A few weeks ago the third season of this netflix series showed up. Although it has not been that long since I watched the first 2 seasons, I realized quickly that I was lost and getting maybe 20% of what was happening.
In short, this is the most confusing TV show ever. It is based on time travel and the various characters are shown at various ages and various time periods, but all mixed together. Older Hannah shows up in 1986 for example, having come from 2019. The confusion continues as the various characters have multiple family and plot connections that given time travel, get quite weird.
I think it is quite brilliant. Unlike most time travel stories that either sidestep the paradoxes or ignore them, this show jumps fully into the idea past and future are connected in a knot that must recur, even if someone moves through time trying to change it.
But it does not make any sense unless the viewer is willing to put in the effort to know the people and how they relate.
So I had to step back and find a way to refresh my memory. I found the linked reference invaluable, particularly the family tree charts. They even include pictures of the characters at various ages. The guy put a lot of work into these, and I actually put some work into making sure who was who. While watching season 3, I referred back to the chart pretty regularly.
This may seem like way too much work, but in some strange way, having to work at understanding a show makes it quite rewarding. And while season 3 goes even farther out onto a limb with multiple worlds, it does actually find a way to finish the story in a way that feels right in the terms set by this fantasy world, and gets quite emotional as well.
It is a lot of work, but the 3 seasons as a whole are quite a remarkable achievement.
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Topic - Dark season 3 study suggestion - tunenut 15:31:21 07/10/20 (6)
- It hurts just to think about it! If ever there was a clusterf**k this is it. - PhilJ 16:32:12 07/20/20 (1)
- Reaction - Spoilers - tunenut 08:57:30 07/21/20 (0)
- I gave up before the end of season two . . . - Billy Wonka 23:46:38 07/12/20 (1)
- RE: Much Ado About Nothing - House13 09:53:25 07/13/20 (0)
- Glad to know I'm not the only one. - R Browne 20:09:18 07/10/20 (0)
- I'm starting it again after this margarita (first things first) - Road Warrior 15:54:42 07/10/20 (0)