Squid Game – K-drama Season 3 Episode 3 Recap & Review

The Review Geek

a day ago

Episode 3
Episode 3 of Squid Game Season 3 begins with the guards killing the failed Red Team players. To make up for the guards killed during the failed rebellion, we see that the new staff are foreigners. They seem extremely eager to kill the failed players. It is later revealed that they are the VIPs.
Nam-gyu is frustrated that he lost Thanos' pill box and almost gets killed while trying to search for it. Myung-gi is relieved as Geum-ja and Jun-hee bring the crying baby in but Jun-hee avoids him.
No-eul disguises Player 246 as the doctor, Staff #16 and they sneak out. He wonders why No-eul is helping him but she doesn't say. He hides in #16's room while she works on an exit plan.
The game results are revealed. 25 players remain and each player gets 1.7 billion won. Meanwhile, Woo-seok asks around Captain Park's 'hometown' but no one knows of him. He decides to dig deeper, and warns Jun-ho to keep an eye on Park.
The voting begins and the VIPs find it more exciting than the actual games. They discuss how greedy the players are and to what extent they will go to keep playing. In a turn of events, Nam-gyu votes no. Seeing that he is going through withdrawal and wanting to make him suffer, Min-su votes yes. Geum-ja begs the players to stop the game for the child's sake but no one listens. The Red Team wins by a landslide. The VIPs mock Geum-ja's speech and her decision to kill her own son for a stranger.
The trafficking team finally checks the workroom and finds the dead guards. They scan everyone except the doctor, who has been disfigured and dressed in 246's clothes. They believe #16 has betrayed them. The Officer goes through the CCTV and finds a disguised 246 in #16's room and #11 (No-eul) missing. She sneaks up on the Officer and threatens him to help her and #16 escape. He doesn't understand why she is helping the doctor if she is against organ trafficking.
On the boat, Captain Park is about to turn in for the night when Jun-ho recognises an island's shore. Park tries to deter him but Jun-ho orders him to get closer to the island. He remembers the cliff and declares that it is the island much to Captain Park's chagrin.
Back in the bunker, Jun-hee feels guilty for Yong-sik and Hyun-ju's deaths. Geum-ja assures her that it is not her fault and that she should focus on her child. Geum-ja then begs Gi-hun to help Jun-hee and her kid survive. She comforts him as he continues to blame himself. She failed her son but they need to help Jun-hee's kid.
That night, Woo-seok breaks into Captain Park's home while his friend stands guard. He finally finds a photo of Woo-seok with the Salesman. But Captain Park's dog attacks and Woo-seok is mauled before he shoots. He is leaving when he finds money and a Squid Game guard uniform. Unfortunately, the cops arrive.
The next morning, the Officer gives No-eul a boat key. But he feels like something is off and tells a guard to check the workroom again. Unfortunately, they realise that the doctor is dead and Player 246 is pretending to be him.
A coffin is brought to the bunker and everyone is in shock as they realise Geum-ja has hanged herself in the night. Jun-hee cries while Gi-hun tears up. The prep for the next game begins. Gi-hun holds the kid as Jun-hee's fractured ankle has gotten worse. Myung-gi watches them from afar.
The VIPs believe Jun-hee is a lost cause while VIP 3 reveals he accidentally bet on her. But he still thinks that as a mother, she has supernatural strength to pull through. Unfortunately, the next game is jump rope. Another VIP claims the kid should join the game, harping on VIP 3's motherly instinct to protect the child and win. All the VIPs convince VIP 3 as he claims he will sacrifice his child for their entertainment.
Once again, Jun-hee blames herself for Geum-ja's death but Gi-hun assures her that it is not her fault.
The 5th game is finally introduced. The players need to cross a broken bridge in 20 minutes while playing jump rope. Whoever fails to cross in time will be killed. Gi-hun tries to strategise that they can leave the kid behind and he can carry Jun-hee across. However, the guards declare that the kid is also a player and has to play.
As the players bicker over who should go first, Min-su tests Nam-gyu but he is still rude to him. Upset, Min-su throws Thanos' pill box on the bridge and this pushes Nam-gyu to start playing. He successfully reaches the box but sees that it is empty. While he is distracted, the rope hits him and he falls and dies.
Gi-hun decides to cross with the kid first and go back for Jun-hee. This seems to upset Myung-gi. It is almost touch and go but Gi-hun makes it across with the kid. Emboldened, the rest follow and Gi-hun realises he cannot go back for Jun-hee til the rest finish crossing. Jun-hee panics as only 12 minutes are left. However, Player 96 finishes second and starts killing off the players who almost reach the finish line.
The Episode Review
Not to get our hopes up but it seems that so far, Squid Game is back on track with Season 3 with the little moments between the different characters, the outside world investigation into the game and the actual game.
Siwan does a brilliant job as Myung-gi, despite playing a silent role in this chapter. His frustration is palpable as Jun-hee avoids him for killing Hyun-ju. But will he go as far as to let Gi-hun save Jun-hee all alone, or will he finally help the woman he claims to love?
Showing more of the VIPs and their twisted mindset while betting on the players was a nice touch as well. It also falls exactly in line with the Old Man's saviour complex, with the way they think they are doing a favour to Jun-hee by letting her kid join the games.
The final plot twist with Player 96 also reminds us of the Season 1 hopscotch game, where the players started sabotaging each other. These constant callbacks to Season 1 bring back the nostalgia that was missing in the previous season.
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Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!