To be honest, it seems like the guys in Korean suits gave Hwang Dong-hyuk all the time and money he needed to make more seasons. And god knows he took his time. It also looks like they were fine with just two more seasons instead of giving it the “LOST” treatment and dragging it on until the writers quit.
However, I’m afraid Hwang Dong-hyuk didn’t have anything else to say. As far as I’m concerned, seasons 2 and 3 - which are basically one season awkwardly split into two parts - are a gigantic waste of time. There were some good moments here and there, but the story itself wasn’t worth telling and in many cases, wasn’t even told.
Take the subplot of Jun Ho, the cop looking for the island, who turns out to be the Front Man’s brother. There’s a ton of potential there: How does he find the island? Once he’s there, how does he get past all the guards? And when he finally reaches his brother, who runs the entire game, what new secrets will we learn? Will he kill his own brother? Will he set everyone free? Thankfully, you don’t have to worry your tiny little mind about any of it, because none of that happens. He literally spends both seasons searching for the island. Episode after episode, he tries to find the island and fails. And when he finally arrives, in the very last episode, everyone is either dead, evacuated, or a baby. It’s beyond ridiculous. The second his foot touches the island, he sees a bomb with a 30-minute timer - just enough time to find his brother, scream “Why?!,” and leave without getting an answer. What a joke.
It also becomes painfully clear that there’s nothing left to do with the main character. Gi-Hun has already been to the lowest lows and the highest highs. He’s done. So they make him go back to the game so he can try to save as many people as possible. However, even with the new Squid Game rule that everyone can vote to go home after any game, Gi-Hun still manages to save no one. This leads to his character having less and less to do, and in season 3 the man has maybe five lines of dialogue in the entire season. I’m not kidding. In season 2, he’s constantly trying to convince people to stop the game. In season 3, he just sits there and stares, sometimes while holding a CGI baby. Stares and doesn't talk. Which is a problem for a main character.
And then he dies. Sorry for the spoiler, but in the end, he throws himself to his death to save the CGI baby and make it the winner of the competition. And then the island explodes, which I can only imagine is Hwang Dong-hyuk screaming, “No more! Enough Squid Game! The hero is dead, the devil is gone, The Island exploded, Now let me take a vacation, please!”
But just like after the first season, the producer pops back up and says, “Oh, don’t worry, the cash cow has plenty more milk. Here’s Cate Blanchett (!) announcing Squid Game USA,” because apparently that was the message behind the original story: more money.
So yes, those two seasons were a big waste of time. If someone asks me whether Squid Game is worth it, I’ll tell them it’s one of the greatest shows ever made - just stop after the first season.
