Squid Sport creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has revealed that season 3 nearly had a drastically totally different ending — an ending that may have gone over higher with followers nonetheless divided over how the hit collection wrapped.
In a latest interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hwang stated he initially wrote an ending the place Participant 456, Seong Gi-hun, leaves the lethal video games behind for good. That is a pointy distinction to the model that made it to display screen, the place Gi-hun sacrifices his life ultimately for the brand new Participant 222.
Hwang shared that his authentic plan for the Netflix collection was way more hopeful. Gi-hun, the present’s principal character, would have ended the sport, left alive and reunited together with his daughter within the US.
“At first, I had a imprecise thought about how I’d finish the story. And again then, it was having Gi-hun finish the sport, in a technique or one other, and go away alive and go see his daughter in America,” Hwang stated. “So initially, I believed the one that witnesses the American recruiter lady could be Gi-hun.”
However over time, Hwang stated the story developed as he mirrored on present occasions and the present’s bigger message. “I used to be witnessing increasingly what was occurring world wide,” he stated, and in the end determined that Gi-hun’s sacrifice ought to carry a heavier which means.
“I believed it was extra becoming for Gi-hun to ship this highly effective and impactful message to the world,” Hwang defined, including that the darker ending was meant to mirror the pressing sacrifices wanted in in the present day’s world to safe a greater future.
Learn additionally: Methods to Watch Squid Sport Season 3 on Netflix
Viewers reactions to the season 3 finale
It is a alternative that did not sit properly with a giant chunk of the Squid Sport fanbase. Some felt the ultimate twist betrayed Gi-hun’s character arc, particularly after he spent two seasons struggling immense trauma and showing to prioritize his household’s security. Others discovered it too bleak and open-ended, sparking passionate discussions — and loads of memes — on-line.
This is not the primary time a Squid Sport finale has stirred controversy. When Season 1 premiered in 2021, the collection turned a world phenomenon nearly in a single day, smashing Netflix information and turning its bleak social commentary into must-watch tv. However even then, the ultimate episodes left followers divided.
Now, Hwang’s ending is fueling hypothesis about whether or not the present’s last season will truly arrange for a US spin-off present.
Discuss of a attainable US spin-off
Hwang emphasised that Cate Blanchett’s shock cameo as an American recruiter within the Los Angeles finale wasn’t meant to arrange a future spin-off, however moderately to underline a broader thematic level. He clarified to The Hollywood Reporter that he “did not finish it on that notice in an effort to intentionally go away room for additional tales to occur,” explaining that the storyline for Gi‑hun and the Entrance Man in Korea actually got here to a detailed.
He stated that the American recruiter scene was crafted to represent the enduring nature of capitalist programs.
That stated, Hwang acknowledged rumors of a David Fincher–linked American model and stated he’d watch it if it was made, however as of now, there is not any official affirmation from Netflix.
Season 3 smashes Netflix information
Regardless of flak for the finale, the ultimate season of Squid Sport shattered launch information throughout the globe. The season garnered 60.1 million views in simply three days, making it Netflix’s biggest-ever TV collection debut on the platform. That interprets to 368.4 million hours watched over the identical 72-hour span.
The present turned the ninth most-watched non‑English Netflix season of all time, whereas seasons 1 and a couple of stay within the high two slots. Additionally, season 3 debuted at No. 1 in all 93 nations that report Netflix Prime 10 metrics, which is an unprecedented feat.
Learn extra: Netflix Evaluation: Our Prime Decide in a Sea of Streaming Selections
