I was really excited for Cable Girls Season 3. Like really, really excited. And then I watched it. And now I’m just …I’m not sure what I am. Sad and angry? Sangry? Is that an emotion?
Because, wow, was that a waste of eight episodes. It feels to me like nothing happened, though I know a lot happened. Fracisco is clearly not gonna die, so even the cliffhanger is somewhat muted, just like last year’s was, because we knew Alba/Lidia wasn’t going to die.
Other than that, the same decisions were made over and over, people acted stupidly and OOC for the entire season to make the plot work, and the love triangle that just won’t end is still a thing, even though Alba/Lidia ostensibly made a decision ages ago.
Can we get on with Season 4 already, just so I can forget this ever happened?
Overall Impression
Meh. And for me to say that after how much I loved Season 1 in general and most of Season 2, well, that’s big. And it’s not that some things didn’t work, it’s that the whole thing didn’t work as a unit. Problems that we thought were unsurmountable were easily solved, people who we thought would never acted one way acted that way without explanation and Alba/Lidia just kept making one dumbass decision after another.
Plus, again, is it just me or does it feel like nothing big actually happened? We’re still in the same place we were at the end of Season 2, in general. So what was the purpose of these eight episodes, other than, presumably, draw things out?
What Worked
The Female Friendships: The women are the basis of this show, and that still holds true in a beautiful way. Their friendship is the only thing I don’t question, the one thing that has never been handled wrong, not really, and the one thing that keeps me coming back. Friendships like theirs are rarely seen on TV, and if, for nothing else, this show is worth it.
Sara and Carlota: I loved my OT3, but I also love Sara and Carlota working together, supporting each other, understanding each other and flying in the face of the stereotypes of the time and place. Good representation in a period piece, who would have thought?
Francisco: I’m not sure if Francisco is my favorite because Yon Gonzalez brings so much into every second he’s on screen, or because he’s the one character who’s always been written consistently, but either way, the show should just give him more to do because he makes every scene better.
The acting: Everyone brought it this season, but Blanca Suárez is the standout. Her performance as Lidia/Alba and the way she acted through the pain of losing her daughter, the pain of not being believed, the desperation, the rage and the love, was outstanding and more proof of why she’s one of Spain’s brightest stars.
What Didn’t Work
The Love Triangles: I said it before and I’ll say it again, enough is enough. Make a choice, Lidia, Alba, whoever you are, and stick to it. Stop dangling maybes with Francisco if who you really love is Carlos. At first, the love triangle was sorta well handled – it made sense. But, honestly, at some point in the life of every love triangle, and we’re past that point, the storyline ends up making the female character look bad, and we’re dangerously close to that. Time to pick one way or another.
And the Marga thing? COME ON. Julio’s an asshole, but I swear, even I could tell the difference between Julio and Pablo, that was the level of acting. This seemed like a clear case of the writers making people act OOC to create drama, and I hated it.
Doña Carmen: Some things I understand, but her doing all she did in Season 3 because she hates Lidia and thinks she’s unworthy of Carlos? Come ooon. It wasn’t just getting someone fired, it wasn’t meddling, she was willing to go for full out murder, and it’s not that I don’t like it – which I don’t – it’s that I don’t get how we got here.
What We Wanted to See More Of
Francisco: With Alba/Lidia, with Carlos, hell, with Perla, I don’t care; I just needed more of him because he remains the only male character I give a damn about.
Angeles, Lidia, Marga and Carlota: As a unit, doing things together, being a team. That was the highlight of Season 2, and as much as we got some of it in Season 3, I wanted even more.
What We Wanted to See Less Of
Love triangles: Why is this still a thing? Like, I understand the setup of this show was basically a love triangle, but did we need ANOTHER ONE? Between brothers, too? Like, why was this necessary? Oh, wait, yeah. It wasn’t.
DRAMA, DRAMA, DRAMA: I know this is a ‘drama’ but we don’t really need all that drama for the sake of drama.
Favorite Episodes/Least Favorite Episodes
I’m combining both of these as there was no episode that clearly stand out for me, and no episode that was completely awful. They all had good moments and bad moments and were altogether not what the show needed to do in Season 3 to make me happy, so they can all go on the same pile.
Season Finale Impression
The season finale was probably the best episode of the season, but it still feels to me like this season ended in the middle of something, like it was a 16 episode season and we only got half of it, and the ridiculous cliffhanger doesn’t help. If Francisco is dead, I’m going to be so angry, but I really don’t think he’s dead because that just WOULDN’T MAKE SENSE.
All in all, the final episode was an encapsulation of what this show did well and what it did wrong, so if you liked the season you probably liked the episode, and if you didn’t, well ….
Next Season Speculation
Okay, let’s get one thing out of the way: It’s about time to resolve the love triangle, for good. No more oh I picked A but I’m constantly running to B and kissing him and I might have feelings for him, but then there’s A. PICK ONE. STICK TO IT. And honestly, pick Francisco as Carlos was a royal asshole and you only picked him because you got pregnant.
And you, Marga, come the fuck on. Seriously?
What did you think of Season 3 of Cable Girls?
Cable Girls Season 3 is available to stream on Netflix.
