Alice In Borderland Season 3 Should Move Ahead, But Under One Condition

Season 2 of "Alice in Borderland" revealed that the twisted 52-card pickup world full of fatal challenges was a place between life and death, and everyone sent there that made it to the end also survived a meteor crash that occurred in reality. Despite the alluded happy ending viewers experienced, another season could very well work — as long as they take full advantage of the funny face card found in the final moments of the Season 2 finale.

There is a sequel to the source material called "Alice in Borderland Retry" where, ten years after the events of the original, Ryōhei Arisu (Kento Yamazaki) returns to the game after an accident occurs on the way to see his wife Yuzuha Usagi (Tao Tsuchiya), who is having their child. While he does remember his previous efforts in the Borderlands during his second trip, after surviving the challenge he wakes up in reality with no memory of the experience. There is also a spinoff manga titled "Alice on Border Road," which follows two women who wake up in the Borderlands with face cards. 

While they are both fascinating tales in their own right, it does seem like there isn't enough between the two to make up a complete third run that would live up to the expectations set by its two predecessors. And the show has already covered most of the source material from the manga. Thankfully though, there is still hope to cultivate another chapter of the series if the show utilizes an unused character known as the Joker.

The streamer could take the Joker card hint and boldly expand on its source material to not only return to the Borderland for more death-defying challenges but also fill in all the blanks the show has left behind.

The Joker card might have seemed like a fun way to end things considering how much trouble the other cards gave the show's players in the first two iterations, but in the source material, it had a bigger role. While the shadowy figure representing the funny face card's appearance in the manga is brief, the mysterious persona's big moment could be the basis for a third season.

In the source material, after the Queen of Hearts, Mira Kanō (Riisa Naka), is killed and the surviving contestants are asked if they want to leave the Borderland or stay, a dark shadowy figure appears across from Ryōhei Arisu, who identifies the mysterious individual as the Joker thanks to the playing card laying in front of him on the table. The character doesn't have much to say in the story except to question if he looks like a god or the devil when the players ask if he is responsible for the games. But things become a bit clearer when Arisu gets a vision of a giant entity carrying people on a boat somewhere. At the same time, a few remain on a skull-ridden beach, implying that the Joker, while the full extent of his agenda is still shrouded in secrecy, is at the least, a proprietor of transport between the Borderland and reality for those that decide not to stay.

But the series skipped all of that in favor of a quick one-shot of the playing card on a similar table in the final shot, which might indicate that the game is over or could just mean things may not be as they seem when it comes to the happy ending teased at the end of "Alice in Borderland."

It seems safe to presume that most people probably don't associate the Joker moniker as an indicator of the most trustworthy individual, and more often than not, the jester-based designation is most closely associated with tricksters. And as far as the playing card is concerned, all bets are off when one of these bad boys enters the game. The Wild Card not only can raise the stakes or greatly impact one's odds, but it also has the power to completely change the rules of any game it becomes a part of, which is exactly where the opportunity lies for "Alice in Borderland" Season 3.

The season could start by showing the characters living their lives post-meteor crash while somewhat alluding to the fact that each one feels like something is missing or off. As they live their lives with no knowledge of their efforts in the Borderland, they start to have visions of their forgotten past between life and death. Eventually, after remembering everything, the visions become more intense, leading them to believe the real world and the Borderland are merging. But soon, they will realize that the glimpse of life after the meteor crash was part of the Joker's game of illusions and that while they have earned the right to leave the Borderland, they still have to win to secure payment for their transport home — similar to how the ferryman to the afterlife is depicted in different cultures.

Throughout season 3, the Joker could keep the audience and the characters guessing who he is and if he is a god or the devil through his actions and his own spin on the games.

The games were easily one of the highlights of the series, and instead of coming up with new challenges, the Joker sets things up so the show can revisit some of its best games and add all sorts of wild card changes. These events would also allow the series to answer some lingering questions that have gone unanswered and could put things in perspective, like if free will is a factor or if things are predetermined in the Borderland.

And it would be pretty interesting to see different characters participate in other games with even more devastating twists the third time around. Would Shuntarō Chishiya (Nijiro Murakami) be good at the Joker's take on the Four of Clubs "Distance" game? How would Hikari Kuina (Aya Asahina) hold up balancing the Joker's scales against her friends in the King of Diamonds ordeal? What would Ryōhei Arisu do if he was forced to go up against Yuzuha Usagi in the shadowy figure's take on the friend-killing "Hide and Seek" fiasco? Several fascinating possibilities could work out if they choose to continue the series, and the only way any of it works is if "Alice in Borderland" bets big on the Joker for a third season.

While it would certainly not be the end of the world if the show did not continue, it would seem like an unfortunate missed opportunity not to be able to take things in a bold Joker-driven direction that could very well offer fans a unique experience and add something special to the franchise overall. Whether or not viewers will ever get to press continue on the series, there is no denying it's been a blast playing the game from start to finish.