Well, it’s over…or is it? That’s the question I actually have after finishing the “last” episode of Squid Game.
Even though we’ve been told that this is the final season, I have my doubts…and even some worries for the franchise. Like most people, I loved the Emmy award-winning first season of Squid Game. While Seasons 2 and 3 didn’t come anywhere near matching the storytelling of that first season, I’m still glad that we got them.
was upset by a few of their deaths. I also liked most of the new games that we got to see (though I’m not entirely sure that Seasons 2 and 3 had to be split up into halves). Even so, now that it’s supposedly over, I still have some concerns. Care to listen?
Cate Blanchett! (I know she’s playing an undisclosed character, but I imagined The Front Man thinking, Wow! It’s Academy Award-winning actress and star of Tar, Cate Blanchett, right outside my window!)
Anyway, The Front Man still being alive – as well as a number of other characters – still leads me to believe that there’s room for more story, and possibly a Season 4, and I don’t like that idea.
I only believe this because Season 3’s ending feels as inconclusive as the ending to Season 1, but Seong Gi-hun’s story is over, and we really don’t need to see the Front Man’s story. Oh, and you know what I also don’t want?
Squid Game Has Always Worked As A Korean Show, And I Think It Should Remain That Way
I legitimately do not want an American version of Squid Game. Squid Game is a Korean show, and I think it should remain that way. I don’t want this to be like Fight Club (Even though I love Fight Club!) where the word has spread and now it’s gotten out of control, with other people catching wind and creating their own version of it (For example, I don’t need any, “His name was Seong Gi-hun,” chants in an American version).
Squid Game was unique because it was Korean. If it had been American, I’m sure it would have gotten viewers, but I don’t think it would have been the cultural phenomenon that it was in America. Seeing all of these unique (some familiar, some very unfamiliar) games played by Korean people just hit differently, and it felt both universal and yet distinctly something else entirely.
Plus, you had the narrative of North and South Korea baked into the series with fan-favorite character, Kang Sae-byeok (played by Jung Ho-yeon) in the first season, and Kang No-eul (played by Park Gyu-young) in Seasons 2 and 3.
These North Korean defectors offer a sort of commentary on the frayed relationship between North and South Korea. If there were an American Squid Game, I feel it could be a Red State/Blue State kind of thing, and do we really want that? I mean, you might, but I definitely don’t, which brings me to my last point.
In The End, Squid Game As A Concept Has Kind Of Run Its Course, And l’d Rather Not See The Franchise Expand More Than It Already Has
Can I be honest with you? I’m kind of done with Squid Game.
When the creator says that he has an idea for a spin-off show, I’m just like, please no. That’s not because I don’t like Squid Game. It’s actually because I LOVE Squid Game. Or, at least, I loved it. Haven’t we had enough by now? We already got the reality show, Squid Game: The Challenge, and that whole Mr. Beast Squid Game in Real Life video. What else do we possibly need?
I feel like the show has been slightly tarnished a bit by the expansion of the story. Squid Game was like this perfect one-season thing, and it was one of the best shows on Netflix (Hell, it outright made history at one point with how many people watched it). Season 2, which again, I liked, kind of sullied the show’s reputation, and now that it’s over, I feel like it should remain over if it wants to maintain any of the goodwill that it once had.
Think of it like the Rocky series. The first movie was so beloved that it actually won Best Picture. However, with subsequent films, it kind of became a shadow of its former self. I mean, I love Rocky IV, but does it have the same respect as the first movie? Absolutely not. It’s cheesy as all hell, and I love it for being cheesy, but in no way would it have ever been considered a frontrunner for Best Picture.
I feel the same way about Squid Game. Seasons 2 and 3 were interesting, but I don’t want to see any more of this world. I’m worried about Season 3’s ending, that more might eventually come in some way or another.
So, what do you think? Would you like more Squid Game? I’d love to hear your thoughts.