The third and final season of Squid Game dropped late last week. It brought to an end the story of Gi-hun and his attempts to take down the Squid Games from the inside. But at the very end of the series, we see that his efforts may have been for nought. The Front Man, the person who ran the Squid Games in South Korea, visits Los Angeles. He rolls down the window of his town car and sees a woman in a sharply tailored suit playing a game of ddakji with a man and then slapping him sharply across the face whenever he loses. This is exactly what Gi-hun did with the recruiter back in the first season of Squid Game, before he agreed to participate in the games themselves. That Los Angeles native doesn't know it yet, but he's about to put his life on the line playing a bunch of a children's games, and will probably be dead by the end of it.
This implies that the Squid Games happen all over the world, not just in South Korea. Speaking to Netflix, Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk said he thinks the final scene is “truly an ending that fits the [show’s] name.”
"Personally, I interpret it as, despite all of the noble efforts of so many people, the world still continues as it was before."
That's a cynical take, but this is a show about a tournament where heavily indebted individuals fight to the death for the amusement of callous billionaires, all in the hopes of winning a grand prize. It's a cynical series.
The other surprising part of this scene is that the American recruiter is played by Cate Blanchett. The Cate Blanchett: Galadriel, winner of two Oscars, possessor of excellent cheekbones and all-around acting badass. I did a double-take when I saw her. Is that who I think it is? Yes indeed.
“We thought having a woman as a recruiter would be more dramatic and intriguing,” Hwang Dong-hyuk explained. “And as for why Cate Blanchett, she’s just the best, with unmatched charisma. Who doesn’t love her? So we were very happy to have her appear. We needed someone who could dominate the screen with just one or two words, which is exactly what she did. If Gong Yoo is the Korean Recruiter, I thought she would be the perfect fit as the American Recruiter, bringing a short but gripping and impactful ending to the story.”
"During the shoot, she reminded me of what true talent looks like. Even with just a few looks and lines, her performance was mesmerizing. She was amazing at playing ddakji. I believe she successfully flipped the ddakji with her first try, and we were able to get that one long take right away."
I agree that Blanchett commands the screen despite having very little time. She has only one line: when the guy wants to keep playing ddakji, she says "As you wish." And the line landed for me, because Cate Blanchett has a lot of charisma and I think she could read her grocery list and make it interesting.
I've seen some complaints that they should have found some other game for Americans to play other than ddakji, since that game isn't widely known here. I get that, but on the other hand, ddakji is pretty easy to pick up: you throw a piece of folded paper on the ground and try to flip another piece of folded paper already on the ground. I think newbies can handle it.
Other fans have wondered in Blanchett's appearance is preparing us for an English-language version of Squid Game set in the United States. It's true that Netflix is working on a show like that, but Hwang Dong-hyuk doesn't mention it here. I think this is the ending that Hwang wants regardless of whether there's a follow-up.
Squid Game season 3 episode reviews:
- Season 3, Episode 1: "Keys and Knives"
- Season 3, Episode 2: "The Starry Night"
- Season 3, Episode 3: "It's Not Your Fault"
- Season 3, Episode 4: "222"
- Season 3, Episode 5: " ▢△◯"
- Season 3, Episode 6, "Humans Are..."
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