Netflix It has many original series, but when it comes down to it, it only supports a very limited number of productions. In this group, titles such as ‘Stranger Things’, ‘Los Bridgertons’ or ‘The Witcher’ stand out, thus leaving proposals that are quite worthwhile in the background.
One of them is ‘Dead to Me’, the series starring Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini which comes to an end this Thursday, November 17 with the premiere of its third and final season. It will be necessary to see how it affects its reception that it arrives almost three years after the second -a delay caused in part because Applegate suffers from multiple sclerosis-, but what is really important is that it is about a remarkable closure to the story of Jen and Judy’s friendship.
with the clear objective
One of the big changes in this third season compared to the previous two is that the suspense facet of ‘Dead to Me’ goes to the background to focus more on the emotional bond between its two protagonists. This does not mean that the multitude of loose ends that the series had left behind is ignored, but it does mean that you become something to deal with in parallel, looking for a fit but without ever giving it absolute priority. To tell the truth, a plot of that facet does have more weight, but even in that case it is more the complement than the main course.
That leads to this final season of ‘Dead to Me’ bet more on the emotional. From its beginnings, it was a series marked by how the brilliant appearance of Judy changed Jen’s life, starting a friendship full of ups and downs that quickly went from laughter to suffering. This time the path to follow is much clearer and more focused, which allows it to be more focused on the narrative.
This decision doesn’t lead to a lack of surprises throughout Jen and Judy’s latest trip, but it does mean that even they are clearly on track to make it all work for closure. The punctual appearance of characters that were already seen in previous seasons reinforces that feeling of farewell, but also giving it a touch of warmth to balance that tendency of the series to both the comic and the tragic.
Nevertheless, what shines the most is once again the work of Applegate and Cardellini, also being the season that most openly trusts to keep its main characters together as long as possible. They were always the great strong point of ‘Dead to Me’ and influencing it more is one of the best decisions that those responsible could make.
For me I confess that I always had a greater weakness for Cardellini, both because of the characteristics of her character and because of the actress’s own interpretation. Here it is not that she loses the most impulsive side of her, but rather that she is more controlled, both in what she wants and in the way of achieving it, while Applegate is a bit overwhelmed by circumstances.
All this leads to an outcome that can be somewhat predictable -anyone should be able to anticipate what is going to happen several episodes before-, but it is also what the season itself has been gaining. Along the way there are already bumps, but here there was no longer room for any cliffhanger, but rather to let the plot lines that have been raised reach the intended and deserved fatewhile maintaining that bittersweet touch that has always been present in ‘Dead to Me’.
In short
‘Dead to Me’ may not appear on many lists of the best of Netflix, but its three seasons have been worth it and its outcome fits very well with the characteristics that the series has exhibited over the years. Also, both Cardellini and Applegate are highly inspired and elevate already stimulating material.
In Espinof: