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Too often throughout the history of TV series, people decide to keep a series going instead of leaving well enough alone, or to push a series, despite the fact that the well has been run dry of good ideas. "Alice In Borderland " joins the fraternity of shows that should have “quit while it was ahead.”

The first two seasons of the show gave us some of the most powerful and thought-provoking storytelling that I have ever seen. Season 3 fails to even measure up to the first two seasons, largely due to the fact that we got some silly ideas to keep the story going, and the games aren’t nearly as interesting or creative. In fact, some of the games are downright dumb. We also don’t get nearly the same level of focus on the characters or depth of the story, either.

Don’t ask me why the writers decided to go off on such a stupid tangent. Perhaps they couldn’t come up with anything else. Usagi is having nightmares about her father’s suicide, and she’s obsessed with finding a way to reach him. We’ve seen this premise before in The Flatliners and other similar stories. She and Arisu are happily married…well, married, anyway. Anyone who’s truly happy would learn to let go of loved ones who’ve passed. Instead, her pain and suffering drag Arisu into the problem as well.

Usagi meets Ryuji Matsuyama, a man who’s obsessed with finding out what’s beyond death, and she’s tricked into taking a drug that takes her back to the Borderlands by placing her body in a debilitating coma, which she’s not likely to survive. There is one last card to defeat: the Joker, and Matsuyama is promised answers if he can bring Arisu back, and is instructed to use Usagi to achieve that goal. Of course, once Arisu finds out what’s happened, he doesn’t hesitate to head back to the Borderlands to find her. Ann, from the previous series, helps acquire the drug to help Arisu.

The games are much different this time. Players are simply instructed to play random games with the hope of getting to the Finals, and potentially getting back to their world. There are no visas. They simply have a day or two to get to the next arena. Obviously, there are no suits of cards left to defeat, and it seems that there aren’t nearly as many players this time either.

For most of the series, Arisu and Usagi are separated. Never mind that Arisu is doing all he can to find Usagi, while Usagi never even questions Matsuyama about her goal of finding her father and why it seems she was tricked in the first place. Also, never mind that after Arisu sees Usagi, he worries endlessly about how to get back to her. Not once does Usagi show even the same level of passion or concern. In fact, she never mentions Arisu again until they finally meet up for the final game. It’s clear we have a very unbalanced relationship between the two.

The Final ends with a few survivors, and Arisu meeting with “The Watchman (expertly played by Ken Watanabe), who gives Arisu a choice: Life or Death. He can let it all go and choose Death, or he can continue the inevitable struggle and pain by going back to his world. There is no suspense, as we already know which one Arisu is going to choose.

Back in their own world, Arisu is fine, and Usagi is brought out of her coma. Of course, there is no explanation, apology, or anything at all from Usagi, who brought the entire situation upon herself and Arisu for really no reason at all. Rather than seek help, counseling, or a number of other choices, she chose the most reckless and dangerous choice, because she thought so little about her own life as well as Arisu’s.

The premise of this season is the meaning of Life. Ultimately, this is a meaningless theme because the meaning of Life is whatever meaning a person gives it. This didn’t have nearly the same effect as the last episode of the second season, when Arisu battles the Queen of Hearts, who profoundly tells Arisu that life is choice, and you decide how to experience something.

The most ridiculous game was the last one, in which players are in 25 rooms in a square grid and have to find the exit. Along the way, they are shown what their futures might be, given the choice of which door to go through. It’s funny that there are still people out there who believe in fate; that their futures are somehow pre-determined. No future is set. It is impossible to predict the future. Only possibilities based on where you are now. The idea was that, instead of players simply ignoring the images and trying to find the exit, we have players only thinking about trying to manipulate the game to ensure a good future. It was bad enough that this one game took up most of the last two episodes. And where we were supposed to cultivate some sympathy, there was none to be had.

Alice in Borderland should have left well enough alone. If I choose to go back and revisit the series, you can be sure I’ll only watch the first two seasons. Overall, a series that was a huge “10” for me has now taken a big hit, no thanks to this lackluster and uninspiring third season that should have never been made.