The highly anticipated third season of the hit Netflix show has many fans disappointed. I myself was barely able to finish the season. So why did it fall so flat? Minor spoilers ahead.
I think the main issue for this season was that it was almost only about the treasure hunt and lacked the lighthearted moments that originally drew audiences in. In the last two seasons, there was a good balance of action and scenes where the main characters had some fun. The summertime aesthetic of the show is one of its main initial pulls, but very rarely did the audience get a chance to watch The Pogues enjoy that.
Further, the chemistry among the main cast felt really off. The script attempted jokes here and there, but they never really hit, and just left scenes feeling awkward. The six main characters have all been paired off into couples, which if they had spent less time on the treasure hunt and more time developing these relationships, would have felt less forced.
I also found each episode to be repetitive, so much so that none of them really stood out to me until the finale. Each episode had the same elements where they would find another clue, pursue it, seemingly reach a dead end, and then just before the end, find a solution to their issue. One or two of the main characters would find themselves captured or in trouble with enemies, but once again by the end of the episode, find a way out. The stakes of the show have completely disappeared, as you almost expect and do not really care about the latest obstacle for The Pogues.
Finally, the worst addition to the show was John B’s dad, Big John, who was thought to be dead for the last two seasons. The excitement of his appearance quickly disappears as the audience realizes how much he sucks. Every single one of his scenes were extremely boring and he was an absolutely terrible dad to John B, putting the treasure first before his own son. His resurrection could have brought a fresh dynamic to the show, but instead I found it clashed with the chemistry of the characters.
Regardless, the show has been renewed for a season 4, and I will need some time to consider whether it is worth watching.