*Squid Game season 3 spoilers ahead*
The third and final season of Squid Game recently dropped on Netflix, and boy, was it full of nail-biting tension from start to finish.
But for those who have yet to see the latest episodes, let's unpack: Seong Gi-hun returns to the ever-deadly games—which are created as entertainment for a group of wealthy VIPs—in a last bid to bring them down for good. However, his plan doesn't exactly go as expected: viewers watch as Gi-hun is forced to sacrifice himself to save another player's baby.
Of course, the heartbreaking ending polarized many fans, who were distraught that evil ultimately prevailed. The ending is also perhaps why the finale has the lowest Rotten Tomatoes critics score of all three series, trailing behind at 78 percent, compared to season 2's 83 percent and season 1's 95 percent.
And now, it's been revealed that the conclusion could have gone in the complete opposite direction. It comes after Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk shared an alternate ending for the show.
In a recent interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Dong-hyuk stated that this wasn't the original ending, but a "vague idea" of how he would end the story in the beginning. He explained: "Back then, it was having Gi-hun end the game, in one way or another, and leave alive and go see his daughter in America. So originally, I thought the person who witnesses the American recruiter woman would be Gi-hun."
While there's nothing we can do to save Gi-hun now, the creator did give his reasons for the main character's sacrifice. He told the outlet: "As I began writing the story, and as I began to think more and more about, 'What do I want to deliver with the ending of this story?' And also, 'What should Gi-hun's journey and what should his destination be?' I was witnessing more and more what was happening around the world and I thought it was more fitting for Gi-hun to send this powerful and impactful message to the world [with his death] and that should be how the story comes to a close."
Finally, Dong-hyuk concluded: "The world seems to be headed for the worst. It seems to be becoming, in so many different ways, so much worse ahead. I thought, 'What kind of sacrifices do we need to make in the current generation for us to be able to leave the future generation with a better world?'"
"So I wanted Gi-hun's sacrifice to be a symbol of that," he said.
Yep, we're not crying. You are.
Squid Game season 3 is now streaming on Netflix.
