The third and final season of Review premieres March 16th, 10pm on Comedy Central.
“It is better to let go of the past than to eat it.” – Forrest MacNeil
I can say with great certainty that if you are a fan of Review then you will love the direction of the third and final season as it continues its roller coaster-like pace into a descent of madness for its protagonist, life reviewer Forrest MacNeil.
Picking up right where season two left off, Forrest, after having survived a fall from a bridge, is currently awaiting trial for murder while still attempting to complete viewer’s requests. The format has not changed from the previous seasons allowing for the episodes to compound on themselves thus making Forrest’s life increasingly more awkward and difficult with each passing review that range from; What It’s Like Being Hellen Keller, Putting a Pet to Sleep, Making a Dream Come True, or Eating a Taco from a local fast food place. Review is not short on the bizarre requests that somehow find a way to interconnect causing even more moments of hilarity. Personally, I always look forward to seeing how the show would weave these very different experiences together and each time not only was impressed, but laughed even more at the absurd lengths Forrest would go to in order to complete them.
What I tended to enjoy most from the early episodes were the numerous callbacks to previous seasons, one of which was towards one of, if not the, funniest episode of the show, “Pancakes, Divorce, Pancakes.” In the second episode of this season, all of them culminated in an attempt by Forrest to forgive his wife for past instances which resulted in her listing off past things he’s done in the name of the show. These moments seemed to be a “best of” montage that was hilarious to relive and remember, but to the uninitiated they would be just as funny.
Review has always been cunning in its ability to build on itself and has been doing so successfully for two seasons and shows no signs of stopping well into its last. For the viewer, this creates anticipation in wanting to see just how they manage to pull Forrest back from the point of no return only to then have him go even further as each episode passes. I find myself wanting to see Forrest keep down the path to madness because it provides for so many great comedic moments, however, I am secretly hoping by the season’s end he is redeemed or vindicated on some small level but that is mostly because I am a simple person and need closure on everything I watch.
Time will tell if Review continues to be the unsung comedic force that many people will most likely end up stumbling upon several years from now touting it as great TV, but one thing is certain; the tone, structure and surgical approach to comedy via Andy Daly has not wavered across three seasons. I can only hope that this show gives him the sendoff he deserves, but that will most likely involve him probably falling off yet another bridge.
I give Review‘s final season an A.
TV and City 