scenophile

It was pretty obvious after watching S2 that seasons 2 and 3 were basically one season split into two parts, and now that we've seen both of them, I felt like the set-up didn't end up paying off.

I can kind of see what they're going with the nihilism theme, but it ultimately feels a bit shallow and not very coherent. There were a lot of character arcs that were randomly cut off because the story went for the route of everyone having to die, and side characters with originally really interesting roles, like the detective or the guard, ended up being really underutilized. It also felt everything started revolving around the baby once it was born — a trope that's always been a pet peeve of mine.

In terms of games, I think my favorite in this one was the jump rope because of its simplicity — I personally enjoy where there's no ill will in the game itself, and death only happens in terms of failure, which is when people start to sabotage others. The Keys and Knives one is a little too on the nose for me.

Ultimately, I think the first season is still the best. The second and third feel like a rehashing of it, with characters and games that are far less engaging.

And yes, the VIPs are still horrible.