Summary
It all feels over but it leaves you wanting so much more.
This review of Amazon original Absentia season 3 contains zero spoilers. We recapped every single episode — check out our archive for all recaps and features. The third season will be out on July 17, 2020.
While scouring the internet to research Absentia after catching up, many fans were stating that this Amazon series is not spoken about enough and subsequently, season 3 has not had the promotion it deserves. It’s difficult to disagree with that notion because surprisingly, Absentia is a little gem on Amazon and it is one of the best action/crime series you can watch — every season is enthralling with a thick storyline and a solid base of action. The characters are engaging on an emotional level and the lead, Emily Byrne (played by Stana Katic), reminds me of the days of watching Olivia Dunham in Fringe, who was played by Anna Torv on a high caliber level. There are not enough action dramas these days that you can trust — we need more of Absentia.
Season 3 has been rumored to be the last but we never expected the third installment. It does feel final — not for any particular reason but it amounts to a finale with an “all at costs” plot and the stakes higher than ever. Absentia has made it more personal ever — it’s scoped in such a way that tests Emily to the brim, with her family in danger and a mission that veers off the lines of FBI protocol. Absentia season 3 truly benefits from the character-building of its predecessors; this is not about villains or preventing attacks anymore, it’s how you feel about a specific character at this stage in their life. The writing must be applauded for deepening relationships and understanding how trauma can impact a character’s decision-making — there are plenty of decisions to be made in season 3.
And while some of the storylines in season 3 require the viewer to suspend disbelief with James Bond-esque energy, Amazon’s Absentia makes up for it with sensible action scenes to keep the story going. The villains feel more villainous than ever and the scope has widened for what the agents can do, with less red tape covering their mouths, allowing the story to go where it needs to go. Some fans may disagree but season 3 feels like the most complete in the series, which makes it likely that it may be the last.
It’s a huge shame if it is a farewell because Emily Byrne could easily have her own film — it all feels over but it leaves you wanting so much more.
