Following Squid Game Season 3’s divisive ending, talks have turned to a potential Season 4. In short, don’t hold your breath, but it’s not the end of the Squid Game Cinematic Universe.
Squid Game is dominating the Netflix charts for the second time in the past year and for good reason. As we said in our five-star review, “After Season 3, it’s clear that Squid Game is the best TV show Netflix has ever produced: a barrier-breaking feat of universal, ruthless storytelling that may never be matched.”
As well as plenty of brutal new games, there are character deaths that will leave you in tears, all of which drive home the Netflix show’s critique of capitalist culture. Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk did warn us it wouldn’t be a happy ending.
One element of the series is open-ended, however, leaving viewers questioning whether there will be a Season 4 – but it’s not what you think. Warning: Squid Game Season 3 spoilers ahead!
Why Squid Game Season 4 isn’t going ahead
The answer is simple: Dong-hyuk always intended for Season 3 to be the last. In fact, he originally envisioned Squid Game as a one-season show, but due to fan demand, he wrote another chapter.
Season 2 was supposed to be the closer, but then it ended up being split into two, which were filmed back-to-back. Speaking to EW last December, Dong-hyuk explained, “I originally envisioned Seasons 2 and 3 as a single story.
“That’s how I wrote it. But in the process, it came out to be too many episodes. So I thought it’d be better to divide it into two.”
Five months prior, he confirmed Season 3 would be the last in a letter to his fans, which said, “I am beyond excited to be writing this letter to announce the date for Season 2 and share the news of Season 3, the final season.”
There’s another reason the flagship series is done – our protagonist Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) is dead. In a conversation with Netflix’s Tudum, Dong-hyuk said this wasn’t in the original plan.
“But as I began to write and develop the storylines for Seasons 2 and 3, I realized I needed a resolution that would bring both the game and Gi-hun’s journey to a close. I need to wrap up Gi-hun’s journey and convey a message to the audience right now,” he said.
“The message I wanted to communicate was that if we solely pursue our immediate self-interest, and refuse to self-restrain, sacrifice, or bear any costs, and if we don’t put our heads together, we have no future.”
That being said, it doesn’t mean it’s the end of the Squid Game universe.
Is Squid Game USA going ahead?
Firstly, it’s important to note that the rumored English-language Squid Game spinoff series has not been officially greenlit by Netflix. However, speculation is heating up again after the Season 3 ending.
It unfolds as Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) heads to LA to hand Gi-hun’s belongings to his daughter. He drives away, only to find a suited woman – played by Cate Blanchett – seemingly luring a homeless man with a game of ddakji (much like the Salesman did).
This supports the fact that Squid Game is an international phenomenon, but it would also serve as the perfect gateway for an American version of the Netflix show.
The news of Squid Game USA was first reported last year, with Mindhunter’s David Fincher tapped to develop the new TV show. Dong-hyuk confirmed the news in a conversation with The Wrap, saying, “I know Netflix has a plan. They are not going to throw this idea away.”
But with the streaming service yet to confirm the news, it’s currently unclear whether the Season 3 scene with Cate Blanchett is connected to the project.
Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that it’s not intended to set up future stories “at this time,” but this could change.
In the meantime, Squid Game: The Challenge – the real-life competition series based on the show – is getting a Season 2. But fans believe any spinoffs go against the key message the series set out to convey.
Why Squid Game Season 3 is so divisive
As well as the twist ending, many viewers feel that the Season 3 finale was an “infuriating” way to wrap up the story, given only Gyeong-seok aka Player 246 (Lee Jin-wook), No Eul (Park Gyu-young), and Jun-hee’s baby survive.
This is reflected in its Rotten Tomatoes score. Despite its 82% rating from the critics, Squid Game Season 3 has just 51% from audiences, a stark contrast to Season 1’s 84%.
Taking to Reddit, one viewer wrote, “Every defence I’ve seen for this absolutely underwhelming and infuriating conclusion to the show is that it was a realistic ending, but I find this very confusing.
“This is a show full of characters that behave like caricatures, they constantly make incompetent decisions and pull off feats they wouldn’t be able to in real life.
“The show has never been that consistent with behaving realistically, so why is that supposedly the justification now? I understand what the message represents but it’s hardly realistic.”
Another commented, “One of the biggest flaws for me was that the detective barely confronted his brother despite two seasons worth of b-plot and build up,” referring to Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon) and Front Man.
And a third added, “Ironic how the show talks about how you can’t really escape the capitalism hell, then it becomes the new money cow of the biggest streaming service in the world.”
However, not everyone is against how the show concluded, with one even asking, “Did we watch the same show? Judging by some of these reactions, it seems like many overlooked the core themes and consistent narrative structure that Squid Game has upheld since Season 1.
“For starters, the final scene between Gi-hun and Player 333 was one of the most well-executed moments of the series, drawing a clear parallel to Gi-hun’s own storyline with his daughter.”
“There has also been frustration over the number of character deaths, but this ignores the basic structure of Squid Game,” they added. “This show, since Season 1, has never promised survival or happy endings. It would’ve felt unrealistic if everyone’s favorite characters had made it out.”
Squid Game Seasons 1-3 are streaming on Netflix now. Read more about why the show is “dangerous” for North Korea, how Hide and Seek breaks an unwritten rule, and the secret meaning behind the show’s shapes. You can also find more new TV shows streaming this month.
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