Ronit J

The Family Man Season 3 Synopsis:

On a personal mission to avenge an assassination, Srikant Tiwari unravels a devious conspiracy that threatens to send India to the brink of war.

The Family Man Season 3 Review:

The Family Man is one of those few shows that I absolutely love. And there are very few Indian Amazon Prime Video shows I can genuinely say that about. I loved Season 1, and was almost just as blown away by Season 2. When I realised that Farzi was set in the same universe, I felt a little weird because I didn’t want this stellar show to degrade into whatever Marvel has become. Yet, Farzi was epic enough to make me eagerly wait for Family Man Season 3. And, Amazon has been teasing us for years now.

Sometime last month, they finally dropped the trailer. And honestly, I was skeptical. The North East states are the new hot location for content production. But you need to give me an authentic reason to feature it. I had the same concerns about Paatal Lok Season 2. Except, that show managed to present everything with intrigue and authenticity. Like that season, The Family Man Season 3 also features Dimapur and Nagaland. Except, it doesn’t manage to portray it with sincerity. While Paatal Lok’s setting felt respectful and authentic, organically tying in with the plot, The Family Man’s feels token.

Honestly, I’m pretty disappointed with this season. And, here’s why:

Expectations, Manufactured Memes, & Overuse of Trendy Topics

The problem with many sequels is that they overuse the things that got viral from their predecessors. With fan expectations being so high, Season 3 had big shoes to fill. Alas, it resorted to too many familiar tropes and jokes that felt underwhelming. Besides, the plot is honestly too convoluted, including secret agencies, billionaires and weapons manufacturers, ISI, and the PM. Admittedly, the show picks up in the third episode, but 40% of the season’s runtime to kickstart a plot already revealed by the trailers is a little too much time. In a world where producers trust audiences, we wouldn’t have spent all that time.

Rukma (Jaideep Ahlawat) could have been a very compelling antagonist. Unfortunately, Ahlawat’s talent is wasted in realising a two-dimensional drug smuggler who doesn’t hold a candle to the previous seasons’ villains. PM Basu (Seema Biswas) is such a ridiculous presence, it doesn’t feel like mockery or parody. The whole plot with the ‘Collective’ and weapons manufacturing could’ve been interesting, except we only get teases. And, there are way too the many plot points that seemingly build up to nowhere ends up making this a very frustrating season.

Also, the writers have tried to make political commentary throughout this season, except it never feels sincere. The lack of a steady stance leaves this season feeling hollow and confused. Now, add to that all my previous complaints and you’ll begin to see what a mess this season is.

Which is a sad statement to say. The first two seasons were pretty good. They built tension, but paid off with catharsis. They too had awkward bits of forced trendy lingo, but you’d pardon them because of how well fleshed out the criminal world, conflicts, and story were. Unfortunately, Season 3 has all the bad, but very little of the good.

A Mediocre Filler Season

In the opening lines of the first episode, one of the Naga political leaders proudly mentions how they’re lucky to have a PM who actually cares about peace. I couldn’t tell whether they were being sarcastic, or trying to pander to the fascists in power. Honestly, I really liked the character of PM Basu. In the previous seasons, I thought she was supposed to be a parody of a certain female political leader. However, this time around she’s the PM, and her treatment left me confused. At times, she’s being kept in check by the media (lol), and in others, she’s behaving just like a narcissistic megalomaniac. Parody, mockery, or example… pick a lane.

Now, it’s not all bad. The season did feature 2-3 really well executed action sequences. Vijay Sethupathi cameoing as Michael (his character from Farzi) was a pleasant break from the tedium. And, the second half of the show really did show promise as things started to converge. Except, none of those plots really go anywhere. They more or less just meander along. You can even spot the cliffhanger coming a mile away, given how rushed that. last episode was.

What should have been the first episode was the second half of episode 3. What should have been the mid point of the season was the season finale. And what should be the ending is who knows where? I absolutely detest the concept of a filler ‘season’, because that just shows how disrespectful production houses and OTT platforms have become towards fans and viewers. And unfortunately, The Family Man Season 3 is a sad example of just that.

The Family Man Season 3 Ending Explained

What ending? They ended on a bloody cliffhanger! Cliffhangers are the clearest way to say you’re a bad writer, and that’s what The Family Man did this season. None of the conflicts are fully resolved. The ending raises questions without really answering any. And this is what fans get after waiting for 4 years?

Let me try to explain anyway. So, Dwarkanath (NRI billionaire) manages to scare Basu into signing a deal with him. Sambit (Vipin Sharma) is in cahoots with him, responsible for all the mess with Meera and Rukma. But, before the deal can go through, Srikant along with Stephen Khuzou and his militants rescue the Indian soldiers in Myanmar. While everyone crosses the border safely, Srikant chases after Rukma. But, he’s losing a lot of blood and crashes into a tree.

Back in India, Zoya—who was secretly working with Srikant—successfully gets a confession out of Yatish, clearing Srikant’s and JK’s name. TASC take Suchi and her family into protective custody, while Meera has gone into hiding. The final scene is a montage of all of the above, without letting us know what finally happened. Also, there’s a sniper involved who supposedly shoots Meera, but we can’t be too sure about that.

Let me make one thing clear: good writers know how to use cliffhangers well. Bad writers use them because they don’t know how to give you a decent ending. And The Family Man Season 3’s ending falls in the latter category, unfortunately.

Is The Family Man Season 3 Worth Watching?

Honestly, no. It’s one thing to see the enshittification of websites, but to see that happen to one of your beloved shows is just heartbreaking. Probably worth a watch in the background when they are about to release Season 4, but for the most part this was pretty disappointing.

Poor, dishonest writing, second-screen friendly treatment, and 5 ads per episode? To make things worse, the ending is a bloody cliffhanger! You can imagine how upset I am.

Will There Be A The Family Man Season 4?

Honestly, I don’t care. I’d rather see a good show cancelled than it degrade and rot.

In Conclusion:

The Family Man Season 3 is one of the most disappointing shows I’ve seen this year. Forget about meeting expectations, it presents everything that’s wrong with most content produced today. Honestly, I won’t be bothered if this show gets cancelled.

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• Island of the Dying Goddess

What did you think of The Family Man Season 3? Let me know in the comments below! Any other manga, anime, series, book, or movie you’d like me to review? Let me know your recommendations, and I’ll be sure to check them out.

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Until next time!