The third and final season of record-breaking Netflix series Squid Game came to a close with a brutal conclusion that has divided fans.
Launched in 2021, the nail-biting Korean drama follows a group of cash-strapped individuals as they fight for an eye-watering money prize and their own survival.
Season three picked up from season two鈥檚 cliffhanger with protagonist Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) in danger after Player 388 Kang Dae-ho鈥檚 (Kang Ha-neul) deadly betrayal.
Warning 鈥 Major spoilers ahead for Squid Game season three
In a twist that left the show鈥檚 fan鈥檚 dumbfounded, the winner of Squid Game season three is the baby child of Player 222: Kim Jun-hee; a woman who was conned by her ex-partner, Player 222, Lee Myung-gi, into a fraudulent cryptocurrency venture.
Kim Jun-hee is pregnant when entering the games but played regardless in hopes of winning a better life for her child.
When Jun-hee is out of the game, it鈥檚 announced the baby is taking her place as Player 222. When the other players try to kill the baby in the final game, she鈥檚 protected by Gi-hun and becomes the winner of the 4.56 billion prize money.
The finale鈥檚 huge twist proved divisive among viewers who took to X/Twitter to give their verdict on the show鈥檚 final instalment. 鈥淕lad that I鈥檓 not the only one who thought the ending SUCKS,鈥 one person wrote.
鈥淚 didn’t like that the bad guys just blew up the island and got away,鈥 another viewer added. 鈥淭he VIPs got away. No one got justice. All those souls died for nothing.鈥
Meanwhile, another person defended the series, saying: 鈥淵鈥檃ll [are] only say it sucked because it didn鈥檛 end the way you wanted.鈥
A fourth person questioned: 鈥淎m I the only one that鈥檚 happy with the ending? For me, the whole series is used to portray that no matter how much justice there is in the world, greed will always take over or something like that.鈥
Speaking to Tudum, the show’s creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, explained that a baby winning the game was a necessary creative choice.
鈥淚 believe we also have the responsibility and duty to try everything that we can in our power to leave a better world for the future generation,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he baby coming out the winner was in line with the meaning of Squid Game.鈥
Viewers were equally shocked by a surprise cameo from Hollywood鈥檚 Cate Blanchett, who鈥檚 locked in a game of ddakji with a seemingly desperate man in an alleyway in the show鈥檚 final scenes.