Warning! This article contains spoilers for Squid Game season 3.

Some of the most controversial characters return in Squid Game season 3 and, somehow, seem even worse than one remembers them to be. Squid Game‘s roster has always been jam-packed with many different characters. Although Squid Game season 1 ended with the death of many leads in the show, season 2 introduced a whole new set of them to mark the beginning of another line of games. While some of these characters have become fan favorites over time, others have had a relatively controversial reception since the beginning.

For instance, South Korean rapper T.O.P left many viewers divided with his portrayal of Thanos in Squid Game season 2. Some loved his role, claiming that his over-the-top portrayal of the pretentious character brought some much-needed levity to the otherwise serious show. Meanwhile, others complained his exaggerated performance felt a little too out of place. Squid Game season 3 marked the return of another group of similarly controversial figures and made them seem even more polarizing than ever before.

The VIPs Play A Huge Role In Squid Game Season 3

The Overarching Villains Were Less Significant In Season 1

Despite being the main overarching antagonists in Squid Game, the VIPs first appeared almost midway through Squid Game season 1. The show intentionally portrayed them as shallow, one-dimensional characters to emphasize its portrayal of the extreme class divides that exist in capitalistic societies and how the one at the top of the social hierarchy grow insensitive towards the struggles of the poor. For obvious reasons, the VIPs were not received too well by audiences.

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Apart from hating them in the show’s narrative, many viewers even questioned the acting abilities of the actors portraying them. The seemingly robotic voices of all the VIPs and the dialogue delivery of all the actors who portrayed them made them look uncannily stiff and disconnected from the show’s story. Squid Game season 2 did not feature them at all, but season 3 attempts to give them a bigger role after their absence in the preceding installment, despite their divisive reception after season 1.

The VIPs Did More Than Just Watch The Games In Season 3

They Get To Pull Many A String From Behind-The-Scenes

In Squid Game season 1, the VIPs were nothing more than mere spectators of the titular games. They treated the games like a horse race, where the participants were disposable pawns of entertainment. Their perception towards the players in Squid Game season 3 does not change all that much. However, this time around, they seem more actively involved with several behind-the-scenes decisions surrounding the games.

For instance, after noticing Jun-hee’s baby during the Jump Rope game, the VIPs together come to an agreement that the child should be treated as a separate player in the games. Even though their demeanors and dialogue were heavily criticized after season 1, they seemed even more annoying and hate-worthy in Squid Game season 3. The characters completely disregard the struggles of the players and show no empathy towards them. They only seem to care about their own entertainment as they bring strange new changes to the games.

Squid Game Season 3 Reminded Us That The VIPs Are The Real Villains Of The Show

The Front Man, Too, Was Nothing But A Victim Of Their Insensitivity

For a long time, it was hard not to see the Front Man as the main villain in Squid Game. After his betrayal in Squid Game season 2’s ending, the character became even more irredeemable and hard to like. However, the VIPs’ appearance in season 3 serves as a grim reminder of how the Front Man, too, was once merely a victim of the brutal system created by the overarching villains. Like Gi-hun and the other players, he only decided to participate in the games because he thought they gave him the opportunity to turn his life around.

His circumstances gradually made him lose the little humanity left in him as he became an enforcer of the VIPs’ cruel system. With its unsettling portrayal of how the VIPs do not even care about a newborn child and put the baby’s life in danger just for their entertainment, Squid Game season 3 highlights how they need to be blamed for the true rot at the heart of the games. The Front Man makes the mistake of losing his morals and upholding the games in Squid Game, but the VIPs created the twisted and unfair system that runs them.