솔리드 행정사의 이야기

1. The Grandma Kills Her Beloved Son

One of the most shocking scenes in Squid Game Season 3 was when Geum-ja, the elderly woman, kills her own son, Young-sik. While the creators seemingly intended to highlight themes of extreme sacrifice and moral dilemma, I found the psychological motivation unconvincing. In Season 2, she had been shown as a deeply loving mother—so for her to “suddenly” decide to kill her son in Season 3 felt too abrupt and lacked emotional credibility.

2. Commander Ignoring Soldier 16’s Brutality

Soldier 16 committed multiple violent acts, yet the commander knowingly turned a blind eye. He is supposed to control and prevent such violence, but instead, he seemed complicit. This reflects a failure in the internal ethics and discipline of the group. However, the show never provides a compelling explanation—just vague inaction. That made the situation more frustrating than thought-provoking.

3. Disappearance of the Red Suit Player During the Birth Scene

During the prolonged birth scene in the hide-and-seek game, no red-suited attacker appeared. Considering red suits were supposed to kill the blue-suited players on sight, their total absence removed any sense of urgency or realism. What should have been a tense moment ended up feeling like a filler sequence.

4. The Tedious Boat Escape

The boat scenes featuring Jun-ho (Wi Ha-jun) and others were unnecessarily long. This sequence, continuing from Season 2, was intended to build suspense or offer a breather, but in reality, it dragged the pace and diluted narrative tension. I found myself wanting to skip ahead.

5. Lack of Depth in North Korean Soldier 16’s Character

Although Soldier 16 played a major antagonist in Season 3, his background and motivations were never clearly explained. He was portrayed as a “soulless killer” with no real context, which made him feel one-dimensional. I expected deeper storytelling or at least some glimpse into why he became that way—but nothing came.

Overall Thoughts – Engagement Faded After Episode 2

• Episodes 1–2 were reasonably solid and held promise.

• Mid-season onwards, the show lost steam. As emotionally resonant characters were killed off one by one, I found myself losing emotional investment.

• By the finale, I honestly didn’t care who lived or died. That’s not a good sign.

As someone who was genuinely drawn to certain characters, their abrupt deaths left me emotionally unanchored. The plot’s momentum and stakes declined sharply after that point.

Final Reflection

Season 3 is reportedly the final chapter of the Squid Game series. However:

• Sudden betrayal from a loving mother

• A commander’s passive complicity

• The mass elimination of core characters mid-season

All contributed to a finale that felt more awkward and hollow than impactful. The gripping psychological depth of Season 1 was mostly absent.

The intended themes of humanity, solidarity, and emotional resolution in the final scenes lacked punch. Honestly, by the end, I just didn’t care who survived. The emotional algorithm simply wasn’t working.

If you also found some moments in Season 3 disappointing or hard to believe, feel free to share in the comments. I’d love to hear your thoughts and talk more about it.