I really loved this show, especially the first 2 seasons. But as so many have expressed in the reviews, the final season and its ending did not live up to the previous seasons.
I binge-watched.. simply could not tear myself away from the continuing episodes. It really is a good story and the actors were perfectly cast. My favorite character was Paddy; OMG, what brilliant acting by Ned Dennehy! Paddy is the epitome of a character that you can't help but love/hate. He's a resurrected spitfire Crocodile Dundee with a cache of surprises.
The third season, although still enjoyable to watch, had neither the richness of character nor story that the prior seasons had. For one thing, they introduced some corporate heavies that were never explained. Ostensibly, they wanted to experiment on the Risen, but it was only alluded to - nothing deeper than that. Their presence and purpose seemed almost incidental. I was still waiting for clarification of the original experiment and of the scientist and doctor behind it. We never got that. Both characters were killed off without the benefit of delving into their background. Somehow, some way, some kind of experiment regenerated dead bodies that came to life despite the decay, despite have been embalmed and entombed, and easily made their way up through the coffin and six feet of packed dirt. Okaaayy then.
Season 3 introduced a couple of new reanimated characters for no apparent reason. It wasn't a terrible thing, but it didn't add anything of value to the story. In fact, it took time away from the characters that we were already invested in and wanted to see more of. If Chi, one of the new characters, had made a difference (i.e., saved the Risen) at the end with his cultural ritual, then I could see merit in bringing him and Belle into the story at that late date. But it was not the case. These characters were nothing more than filler, as many others have pointed out.
Any good story resolves its mysteries at some point. This one failed on multiple counts. I wanted to know exactly what the assassins were. That they keep the universe in balance is not enough. Furthermore, why did Elishia and William want to escape their prior existence (as something other than human) to begin with? Living as a human was so appealing to them that they came here to escape their past. Viewers were not privy to the story behind that. And how did Elishia manage to raise several people from the dead - including 2 of them after she herself died? Why did she create a barrier and then need other Risens to test its boundaries? Was she not beholden to the barrier herself? Why couldn't the assassins find Elishia in her 4 years on earth? Why didn't the fabric of the universe crumble when SHE possessed a corpse? And speaking of raising the dead, why did they throw that bit in about Golgotha? Were they trying to say that Jesus was one of the keepers of the universal balance, who just happened to enter the Jesus body for a quick after-death experience? What was the purpose of that allusion - yet another unfinished morsel. This show is rife with unresolved aspects.
The ending was a colossal let-down. We rooted for all of these characters to live. We watched them run for their lives literally throughout the entire series, only to .. what.. quietly immolate themselves at the end? As if anyone could calmly walk into an inferno! It would be agony just to come within yards of such a fire, let alone walk into it. And how convenient that the universe balancing hunters could simply exit their instantly dissolving hosts, while the Risen were forced to endure the burning forest!
The whistle.. yet another enigma that was thrown into the mix without having been fleshed out. William conveniently had this little tool in his possession, then blew it at the end to impart the vital information to the living dead. Um.. so why didn't he toot that horn earlier on, saving a whole lot of time and pain for all? The writers could have found a way to include us in the experience of hearing what the Risen heard. They also could have given us a more satisfying ending, such as showing the re-deceased main characters in their new afterlife. Almost anything would have been better than the ending they gave us. It was so brief and anti-climactic. Too bad, because it really was wonderful until it went uncharacteristically divergent and culminated in such a slipshod wrap-up. ... Ultimately, I wanted to give this a 10 but due to the anemic ending and lack of storyline resolutions I had to lop off a couple of points.
I binge-watched.. simply could not tear myself away from the continuing episodes. It really is a good story and the actors were perfectly cast. My favorite character was Paddy; OMG, what brilliant acting by Ned Dennehy! Paddy is the epitome of a character that you can't help but love/hate. He's a resurrected spitfire Crocodile Dundee with a cache of surprises.
The third season, although still enjoyable to watch, had neither the richness of character nor story that the prior seasons had. For one thing, they introduced some corporate heavies that were never explained. Ostensibly, they wanted to experiment on the Risen, but it was only alluded to - nothing deeper than that. Their presence and purpose seemed almost incidental. I was still waiting for clarification of the original experiment and of the scientist and doctor behind it. We never got that. Both characters were killed off without the benefit of delving into their background. Somehow, some way, some kind of experiment regenerated dead bodies that came to life despite the decay, despite have been embalmed and entombed, and easily made their way up through the coffin and six feet of packed dirt. Okaaayy then.
Season 3 introduced a couple of new reanimated characters for no apparent reason. It wasn't a terrible thing, but it didn't add anything of value to the story. In fact, it took time away from the characters that we were already invested in and wanted to see more of. If Chi, one of the new characters, had made a difference (i.e., saved the Risen) at the end with his cultural ritual, then I could see merit in bringing him and Belle into the story at that late date. But it was not the case. These characters were nothing more than filler, as many others have pointed out.
Any good story resolves its mysteries at some point. This one failed on multiple counts. I wanted to know exactly what the assassins were. That they keep the universe in balance is not enough. Furthermore, why did Elishia and William want to escape their prior existence (as something other than human) to begin with? Living as a human was so appealing to them that they came here to escape their past. Viewers were not privy to the story behind that. And how did Elishia manage to raise several people from the dead - including 2 of them after she herself died? Why did she create a barrier and then need other Risens to test its boundaries? Was she not beholden to the barrier herself? Why couldn't the assassins find Elishia in her 4 years on earth? Why didn't the fabric of the universe crumble when SHE possessed a corpse? And speaking of raising the dead, why did they throw that bit in about Golgotha? Were they trying to say that Jesus was one of the keepers of the universal balance, who just happened to enter the Jesus body for a quick after-death experience? What was the purpose of that allusion - yet another unfinished morsel. This show is rife with unresolved aspects.
The ending was a colossal let-down. We rooted for all of these characters to live. We watched them run for their lives literally throughout the entire series, only to .. what.. quietly immolate themselves at the end? As if anyone could calmly walk into an inferno! It would be agony just to come within yards of such a fire, let alone walk into it. And how convenient that the universe balancing hunters could simply exit their instantly dissolving hosts, while the Risen were forced to endure the burning forest!
The whistle.. yet another enigma that was thrown into the mix without having been fleshed out. William conveniently had this little tool in his possession, then blew it at the end to impart the vital information to the living dead. Um.. so why didn't he toot that horn earlier on, saving a whole lot of time and pain for all? The writers could have found a way to include us in the experience of hearing what the Risen heard. They also could have given us a more satisfying ending, such as showing the re-deceased main characters in their new afterlife. Almost anything would have been better than the ending they gave us. It was so brief and anti-climactic. Too bad, because it really was wonderful until it went uncharacteristically divergent and culminated in such a slipshod wrap-up. ... Ultimately, I wanted to give this a 10 but due to the anemic ending and lack of storyline resolutions I had to lop off a couple of points.