It is a shame because the first two seasons were brilliant! Adele was by far the most interesting character this time!
sharewell.... this is the first season 100% that they wrote for hbo without the scripts from BeTipul, so the lost of quallyti was expectable. the serie has more "united states flavor" now, that's not mean that's is bad but at least is "less unique"
shareI actually liked the third season better than season two. Now, I never saw season one at all, but I thought Pauls sessions with Sunil and Adele were really good. I watched all the Frances sessins and Jesse just didn't interest me.
shareFor me, I don't want to use the word disappointing.....but it wasn't what I expected.
I gave up on Jesse after 2 episodes and reading these boards doesn't seem like I missed much. Frances came off as very narcissistic and boring; week 6 was the only episodes of her's I actually enjoyed. Adele, I liked her at the beginning. But once Paul went down that "emotional" road, the one he ventured down previously with Laura, those sessions just didn't seem to the same.
Thankfully there was Sunil, maybe my favorite character in the whole series.
To me, the Frances character brought this season down considerably. Talk about extremely poor writing! 1/4 of this apple is rotten. I'd still rate this season as relatively good, but it's absolutely no match to the previous two.
shareI agree. Season 3 was a disappointment. The writing was far below the standard of the first two seasons. Season three was unrelentingly dark. There needs to be at least a little humor and success in the therapeutic process for the show to be palatable -- Sophie provided that in season one and Paul made progress with Mia, April and Walter in season two. This season, Paul was only of minor help to his patients and I don't think Adele was a good fit as Paul's therapist. Adele was too cold and at the same time seemed to enjoy the attachment Paul had for her and seemed to be encouraging him to continue therapy for selfish reasons. The writers clearly were out of their depth in trying to continue the brilliant writing of seasons one and two. Paul wandering alone through New York City just wasn't the ending I wanted for one of my favorite characters and shows of all time.
shareYes, the writing was obviously a far cry from the two great previous seasons.
It was like watching a Train wreck. With the exception of Adele.
Nonsense. This season was wonderful.
share@xdayton That's your opinion. I have mine own. Yours is meaningless. Deal with it.
shareThe subject of psychotherapy itself is boring. What made the previous seasons more "interesting" was the drama that accompanied Dr Weston's therapy sessions. Let's be honest, what most people enjoyed about season one was the 'soap opera' aspect of the Laura, Alex and Paul Weston triangle; the messy details of the divorcing couple and the sexual escapes of the ballerina etc.
The more the writers stayed within the correct 'bounds' of the profession, the less interesting their product will be to most viewers. Paul Weston can not be too much of a flawed leading man, certainly not a "Bartleby and Shylock spawn!". It may be realistic but does not serve as good drama. Similarly, his co-stars can not be seen by too many viewers as better than he is. I don't see Adele's approach to therapy as necessarily better, I think her advice about Sunil is a great example of why not, but most people here appear to believe that Adele's approach to therapy is more correct. That may be so, but it is this kind of thinking that leads to less gripping drama and a ultimately a less interesting show.
"The horse has been taken to the well. "
The subject of psychotherapy itself is boring. What made the previous seasons more "interesting" was the drama that accompanied Dr Weston's therapy sessions. Let's be honest, what most people enjoyed about season one was the 'soap opera' aspect of the Laura, Alex and Paul Weston triangle; the messy details of the divorcing couple and the sexual escapes of the ballerina etc.
I agree that season 3 was disappointing. The acting was excellent but the
writing was uninspired. The only interesting thing about Sunil was that he
was "different". Jesse was annoying. Frances was boring. Adele had no
depth.
Marge
Personally, I really enjoyed this season and thought it was quite good. However, I think it was a shame they went from 4 patients in S1 and S2 to 3 patients this season. All in all, Sunil was my favourite 'case' this time around. He was quite unique and mysterious.
I even got to love Jesse after a couple of sessions, although his extreme cursing often got on my nerves. Also, I had to warm up to Adele. But after Paul admitted his feelings to her I found their sessions more interesting to watch. When it comes to Frances, I have to say I actually like her. Sure, she was a flawed character, but she wasn't as selfish and vain as some (including herself) had made her to believe.
I carry your heart; I carry it in my heart.
I just finished watching the season and also feel that it disappointed but only a little. To me it was only because the Frances character wasn't well-written enough. I had little investment in her. I was dying for more insights on her marriage and her old friendships, just more background on why she's the lonely character she is. For her ex-husband or (more realisticaly) her daughter to sit in with her in one of the sessions would really have elevated her story from a viewers perspective. I don't think Debra Winger could have done more with what she was given.
Still, on the whole it's top-drawer TV and a series I found fascinating on several layers.