Squid Game became a global phenomenon when it released on Netflix back in 2021. Season 2 released late last year and quickly shot to the top of the charts, though it wasn’t quite as well-received as its predecessor. With Season 3 looking to wrap up the story on June 27, show creator Hwang Dong-Hyuk talks about the creative process and hints at the tone of the series finale.
In an interview with The New York Times, Hwang touches on the core tenets of Squid Game like capitalism, the ‘losers’ of society, and how these societal constructs have pushed us towards cynicism. When asked about the pregnant contestant introduced in Season 2 and what it means to bring a baby into this world, Hwang states that the baby is a symbol of innocence and purity that a part of him wants to return to.
“We are all born with that innocence, but most of us, we turn for the worse. Things change as we live. The world changes us. A part of me wants to return to that innocence, that purity.
The New York Times
So the baby is a symbol of how if we fail to put an end to the way the world is — our unstopped desire and our loss of humanity — there is no future for us. The baby symbolizes innocence. If we fail to protect it, then there’s no hope for humanity.”
Indeed, the fate of the pregnant girl in Squid Game is still to be determined. She survived the events of Season 2, but if the Season 3 trailer is anything to go by, there are still plenty of terrifying games to get through.
Hwang also talks a little bit about Gi-hun’s character and describes him as a Don Quixote-style character. Someone who “fights against all odds” and fails, and becomes the laughing stock among contestants, and even among show viewers. However, Hwang defends Gi-hun by saying that the fact that people laugh at him is proof of the world’s cynicism and how little people believe in change. “What can change the world now is self-awakening, self-realization,” Hwang says, “A change can happen if each individual awakens.”
Finally, when asked if he was still hopeful about humanity, Hwang says that his answer can be discovered in the Squid Game Season 3 finale. “I am trying not to lose hope. The world forces us to become more sarcastic, more cynical,” replies Hwang, “But like Gi-hun, I am trying my absolute best to stick to my conscience and maintain hope for humanity.”
Squid Game Season 3 is set to air on Netflix on June 27.
