So much for my love-hate relationship with Ginny & Georgia. Somehow, someway, this season has elevated the series beyond just a cheesy high school drama. Tension is at an all-time high, it’s more emotionally distressing and the drama is gripping… but there’s still plenty of hilarious beats to go around.
The charm of this series has always been its ability to balance the serious and satirical, but it hasn’t always been flawless in its approach. It’s had issues with tonal imbalance, particularly when injecting humour into Ginny’s (Antonia Gentry) arc… but much of that imbalance is rectified this time around. The dramatic tension in this season has been taken to the next level across every single character’s arc. Georgia’s court case is full of dramatic tension, suspense and gripping twists. Ginny’s life is upended as a result of the case and she’s forced to deal with some daunting life changes. Then there’s supporting roles that have been expanded upon and are dealing with some emotionally harrowing situations. As much as I’ve enjoyed the show in seasons passed, I never found myself caring about characters on a deeper level. That all changed with this season as it takes itself more seriously than ever. Every lead character is part of suspense-riddled arcs with unexpected twists at every corner and a tonne of emotional complexity.
Last season’s narrative gave Georgia (Brianne Howey) the bulk of the heavy lifting in terms of carrying the biggest moments. This time around, while Georgia’s court case is at the forefront of the narrative, it’s Ginny who is given the most to do as her life undergoes some serious shifts. The emotional weight of Ginny’s arc is immense, and Antonia Gentry is phenomenal across every single beat. This is a fictional series, but I was fully invested in her arc as if it was a biopic all thanks to the strength of her performance and the quality of the writing. I mentioned this season taking itself more seriously, and that shows in how it treats its characters like people and not just TV show stereotypes. Ginny and Georgia’s respective arcs are drenched in hard-hitting emotion, and every single one of those sombre beats hits its mark. In the past, this show has also been plagued with slow sequences of downtime, and the unnecessary hour-long episodes didn’t help. This time, the episode lengths are warranted as every minute is well spent fleshing out various character arcs.
While this is obviously Ginny and Georgia’s story, there are two supporting characters whose arcs are expanded on and I found myself falling in love with. First is Maxine (Sara Waisglass), a character who in the past has been the driver of the show’s comedic edge. She’s always been quite prominent but never really had an engaging arc of her own that wasn’t merely a relationship-focused one. That all changes here. Her arc grows throughout the season and is thrust more into the forefront in the final few episodes, creating one of the most emotionally gut-wrenching narratives of the season. Then there’s Abby (Katie Douglas), a character who has been present since the beginning but never really had much to do besides being Ginny’s friend. Without saying much about her role in the season, I love that they gave her a dedicated arc that’s emotionally engaging and stands on its own. The fleshing out of these two characters adds valuable depth to the series and gives the big moments associated with the main arcs room to breathe.
I’ve spoken a lot about how this season exponentially ramps up the drama, but I should also clarify that the cheesy comedy has gone nowhere. Regardless of how tense or distressing the content, every episode finds ways to weave in quick, punchy comedic beats that garner a good laugh. The lighthearted, silly moments are a wonderful way to break up the heavy-hitting drama without creating a jarring tone. The comedy is never forced and well-integrated with the story and the character delivering it. Specifically, Brianne Howey’s knack for comedic timing shines as brightly as her ability to bring the tears. There’s a brilliant running gag involving spying on her neighbours that hits the mark every time they jump back to it.
Performance-wise, everyone in here lifts with the show’s shift to a more dramatic focus. As with the previous two seasons, Brianne Howey and Antonia Gentry share a breathtaking amount of chemistry. Every scene they share together is either comedic or emotional gold. Their mother-daughter relationship is stronger than ever thanks to the strength of their performances. They bounce off each other really well and sell us on the fact that their relationship is real. Felix Mallard (Marcus) has always had a very layered role to perform, but his performance here is stronger than ever thanks to the ongoing struggles of his character. Lastly I need to highlight the casting directors for the appointment of Nikki Roumel as a young Georgia. I don’t think I’ve mentioned it before, but her appearance and performance is truly uncanny. It’s such a great performance that it has me questioning whether she’s related to Howey every time she’s on screen.
In the end, this season of Ginny & Georgia is undoubtedly the best so far. The drama is ramped up exponentially, leading to greater emotional depth and turning this into a series of greater quality. The character arcs are thoroughly engaging, with plenty of focus on both Ginny and Georgia, but also a great deal of focus on the supporting characters. While there’s still plenty of lighthearted comedy to go around, it’s the edge-of-seat tension that kept me hitting ‘next episode’ immediately. With this season, the series has gone from a casual, fun watch to one I’m eagerly anticipating the next season of, and I believe all fans will be delighted.
8.1/10
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