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The winner was a stunning one, however the takeaway from that Hollywood star cameo leaves viewers with essentially the most to ponder.
By Jackie Strause
Managing Editor, East Coast
[This story contains MAJOR spoilers from the Squid Game season three finale, “Humans are…”]
The Squid Video games are over — or are they?
The finale of the third and final season of Netflix‘s world hit sequence Squid Sport has now been launched into the world, and the ending from sequence creator Hwang Dong-hyuk completed two issues.
Hwang, who writes and directs each episode, delivered on his promise that this last season of his anti-capitalist thriller would conclude the story of protagonist Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae). The returning Participant 456 met a tragic ending to conclude his second spherical competing within the lethal Video games, which explains why Hwang said all along that the streamer’s most-streamed sequence would solely be a three-season story.
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Through the last and deadly “Sky Squid Sport,” Gi-hun went into the final spherical as one in every of three remaining gamers, together with Lee Myung-gi (Yim Si-wan), aka Participant 333, and — within the sequence’ most evil twist up to now — the new child child who was born earlier in the course of the Video games. That child of Participant 333 and Jun-hee (Jo Yu-ri), the latter who sacrificed herself for her child’s survival within the earlier Bounce Rope recreation, finally ends up because the Sport’s winner.
After a struggle for survival with Participant 333, Gi-hun had emerged alive, however had didn’t press the button to formally begin the spherical. Per the sport’s twisted guidelines, there needed to be one demise per spherical, so Gi-hun ended up sacrificing himself in heart-rendering style so the child, who had taken on Jun-hee’s Participant 222 function, may survive.
This leaves the child as the only real survival amongst the entire contestants who had been launched in each seasons two and three. This season introduced concerning the devastating deaths of fan-favorites additionally together with transgender former soldier Hyun-ju (Park Sung-hoon), aka Participant 120, who was stabbed by Participant 333 whereas attempting to avoid wasting Jun-hee and her child; and mom Geum-ja (Kang Ae-sim), aka Participant 149, and son Yong-sik (Yang Dong-geun), aka Participant 007, the latter who was killed by his mom in the course of the Conceal and Search recreation so Jun-hee and her child may proceed on.
Exterior of the gamers, the sequence did go away a number of survivors, together with the sport’s enigmatic overseer, The Front Man (Lee Byung-hun), who ended his time on the sequence by monitoring down Gi-hun’s estranged daughter, Ga-yeong (Jo Ah-in), in Los Angeles.
Gi-hun had left his daughter behind as a way to return into the Video games for season two, motivated by his survivor’s-remorse and hopes of destroying the Video games from inside. Within the six-month time soar that ended the sequence, viewers noticed Gi-hun’s daughter holding the debit card that we all know accommodates the prize cash from the primary recreation that Gi-hun received: 45.6 billion received, which interprets to about $31.5 million. Whether or not The Entrance Man’s go to to Gi-hun’s daughter is really altruistic stays open for interpretation.
Detective Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-jun) and his helper in monitoring the island, Choi Woo-seok (Jun Suk-ho), have been additionally alive by the sequence’ finish. And in one other twist of empathy, The Entrance Man left his brother a fair larger windfall when the Detective returned dwelling to seek out Jun-hee’s surviving and healthy-looking youngster, together with the 45.6 billion received prize cash that comes with Participant 222’s successful title.
However the final-final second that viewers noticed with The Entrance Man was the most important shock of all.
After Entrance Man’s brother had lastly found the situation of the Video games, the VIPs and Pink Guards evacuated the island earlier than one last, temporary encounter between the brothers. With the Video games infiltrated, The Entrance Man destroyed all proof by blowing up the island; he and his brother each escaped to security, together with the child.
So the Squid Video games are actually successfully over, proper? Not so quick.
After delivering the gadgets to Gi-hun’s daughter, The Entrance Man is seen driving via Downtown L.A. the place he hears the all-too acquainted sound of The Recruiter’s ddakji recreation. (Gong Yoo performed the Korean Recruiter who died in season two.) Peering via an alley, The Entrance Man then spots a brand new Video games “Recruiter” — performed by none apart from two-time Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett in a major cameo that was stored secret till the present launched.
On the streets of L.A., Blanchett’s character was dressed within the Recruiter’s acquainted swimsuit and packed an equally imply wind-up slap, this time throughout the face of a determined American who little question is being recruited for the lethal Video games.
We will solely assume her character is recruiting American gamers — may they be for a U.S. model of the present’s eponymous demise recreation?
Netflix has not confirmed if or how the present’s franchise will proceed on and whereas creator Hwang has indicated his interest in a possible spinoff, he has advised setting a possible follow-up story prior to now to discover the massive time hole between seasons one and two. So what the long run holds for the Squid Video games — and Blanchett’s function in them — stays the most important lingering query now hovering over Netflix’s most globally well-liked present of all time.
With this ending, Hwang has once more completed two issues.
First, he left hope. Not solely did Jun-hee’s child survive and emerge because the winner, however there was additionally that callback to the primary season — when the household of Gi-hun’s good friend from the primary spherical of the Video games, the deceased Sae-byeok (Hoyeon), is reunited — and the cliffhanger of this season’s heroic Pink Guard, No-eul (Park Gyu-young), getting a name that her youngster who she thought was useless could also be alive.
However then there may be the despair of seeing the Video games persevering with on with Blanchett’s Recruiter, in no matter type they might take. So till Netflix weighs in on that future, Squid Sport leaves us left to ponder Gi-hun’s last, unfinished phrases: “People are…”
The ultimate season of Squid Sport is now streaming on Netflix. Learn THR’s tackle the finale cameo and all of our final season coverage.
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