I’ve just binged all three seasons in three days. (Finished about 4.am this morning, so today will be slow.) I’d never watched it before.
The whole thing is so staggeringly beautiful to look at - I really do feel I’m devouring the landscape, the buildings and the planes of Eric’s face ceaselessly.
But - I did find S3 unsatisfactory compared to the first two. Won’t spoil, I hope, to say they dispensed with the appearance on-screen of two peripheral characters - parents - whose performances and presence I’d enjoyed.
Worse - the very worst - for some inexplicable reason they completely isolated three black characters - two of whom had interacted with everyone in the first two seasons, one of whom is new - and had them pretty much only interact with each other. Stupidly and pointlessly and - it completely ruined my appreciation for the show. It was as if they decided to kowtow to US sensibilities. I Don’t Know Why.
The use of (relatively) ancient actors to play teens was really quite distracting. Their faces were too solid! And they mostly lacked that skittish quality teenagers have.
Eric’s trip was surprisingly well done - though there’s a wedding that was too quiet and sparsely populated. It’s true he and Adam are outstandingly brilliantly acted.
I’m very sorry but I don’t think I like Gillian Anderson’s acting. Great presence and wears clothes magnificently, but too … exaggerated.
How can there possibly be a S4 when all the school pupils will be about thirty?