposes the innocence of childhood with the grotesque violence unfolding within. Cutting to the outside world, where frantic efforts to locate the island housing the sinister arena add a tense layer of voyeurism to the unfolding drama. It’s a setting that perfectly captures the series’ trademark balance of surreal whimsy and savage cruelty.

At the centre of the carnage remains Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), whose journey continues with surprising resilience despite the harrowing death of his long-time friend Jung-bae (Lee Sep-hwan) at the close of season two. In a moment heavy with Christian symbolism, Seong draws the final red ball from the gumball machine – a vivid echo of the forbidden fruit. Behind him, the yellow-lit, knife-shaped entrance is framed to resemble a cross, quietly reinforcing the idea that he is marked, chosen or cursed.

The new games, particularly the spectacularly terrifying “Jump Rope” involving a colossal, swinging rope spanning a precarious bridge, offer an uncomfortable, almost overly literal allegory of human greed and desperation, with considerably less playfulness than previous iterations. Parenthood and familial bonds take a deeply nuanced focus here, explored through the young expecting couple Kim Jun-hee (Jo Yuri) and Lee Myung-gi (Im Si-wan), alongside the mother-son duo Geum-ja (Kang Ae-sim) and Yong-sik (Yang Dong-geun). Yet, rather than falling into predictable tropes, the narrative delivers surprising twists and delves into antinatalist attitudes shaped by the harsh realities of financial inequality. It’s a fresh, uncliched perspective that adds emotional depth without dulling the show’s sharp critical edge.

Despite edging occasionally towards the heavy-handed, Squid Game season three retains the razor-sharp social commentary and dark humour that elevated it beyond mere survival thriller. This final instalment is as unforgettable as it is unforgiving – a fitting farewell to one of the decade’s finest sagas.

Christina Yang

Squid Game season three is released on Netflix on 27^th June 2025.

Watch the trailer for Squid Game season three here: