Directed by : Silver Tree (5 episodes), John Scott (2 episodes), Pete Chatmon (2 episodes) and Sasha Alexander (1 episode).

I can't completely cage what's inside of me, or, when it bursts out, it comes for blood. Better to feed it just enough to keep it in check, keep it on a leash, take it out for walks, but make sure it knows the rules.


Spoilers ahead... 


Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) who is now a father to Henry (yes not a daughter as he wanted), lives with wife Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti) in a new place called Madre Linda (does this place exist? Because I quite love the vibe with the name). Now, question is how long before Joe goes to his patterns and will he be stopped because Love is his best match.. or will Joe change, becoming a father can do wonders sometimes!

Season starts with a bang, because we are teased into 'Oh no, there goes Joe in same.. 'you are the one' territory'. But as expected, due to Love the pattern gets broken right at end of Episode1, and we get early killing. This is exciting because we know Joe no longer loves Love, when he came to know the real 'Love'. But its tricky situation, knowing the childhood Joe had, he won't want Henry to have no Mom. 

Joe interactions with Henry are fun, cute and nice to watch.. because there's always a human side to him no matter how much you try to hate him which you rightly should. I am happy they didn't overdo calling Henry as 'Forty' because even it was getting irritating to me. It does play well with the Love's arc who has plenty going inside her head, and Forty being one of her most softer emotional spots whom she can't let go away even after killing him. 

The initial episodes explores beautifully how Love handles Joe's obsession for new partner, and Joe handling Love's impulsive killing attitude. I totally adored the couple therapy session interlinked with Joe-Love clearing the crime scene of their 1st murder after becoming parents and how they can't tell the actual reason to psychiatrist but find ways of accusing the other one using all kind of references. 


The new additions are always a risk in any ongoing series, the friend circle of Love was the weak-point in Season2, but here the Madre Linda people that get involved with the life of Joe-Love mostly worked for me which is a very big plus for the episodes where Joe-Love story take a backseat. Sherry Conrad (Shalita Grant) initially is a very irritating character, very double faced and I loved how Love makes fun of her in her mind like the vomit emoji, and her husband Cary Conrad (Travis Van Winkle) is even a bigger wierdo. Yet Love's efforts to be friends with Sherry slowly builds that character more in the future scenes involving marriage swinging and getting caged where they fully come out. I won't say I ended up liking them even at the end, but atleast a part of me was happy they didn't die. Also, special mention to the 'Woods' episode of Joe and Cary, my reactions while watching it were similar to how Joe felt being part of those rituals, and I couldn't help but laugh when I thought 'Did Joe actually just kill Cary with a push?' 


Dante (Ben Mehl) was another character that I liked, he didn't have much screen time but plays key part and ofcourse someone Joe could trust to keep Henry safe. Marienne (Tati Gabrielle), Joe's new 'You' was a mature character and yet her chemistry with Joe never felt convincing. I have no idea why, whether it was because of been invested so much with Beck and now Love, or because in my mind I know this is just another of Joe's new obesession and nothing more, not the 'Yes you are the one, you are perfect for me' theories his mind keeps playing for him. Tati Gabrielle (she was very good in Sabrina show too) plays the character wonderfully because even us can't read her easily like is the case with Joe. Infact I still don't know whether she really meant it about the toxicity with Joe while having conversation with Love or it was her strategy to escape the death. 

The middle episodes were less engaging because it deviates away from Joe-Love, focusses on Joe getting social with Cary having adventurous jungle weekend trip. Was funny way he reacts to the therapist telling him to find friends and not have wife to be only person to share everything with, and Joe is like 'who the hell is worth being friend to in Madre Linda'. There's the Love-Theo (Dylan Arnold) angle where Theo gets serious for Love, and making me worried because that only means death at hands of either Love or You, nevertheless I enjoyed this plot. Two key scenes, one where Theo is so in love he wants to get a video proof of Joe and hand to Love so she can file domestic abuse, and the other when Theo learns about Conrads in the cage, the expression on both Theo and Love is priceless, one is still mad in love not realizing yet what Love will do, and on other hand Love is angry and gutted knowing she will have to kill him now. 


Also, I liked that the father of Theo, Matthew (Scott Speedman) unlike the first few episodes where it felt he accepted the truth of Natalie (Michaela McManus) and won't do anything, rather goes all out secret office spy act on every person in Madre Linda, I expected more still in the finale than just rescuing his son and same the case with the detectives who are yet again no match for Joe or even Love. There's good use of Joe's childhood shown in almost every episode, just tiny scenes everytime involving him at a foster home and Nurse Fiona (Kim Shaw) who is also going through a abusive relationships. 

Some other issues I had was, the whole measles episode felt forced, like it was inserted due to covid, only positive coming out of it was Gil (Mackenzie Astin) getting into the cage as Love learns to atleast half control her impulsive nature. Then, theres the scene where Joe attacks Cary openly outside house, with Matthew who is using all cameras still not get anything? And also, when Joe kills Ryan (Scott Michael Foster) its very open.. again no one sees or no camera gets it.. thats writing trying to be too much in support of Joe. 


