Summary
Goliath season 4 may be the last, but it’s the loudest yet.
This review of Amazon Original Goliath season 4 does not contain spoilers.
Read the recap of the first episode of season 4.
I write this review with a heavy heart, knowing this is the last time we will see Billy again. Well, I say that, but who knows. Amazon may change their mind, but there was an air of inevitability that dawned on season 3 that Billy’s arc, and those around him, had to end.
Season 3 ended with Billy in another near-death experience as he’s brutally shot at by a shotgun. Clearly, it wasn’t the best aim as Billy returns in season 4 with a permanently injured body, but despite his displaced soul, he is living a routine life in Chinatown, in the depths of San Francisco. The character is ever-complex, which is to be expected, but it isn’t easy to gauge his path at this point. Is he escaping? Does he want to die? What’s his purpose? It’s a character that toils the mind and is never expected to be figured out, even in the final season.
There’s one more empire to face for Billy and Patty in season 4 — the Big Pharma companies and their vicious, toxic cycle with the opioid crisis that has gripped America with an epidemic. An ambitious storyline? Sure. But what other lawyer would be capable of figuring out how to topple a monster. The series markedly makes points about the opioid crisis that is relevant to the present day. It hones in its displeasure at the lives lost for profit. Goliath season 4 may be the final ever, but it’s the loudest yet.
And Goliath wants to ensure it leaves with a bang, bringing in a villain played by J.K. Simmons. The casting here is fantastic and almost irreplaceable. He’s a character that strives for more despite being a billionaire. His presence can be felt. He feels undefeatable, and when he enters a room, it’s difficult not to be glued to the screen. What else can we expect from an actor, but coupled with Billy Bob Thornton, expect a flurry of opposing performances.
Like previous installments, season 4 has a knack for incredible direction and setting the mood; nothing is a coincidence — no moment of dialogue, movement, facial expression, and shot is done for the sake of filling seconds. It all serves a purpose to bring the audience to a particular scene or objective. And while the story does iron out slightly as it reaches the finale, which is to be expected as we say goodbye, there’s an arrogance about it. The series knows it will hook viewers in. Season 4 is not a goodbye party. It’s confident in the story it’s telling. It tells it rather well.
I cannot go as far as to say this is the best season, but it’s certainly a grand bow out. I wish this weren’t goodbye, but sometimes a series knows when to end, and Goliath is one of them.
What do you think of Amazon’s Goliath season 4? Comment below.
