Tuesday, October 20, 2020

What I’m Watching: The Third Day (Series Finale)

The Third Day: Season 1, Episode 6 “Last Day – The Dark” (B)

Well, I guess it’s something that the final episode of this show was better than most of what came before it, ending on an interestingly ambiguous note that really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise for a series that always kept viewers in the dark – conveniently this episode’s title – since the start. Helen not believing that it was actually Nathan because he hadn’t aged was cemented by Mrs. Martin’s confirmation that they had let him believe that the boy was his son and not just a relative who didn’t actually look much like him. That led me to the conclusion that this island and its religion isn’t supernatural or magical, but just that people believe what they want to and, in the case of Jess and her supporters, are determined to extinguish any perceived threats for fear that they will one day try to stake a leadership claim that may rightfully be theirs. But then Helen seemed completely haunted by what Nathan said to her, which could easily have been something Sam apologized to him for multiple times since they’d been together on the island, but was likely a private moment between the two of them that no one else could have known aside from the real Nathan. I’m glad that Ellie had a change of heart in the end and didn’t willingly stay, though it’s not clear how far they got and if Helen is indeed still alive. This show did have a bit too much senseless violence and disturbing content for my liking, but the performances were certainly strong. I don’t expect it to be much of an awards season player, but it’s always possible. Even though this finale was a decent end, I want to make sure that it is just that – I don’t need to revisit this nightmarish island and universe anytime soon.

Series grade: B
Series MVP: Jude Law as Sam and Naomie Harris as Helen

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