Danish Netflix series, The Rain, crashed onto the scene back in 2018 and quickly became the best post-apocalyptic series on TV, despite not reaching the exposure of other Netflix content. Followed by a strong second season, it looked to be setting things up for multiple seasons to come. Unfortunately, with the arrival of this third season, the series has ended but thankfully it has been able to deliver proper closure for every character.
This season kicks things off by telling us, or rather, showing us that this is going to be the climax to everything we have seen in the seasons passed. It makes that statement with a rapid opening that wastes absolutely no time getting to the action, a refreshing and welcome approach after the somewhat slower second season. It doesn’t maintain that rapid, constant sense of danger at every moment through the entire season, but that’s okay as that’s not this type of show. One thing this season does more-so than the first two seasons is surprise me. There are a number of turns the story takes that I definitely didn’t see coming. They’re not twists that come out of nowhere just for shock value, there’s precedence behind each and every moment and character decision that makes the journey rewarding.
There’s an ample amount of suspense ramping up to a big penultimate episode done right and a finale that brings a satisfying conclusion to the series. I’m not sure it quite matches the first season, as much of the mystery element is gone at this point, but it succeeds in its own way. What I love about this series as a whole is that when you look at each season it all plays out like a three-act film spread over three seasons. Everything from the story to the individual character journeys feels like it’s been on one path from the beginning. It really is a masterclass in character development from where people began in the first season and where they end up now.
Every character has grown immensely through the series and it really shows in this season especially. A character such as Patrick has exhibited an incredible amount of growth through each season while not feeling like a completely different character. Even Kira, who only showed up in a couple of scenes in season two, with next to no backstory, gets enough backstory in this season to make her feel like a fully fleshed out character. There is one character whose development I feel went a little too extreme in the last episode or two and I wasn’t loving it, but there’s enough to ensure it’s not a completely random character decision.
The largest highlight of this show is still the characters and the performances behind them. Alba August leads the series as Simone, a strong female lead whose arc is at the core of each episode. She’s given the bulk of the emotional arcs through this season and executes each one spectacularly. Her bond with Rasmus (Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen) goes through a number of challenges after the finale of season two and her loyalties are constantly put to the test. Speaking of Rasmus, Lucas is given a much more important role this season, building on his expanded presence in season two and his performance accommodates for that. He really sells us on this “new” Rasmus and brilliantly expresses the duality of his mindset and the complexity of what he’s experiencing.
Mikkel Boe Følsgaard (Marcus) and Lukas Løkken (Patrick) deliver two strong performances that don’t stand out above the rest, but give their characters a great end to their respective arcs. I thoroughly enjoyed Evin Ahmad’s presence through this season as Kira. She really bought something different to the show that we hadn’t really seen before. She gives her character a distinct no-bullshit persona, and it’s that strong attitude that makes her such an intriguing character.
I do have to mention Jean, played by Sonny Lindberg, who really doesn’t have anything to do for this entire season. He is present for everything going on but he’s just floating through as a background character, which is a shame since he’s been around from the beginning. I guess his main drive in the series died when Lea died in season two and the writers didn’t really know what to do with him.
In the end, I’m glad The Rain was able to deliver a proper ending, having been written knowing this would be the final season. It brings a close to every character’s arc and does so with ample suspense and a few surprises along the way. Any brief lulls in the pacing aren’t a major issue as scenes are usually elevated by the strength of the performances. I can’t say I’m entirely onboard with one specific character’s development in the last few episodes, but it’s a minor gripe for such a strong conclusion. If you are yet to watch this series, GET ON IT!!! Oh and for the love of god, don’t watch it in English.
8/10
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