#hwang in‑ho

[radashes]

Kdrama Series Review: Squid Game Season 3

I just finished Squid Game Season 3—the final season—and I have a lot to get off my chest. If you haven’t watched it yet, just pause here. Go finish. Come back emotionally wrecked. We’ll talk.

Spoilers ahead, obviously.

🟢Let’s start with the good stuff:

007 & 149’s bond wrecked me: The bonding between the son and mother was so good. I cried. We knew one of them wasn’t making it, but the execution was brutal. And so well done.

Kim Jun-hee (222) giving birth: I was expecting this plotline, but her child entering the game? I didn't expect that. It actually weirdly worked. Wild choice, but I respect the boldness.

Seong Gi-hun (456) giving death glares at Kang Dae-ho (388): It was just hilarious. I loved it.

Hwang In-ho (001) was actually a pretty cool and calm-headed character: Honestly, I was way more interested in what he was doing than half the main players.

Cho Hyun-ju dying was actually so sad to watch: Something about it felt so familiar, and then I realized—it echoed Ali’s death from Season 1. The scenes were completely different, but Cho was actually a good person and a good player, just like Ali was. And if you know, you know. It wasn’t just sad—it was gut-wrenching in that familiar Squid Game way.

🔴What Didn't Work:

The games this season felt… underwhelming. After how intense Season 1 and 2 were, these challenges didn’t have the same creativity or pressure. At times, it almost felt like they ran out of ideas and just went with the same formula: climb something → fall off → die. It was like they took the mirror bridge game from Season 1 and copy-pasted it over and over.

The final game was straight-up disappointing. It wasn’t clever. It wasn’t thrilling. It was basically “stand there and push someone.” That’s not a game—that’s a middle school hallway fight. I got bored halfway through watching it.

The ending didn’t hit like it should’ve. The moment that baby entered the game, I had a sinking feeling they were about to give us a forced, “innocence wins” type of finale—and yeah, that’s what happened. No stakes. No real surprise. Just a safe, obvious choice.

The FBI/undercover storyline added nothing. It took up so much time and yet went nowhere. You could cut all of Hwang Junho’s scenes, and the plot would be exactly the same.

VIP scenes were a drag. I don’t know who told them we needed more of those slow, awkward conversations, but it wasn’t me. Every time they popped up, the pacing crashed.

And then they hit us with “the game continues…” scene, like it’s supposed to be dramatic. Bro, what do you mean it continues? 456 is dead for no actual good reason, no one's fighting the system, and the cycle just goes on? That's not an ending—that's just giving up.

🎀What I Wished We Got Instead:

The Front Man joining the game again—maybe as some twisted redemption arc—and dying to end the cycle.

Gi-hun (456) stepping up as the new Front Man and reshaping the system. Give the man a legacy.

The baby and her father, Lee Myung-gi (333), surviving and winning. Or better yet—Gi-hun surviving with the baby and becoming the father he couldn’t be to his own daughter.

OR… if they were going full dark—blast the whole thing down. No survivors, no trace, no continuation. Just closure. That would’ve been cruel, but it would've made a point.

🎀Final Verdict: 🌟 3.5/5 stars

There are things this season did right—mostly the emotional beats—but it lost the tension, the cleverness, and honestly, the heart of what made Season 1 so good. It tried to go big with themes but ended up playing it safe.

🎀Watch it for:

That mother-son arc (you’ll cry)

Kim Jun-hee’s birth plot

You want to add this series in your 'Watched' list

🎀Skip it if:

You’re tired of every “game” being a variation of push-and-fall-to-your-death

You want a finale that actually feels earned, not handed out with baby tears and slow music

You’re not emotionally prepared to watch a literal baby in a death match (yes, that actually happens)

⭕️🔼⏹️💰💀 Will I rewatch season 3? No. ⭕️🔼⏹️💰💀 Am I glad I finished it? Barely. ⭕️🔼⏹️💰💀 Do I still recommend Season 1? Absolutely. That one made sense.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go rewatch Season 1 and pretend this was all a bad dream.

[decemberwinter]

“why do you ship them? I thought the ship wasn’t canon?” bro we’re talking about fictional characters, who don’t actually exist in real life, from a media that focuses solely on fictional events that are not real either. so what if these two made-up characters didn’t kiss in their source material? they have lots of nasty gay sex on archive of our own and thousands of novel length slow burn enemies to lovers fics written about them. the fanon content at this point far exceeds the whole canonical franchise. the problem isn’t “it’s not canon” the problem is that you don’t allow yourself to let go of canon and enjoy the wonder of fan contents that are just as good / valid

[001x456]

it’s unfortunate that (some) people in fandom spaces are starting to get too comfortable complaining and being rude to writers and artists who create contents they personally don’t like (“why are you making this character a top when he’s obviously a bottom? omg do you even understand his character?” “I’m so sick of seeing fan art and fanfic where this character is portrayed as a sadist when he’s actually misunderstood in my opinions, therefore anyone who disagrees with me is wrong and should be shamed” just to name a few I’ve seen) instead of curating their own fandom experiences by engaging only with contents they do like.

you want more fics where (x) is written in this specific way? either write one yourself or politely expressing your opinion about how you hope there will be more fics where (x) is written in this specific way instead of making fandom a toxic place by being rude to writers and artists who dare make contents that are not to your Personal Liking.

if the universe does not revolve around you, strangers and fandom spaces don’t have to cater exclusively to your personal preferences either.

to all my beloved writers and artists, write whatever you want, draw whatever you want. portray that character in whichever way you want to portray. I hope you have fun doing what you love. don’t let anybody tell you what you can or can’t do with the blorbo. go wild. I will always support you

[bebx]

canon means nothing when I can shelter my blorbo and keep him alive through the power of archive of our own

[noonecareslol]

When it hits 9 pm and I pull out this combo:

Ps: I have severe writers block. Help

[typicalnameofablog]

does is make sense?

[baissick]

[midnight--sadness]

Hwang In-ho in season 2 of Squid Game

[sexwithstilinskiandhale]

Netflix gave us the old man yaoi we never knew we needed.

[arochkin]

WEEEEEEEEEELL

[motteteto]

release their bathroom scene

[anotherlikeyou]

Therapy is expensive, toxic old men yaoi is free

[trashgyrl]

[bebx]

I love my blorbo so much I need him covered in blood and beaten within an inch of his life

[yellowwwcrayon]

Them:

[paracozmistari]

Born to

Forced to