The final season of Netflix’s Squid Game has delivered a brutal conclusion to the global : ‘We are not horses. We are humans’: Squid Game’s devastating finale proves capitalism has no happy ending. 

‘Squid Game’ Season 3 Finale: A Brutal, Brilliant End to Netflix’s Global Phenomenon

The final season of Netflix’s Squid Game has delivered a shocking and devastating conclusion to the global sensation that captivated nearly 600 million viewers. Premiering Friday with six taut episodes, Season 3 brings the Korean dystopian drama to a close—one that leaves no character, or viewer, unscathed, while driving home the show’s searing critique of capitalism and human nature.

A Relentless Descent into Darkness

Picking up immediately after the failed rebellion of Season 2, the story follows Seong Gi-hun as he plunges back into the deadly games, determined to end the cycle of violence once and for all. But his quest for justice quickly devolves into tragedy as the games grow ever more brutal—both physically and psychologically. This season’s challenges are the most harrowing yet, including a lethal knife-and-key contest and a nerve-wracking jump rope game played on narrow walkways suspended over certain death.

A Shattering Final Choice

In the series’ most unforgettable moment, Gi-hun is forced into an impossible dilemma in the final round: standing atop a tower with a newborn baby, he must choose between killing the infant to survive, or sacrificing himself. In a powerful act of defiance, Gi-hun stares into the camera and declares, “We are not horses. We are humans,” before choosing to give his life so the baby can live. This haunting scene crystallizes the show’s ultimate message about dignity and moral choice in the face of dehumanizing systems.

Heartbreaking Losses and Transformations

Season 3 is merciless in its culling of main characters. Trans woman Hyun-ju dies heroically while protecting a pregnant contestant and her newborn. Geum-ja, wracked by guilt, kills her own son to save another player, then takes her own life. Jun-hee, the new mother, leaps to her death rather than burden Gi-hun’s escape with her baby.

Gi-hun himself is pushed to his limits, murdering former marine Dae-ho in a fit of revenge for the rebellion’s failure. His arc is a chilling reminder that even the best among us can be corrupted by a violent system—yet, in the end, he chooses compassion over survival.

The Front Man’s True Face and a Chilling Legacy

The enigmatic Front Man is finally unmasked as Player 001 from Season 2, revealing to Gi-hun how he once won by slaughtering his fellow contestants in their sleep. He offers Gi-hun the same choice, underscoring the show’s grim thesis: the system doesn’t just victimize—it transforms victims into perpetrators.

A Newborn Victor and a System Without End

In a stunning twist, the newborn baby—dubbed Player 222—emerges as the game’s ultimate winner after Gi-hun’s sacrifice. Six months later, the infant is delivered to Jun-ho, the detective who spent years chasing the Front Man. The baby inherits Gi-hun’s vast fortune, its exact sum left a mystery.

But the nightmare isn’t over. The final scene flashes to Los Angeles, where the Front Man meets a new recruiter, played by Cate Blanchett, hinting at an American expansion of the games. The message is clear: the machinery of exploitation will continue, adapting and spreading across borders.

Glimmers of Hope Amid the Darkness

Detective No-eul survives, playing a pivotal role in exposing the games to authorities. Her decision to save Player 246 leads the Korean Coast Guard to the island. The series ends with her journeying to China in search of her daughter—one of the rare hopeful threads in an otherwise bleak finale.

A Masterful, Open-Ended Goodbye

Writer-director Hwang Dong-hyuk closes the saga with the episode titled “Humans are…”, leaving the sentence unfinished. This deliberate ambiguity encapsulates the show’s central question: Are we shaped more by cruelty or compassion? The answer, Squid Game suggests, lies in the systems we build—and the choices we make within them.