Matt Groening and Co. are back for part three of their foray into medieval fantasy animation with the newest installment of Disenchantment on Netflix. All the episodes dropped on the streaming platform on 15 January. Although it falls short of the triumphant second season, Disenchantment is criminally underrated and deserves to be your next TV binge. This season follows on directly from the cliff-hanger of Part 2, where Bean, Elfo and Luci find themselves in an underground world of glowing eyes with Bean’s morally questionable mother, Dagmar.
A story that twists and turns
Disenchantment is much more plot-heavy than previous works like The Simpsons and Futurama, but only occasionally to a fault. The many narrative threads intertwine and leave the viewer wanting more. However, certain storylines get lost in the crowd and Disenchantment doesn’t always succeed in answering the many questions that Part 2 posed.
That isn’t to say that it’s overshadowed by plotlines. There are still really entertaining stand-alone episodes like ‘Hey, Pig Spender’ and the divinely character-focused ‘Last Splash’. A few more of these episodes that stick to one story in one setting, and Disenchantment could be back to its former glory. The jokes aren’t as obvious this time around, but there are some characters that just never fail to make you laugh (Old Man Touchy and Prince Merkimer shine as per usual in this season).
Addressing the inconsistencies
Disenchantment is most refreshing for not taking itself too seriously. Plot holes and inconsistencies have been addressed with varying degrees of subtlety that endears the viewer and adds a fun, self-aware comedy to the fantasy setting. From a book about plot holes sitting on a shelf to Elfo’s “I saw one of your cartoons yesterday! Do you just make things up as you go along? Because that’s what it felt like”, Disenchantment isn’t afraid to make fun of itself. The devil in the details and these references are so entertaining that any inconsistencies are quickly forgiven.
“Bean is a disaster […] and the fans love every bit of her”
The star of the show, of course, is Bean. Her character becomes much more well-rounded and endearing to the audience in this set of episodes. ‘Last Splash’ in particular breaks down the character in her short-lived, emotionally devastating relationship with Mora the Mermaid. Bean is a disaster. She avoids all royal duties, runs into disaster at every turn and takes drugs with her stepmother to get over a broken heart. And the fans love every bit of her.
Although the original trio spends a lot more time apart in this instalment, the characters are even more engaging than before. We see Elfo stray comically from sugary-sweet and wholesome to apathetic and morally ambiguous, as he announces in Steamland that he would rather pickpockets than help Bean catch a villain. Similarly, as Luci strays more away from the dark side in this season, it’s clear that the characters are slowly rubbing off on one another without compromising the personalities which made them great to begin with.
One let-down was Luci’s absence in much of the season when he was forced to look after King Zog while the others went on an adventure. However, without spoiling the ending, there’s no doubt that Luci has an exciting story ahead of him in Part 4.
A stellar cast
“the true genius comes from the wild cards of British comedy”
The eclectic cast members are what make the show so great. TV favourites Abbi Jacobson and Eric Andre, paired with Futurama alumni John DiMaggio and Billy West, make the result fantastic. But the true genius comes from the wild cards of British comedy: Matt Berry, Noel Fielding and Richard Ayoade are always a welcome surprise in Disenchantment.
Disenchantment is always surprisingly under-promoted by Netflix when they should treat it as a must-watch. The intricate details, callbacks and obscure references are reminiscent of Futurama’s nerdy genius. It’s not often that I want to revisit a show immediately after finishing it, but I can’t wait to go back and spot all of the details that I missed the first time around. Disenchantment is not to be missed for any fans of animation and fantasy.
All episodes are available to stream on Netflix now.
Vicky Greer
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