Review of Disenchantment: Season Three

By Dave B.

In the third season of Netflix’s animated comedy Disenchantment, Princess Bean is beset by enemies on all sides as a conspiracy to overthrow her father, King Zog, results in her being burned at the stake as a witch. Through harrowing escapes and intrigue, Bean and her allies experience love, loss, and betrayal while doing their best to protect the kingdom of Dreamland from a plethora of nefarious plots. 

Disenchantment is one of those shows that is easy to love, but difficult to like, at times. Similarly to the series’ first season, the show maintains high marks for the quality of its animation, likeable characters, and for being consistently humorous (but not often uproariously hilarious). As a bonus, season three further expands the world in which the characters interact, making the various obstacles and conflicts that they face feel as if they have meaningful consequences. 

That said, during this season of Disenchantment, the plot meanders. It often feels as if a story twice as long could be told in as many episodes if the writers could focus on driving the plot forward in a deliberate way instead of having it be an afterthought. Once again, Disenchantment isn’t really bingeable. While individually, each episode is entertaining and enjoyable, taken as a whole, the season can be a bit of slog. There’s plenty of character development, but it feels less important than it should as current plotlines abruptly end or pause without rhyme or reason and plotlines from the first season, that were thought to be concluded, are seemingly randomly reintroduced. The way this show’s overarching plot is handled is often jarring and occasionally confusing.

If Disenchantment’s writers can ever strike a good balance between character development and plot advancement, this could become a top-tier show. It’s funny enough, creative enough, and unique enough to stand out in the world of animation. And in fact, I recommend this season of Disenchantment to those who have watched the previous seasons. But until it reaches a point where I feel like watching more than one or two episodes in a row, I can’t recommend this as a season or a series that new viewers should take the time to start. There are better entertainment options on which to spend your time. 

Service: Netflix
Episodes: 10
Approx. Episode Length: 27 Minutes
Rating: 6/10