Its tough for me to say who is more bad, Love or Joe, in comparison yes Love is more but as humans they both are similar, which is why they are a pair made for each other even if they had no love feelings mutually anymore. Both make mistakes, go on affairs, killing wise it was clearly Love who would murder instantly while Joe will wait until he had no other option whether it was with Ryan or eventually Love. Its fun how little trust they have for each other, having the spare key hidden in the cage in case one of them turns other inside. 

If Joe didn't meet Marienne, would he still had felt Love is the problem in their marriage, because for a while it did feel he was back in love with Love, or its a case of Joe who just isn't your 'forever' kind guy. And I am not shying away from the fact that Love goes the same route too, she isn't faithful and has clear instant crush for Theo which she acts upon much later. So the point is still the same, who would you blame more, Love or Joe, or should they both had accepted each others flaws and stayed together just for Henry, maybe thats asking for too much! That brings me to one of very wierd love making scene I ever saw. They both just put Conrads in cage and then make out right outside there, and Joe perfectly sums it up 'Our love language is violence'. Just what I was saying earlier! I also wondered how come Love didn't see Joe different attitude or performances in bed or the 'too much busy in work' as maybe there's someone else.. or did it have to do with Love herself dealing with so much that it got too much for her, maybe last time she got better of Joe because he just didn't knew who the real Love is, this time around he was watching his steps. 


Victoria Pedretti again delivers a power-packed performance, she just can never let you down. Watch her expressions every time she feels she is being betrayed, her face totally changes, like during the swinging scene she can see its not her Joe is thinking about while watching his face. Her impulsive attitude often brings hilarious scenes where Joe is the one seen doing the damage control job. The confrontation scene with Joe in the finale is awesome, Victoria totally nailing with those frustrated, angry, disappointed with Joe expressions, and yet you know the impulsive her might do anything now to Joe. Or her reaction to mom's outburst telling she is spoiled and its not the bad parenting as the reason. Also, in some selected episodes, she looks so gorgeous too specially the event at Library or when she is seductively trying to work her magic on Joe. I am being biased but seriously why would Joe not love her. 

Meanwhile, Penn Badgley continues to work his magic despite having some repeated patterns, which I had said in previous season too that it doesn't bother, you just love to see how he manages this time. I have to say his voiceover specially is fun to hear when he is telling what he is thinking about the situation to us only. Also, its good to see him kind of have the backseat for most of the season, he still has his patterns but there are changes to it, there is the careful approach knowing Love is basically worst version of Joe, and not to forget there's the son Henry to be always kept safe. Infact, this is a season where he does good things a lot, doesn't frame Mathew for murder of Natalie, avoids killing Theo to name a few. Penn very much manages to keep you on the edge, you are (or atleast I am) still rooting for him, no reason otherwise to be still watching Season3. I really love the scene where Joe has to clear a crime scene and also at same time have a arguement with Love firstly on why kill someone, and then where did she hide the bodies in last season. The expressions of 'what in the hell made me fall in love with this lady' clearly on his face, and he knows this will happen many times more when he sarcastically tells her for next 30 so years he will be erasing her kills. 


Creepiest moments have to be when Joe and Love are digging up the grave with Henry in a stroller not facing them but having a laugh. Or when Love is making some breakfast while checking footage of cage from her mobile if Conrads are doing fine, some multitasking that. Talking of multitasking, how about Joe cleaning crime scene making Henry busy watching some cartoon and Joe's expected words 'this is the last time Daddy is doing this'. And when Joe tells Love, what equipment he had used to dispose off a body in last season, actually more than creepy this one felt very gross.

Final 3 episodes are as good as the starting ones, keenly waited for the confrontation scene in the finale, to see who comes out winner, Joe or Love or are they gonna re-unite and start a fresh which would mean plenty more deaths. Its great to see Love ahead of Joe in her thinking, only to be pulled back because Joe was very smart to know what Love had always been planning. Yet, I was somewhat disappointed, maybe because by now I am too fond of Love's character and how brilliantly Victoria Pedretti again played it. Wasn't there a case of either of Love or Joe going jail, rather than Love getting killed.. I mean the ending very much felt like dejavu of Season1, even Joe in his voiceover refers to the end he gave to Love is better than Beck. 

I am hoping, the fact that they avoid showing Love's body catch fire, is some hint that maybe Love had her PlanB going too or if Marienne didn't actually leave and helps Love out in time before whole house is burned. Even if she is dead, and these theories don't turn true.. I seriously hope S4 goes some new territory, whether its with Joe's past murders catching up with him or a new character that sees what Joe is and plans to get him arrested, more of Love of S2 minus the love angle. 

Its a very consistent series, having enjoyed all he seasons so far. I personally think there's atleast 2 more seasons possible without getting repetitive. 

My Rating : 7.5/10