3 Season 3’s that Suck – Part One

I’m an avid series watcher, no doubt. Then again in this day and age, who isn’t? With increased budgets, and many A-list movie actors taking up roles in television series, the industry has definitely developed to a point that it is on par with the film industry.

Bold statement? Perhaps, but if you consider the resources, time and effort that goes into television productions today compared to 20 years ago, there’s a distinct improvement- even considering innovation and inflation.

But this isn’t the focus of my analysis today. No, no. This series of articles will look at three season 3’s from a few of my favourite series that just didn’t make the cut for me. So without further ado, I’ll jump right in with the first one:

The Walking Dead Season 3

I had high hopes for season 3, after an explosive first season dominated by the undead, and a second season that played lightly on the underlying human threat that nobody seems to initially consider.

I actually sat up one day and realized “Duh, it’s all about survival now”. And if people cast away on an island are turning on each other for a million dollars (Survivor reference) why wouldn’t a bunch of people facing an army of the undead sacrifice one another at a whim to stay alive.

But season three killed this balance. The Governor killed this balance. For me The Walking Dead had- up until this point- maintained a good balance of the human threat, and the threat of the undead.

A character this dominant makes a zombie attack that struck anxiety in my heart in season one, and even two, seem like just another day at the office compared to what he has planned for our protagonists.

And fine, they alluded to the fact that he may be a torturer and so on, but most of the damage he did was with a gun, and in terms of ways to die, being shot just doesn’t compare to being eaten alive by a horde of undead.

The Governor’s ability to restrain the menacing undead with apparent ease, and control a large group of living people through manipulation and lies is indeed a formidable threat faced by the core group we’ve been following, but for me the threat coming in this form just takes away the essence of what the show was about: An overbearing undead threat that hides the greater human threat. There was no hiding here- just open-air manipulation (full dramatic irony) and guns blazing.

As a note, season 4 looks pretty good so far, but I won’t give any spoilers here. This list will continue in 2 subsequent parts over the next few weeks, so keep checking in or subscribe for the rest of the series.

Are there any series that you love that had a bad season somewhere along the lines? Let us know in the comment section below.

About the Author: Stephen is co-founder of BTG Lifestyle and loves watching series- sometimes wasting too much time watching “Just one more episode” when he could be doing more important things.