Thanks to my coworker Nichole for continuing to check in with me about when I was going to start this show. It was well worth the weeklong binge watch, but it still gave me that same anxiety that I remember having when I watched “Euphoria.” Honestly, it was a lot of eye rolling, deep sighing, and questioning whether kids really do act like this with their friends and parents nowadays. If this is how the youths act, please give these kids back. To who? I’m not sure but give them away because this was a lot. Instead of reviewing each of the three seasons individually, I decided to do things a bit differently with this one. I’m going to rank and review each character from my least favorite to my most favored.
MANG – The only person I like in MANG is Max, and yes, that includes Ginny. We will get to her later. My least favorite in this group, if I had to pick one, is Norah. Norah is not a great friend. I don’t care what you tell me. Every time I saw Norah, she was flip flopping on something or being too dramatic about something. I’m aware Maxine was also very dramatic and for no reason, but her being dramatic was who she was. She was also a theatre kid, so in a way, I gave her a pass. Abby was mean for no reason. Sure, she has body image issues and her parents are divorcing but what does that have to do with your friends and how you treat them? Would she want her friends to treat her like she does them? No, and we saw that.
Sophie – Sophie really did give Max mixed signals and because I liked Max, I was very annoyed that she kept popping in and out of Max’s life. It felt like she knew Max would always like her so she’d always have someone to dote on her.
Cynthia and Zach – It’s like I want to like Cynthia because after a while she started to understand why Georgia was the way she was. Why she had to play so many games to get what she wanted. It was all for her kids and because she didn’t have anything. She didn’t come from means like Cynthia did, but when her husband was dying, she understood what it meant to struggle. Now, would she fully admit to Georgia that she understood her struggle. No, but we, the audience, saw the struggle. I will give Zach some benefit of the doubt when it comes to how he treated Austin. We saw after that Austin gave him a hug in class that they became best friend afterwards. Part of his anger was his dad dying but also his mom being awful. That can also rub off on a kid. Also, we didn’t need the Cynthia and Joe storyline. I understand why we did this but I love Joe. Don’t pair him with this awful lady.
Nick – Season three made me not like Nick. I get it. Nick was always suspicious of Georgia but after a while, like Ellen, he got to meet the real Georgia. He let a man he was “dating,” who seemingly was only dating Nick to get close enough to Georgia to investigate, convince you (with not much evidence) that this lady is a serial killer. He lied to you, big dawg! How do we trust him and not even present Georgia with what you know to get the story from your friend. At least give her that! Instead, he was bound to make Georgia pay by puppeteering her husband.
Paul and Zion – Paul and Zion did not seem to have a backbone to me. Paul seemed like he did when he forced Georgia to pick him over Zion (even though Zion ended up leaving anyway. So it was a win-win really). But any way, I was made Paul allowed Nick to make all of his political and personal decisions after a certain point. You are a grown man! He is your campaign manager! He manages the campaign. Now that you’ve won the election, he manages you as the mayor. Paul the mayor! Not Paul the man. That irritated me so much while watching season three. And yes, Paul held on for as long as he could. I understand Georgia did damage to this relationship and it wasn’t going to last like we all though, but we did not need Nick’s two cents! Zion, my dear….Lynette rules your life. I’m sure if Lynette told you not to do photography or didn’t support it, you would be doing something else more practical. I did agree with Ginny. You can’t decide to live your best life taking pictures around the world, and then come back and judge the parent that you left your kid with. How did you not know the kids weren’t in a stable home? You met Georgia when she had nothing and you left her when she still had nothing? What do you mean you had no idea? Now, Simone, I like Simone. I don’t hate Paul or Zion. I’m disappointed in them.
Ginny – This little girl irritated me SO MUCH! At every turn, when she started yelling at her mom, I would find myself calling her ungrateful. Yes, I understand that what her mom was doing and making her hide from the rest of the town was cruel. I completely understand that but even before she knew all of what she ended up knowing by the end of season three, she was awful! Now, this is “BlackWatchMovies,” so I do have to mention that I was raised by a Black momma and would never speak to my mom the way she spoke to her mom. I can tell you right now that I would not be here typing this blog if I had slammed a door the way she did or even looked at my mom sideways. It must be noted that she was raised as a mixed child by her white mom. Not a huge deal but this is part of the reason she got away with so much. This is also why Lynette would make the comments she did to Zion and Georgia about Ginny.
Georgia – I liked Georgia. I’m not sure how you all felt about her, but again, I was raised by a single Black mom. I didn’t have a rough life, but that was because my mom had support from friends and my grandma. Also, if we did struggle, she would never let me see that we were struggling. That is what Georgia did for Austin and Ginny. Now, did these kids eventually did notice that they were struggling, but only Georgia held those complicated and sad memories of not having. The kids never really wanted for anything because Georgia made it happen. Did she make it happen illegally in some cases? Yes,
Hunter and Padma – They are a great couple and great people. Padma could have been a terrible person to Ginny, but she chose to look out for her instead. She was honest with her, and remained her friend, in her own way. Hunter, although heartbroken about Ginny, was always there for Ginny. I knew, as a person watching the show, that if she ever called Hunter and really needed him, like Marcus, he would drop everything to help.
The Baker Family – I know I’m putting Max and Marcus on this list twice but it’s my list so….deal with it. I loved this family and how they interacted with one another. One of my favorite scenes from season three is when Marcus meets poetry guy and goes home to tell Max. He hates it so much that he just squirms around on the floor while his twin looks out the window. At a certain point, Max lays down on the floor beside him when Ellen comes home. She seems her kids on the floor and says something like, “This is happening” and proceeds into the kitchen. This family brought me so much joy (until Marcus told us he hated himself), but up until then, I had a great ride with the Baker family. Ellen and Georgia’s friendship was so nice to see. She really was the only friend Georgia had in town, and besides Joe, Zion, and Ginny, the only real friend she had in life. (I’m not sure where Marty fits into all of this.)
Marcus – Marcus is a mess, and I love him. I think he gets his sweetness from his dad. He’s not a bad kid, but it seems as though his parents (mainly his mom) are more concerned with outward appearances than his mental health. Marcus needed more than medication. He needed someone. I was REALLY annoyed with Ellen when the boy was in the floor saying he hated himself repeatedly and she was still thinking about summer school. Girl! Did you see your son in the floor in front of you?! If she didn’t take a beat, that could have been the last time you saw your son. Luckily, Max fought for her brother, as she was raised to do, and never ignored the signs. Sometimes it pays to be annoying. Maybe we like Marcus because he is so beautifully flawed. People don’t like perfect characters. I can’t wait to see him after rehab. I know he said he’d never speak to Max again, but he knows his sister loves him and I cannot wait until he apologizes to her…in only the way he can to her.
Joe – I can’t really put my finger on why I love Joe, but I love Joe. Protect that man at all costs! Joe felt like the center of a really vast and complicated moral spectrum. Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if they created Joe’s character first and then started to put other characters around him based on their morality. They probably didn’t do this but a girl can dream. I love Joe, and I’m excited to see more of Joe. I hope we don’t stress Joe out in season 4, and I hope we can keep him as clean as we have so far (besides Cynthia).
Tell me, who was your least favorite character? It’s boring to just talk about your favorite, but please, tell me. that one, too.
