I have very mixed feelings about this season. On one hand, the decision to have most of the conflicts be internal, far-reaching, and end mostly unresolved is a bold move that I think has a lot of merit in a storytelling landscape that has shied very far away from ambiguity, to the point that thereâs a general expectation that all conflicts presented must be resolved by the end for a narrative to be âgoodâ (or considered skillfully constructed). Thereâs something to be said for an âunsatisfyingâ season of TV in a culture primed for comfort and familiarity. Sometimes things were left unresolved in a way that I actually appreciatedâSantos and the scalpel being one. If the lack of certain resolutions is intentional, I do feel thereâs something to admire. Is this season weaker than S1 because of it? In my opinion, yes, but not horrifically so.
On the other hand, itâs hard not to look at Mohan and now Al-Hashimiâs arcs and not feel disappointed. Robbyâs ultimatum to Al-Hashimi after a day of belittling and undermining her reads blatantly antagonistic from a birds-eye view, particularly because sheâs given the chance to throw his hypocrisy in his face when they argue this epâso I have to ask: why present that if not for the audience to think about it? Are his moments of dissociation and/or panic attacks so different from Al-Hashimiâs lapses? And if she doesnât come back, what was their conflict meant to convey? Worse, Supriya Ganeshâs departure and the manner in which itâs been handled over the past few weeks have soured things in general for me, especially given how rarely Mohanâs on screen over these last few eps. I really donât think itâs useful to speculate on the situation any more than people already are, but itâs still a dark shadow over the ending.
NOW, if S3 is going to be treated as a third act to multiple charactersâ journeys (obviously excluding Mohan), I think I could come around on S2 in a âthe weaker second book in a trilogy is doing a thankless jobâ sort of way. But if that doesnât happen, itâll cast my issues with this season in a different light.Â
Idkâitâs tough. Iâm glad that thereâs a story trying (I think) to challenge the viewer, but is it worth it if itâs coming at the cost of longevity and justice for characters like Collins and Mohan (and possibly Al-Hashimi)? Like is this bold-if-flawed writing or just a mid season of TV? If the writers room doesnât have several months/years to develop a season (as with S1), will they be able to reach S1 levels of balance, momentum, and nuance again? Who the hell is to say at this point! Guess Iâll have a couple months to think about it!
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