The Family Man Season 3 review: Predictable plot mars Manoj Bajpayee's charismatic return with mellowed thrills

The Family Man Season 3 story:

As the plot thickens in the aftermath of the previous seasons, Manoj Bajpayee's Srikant Tiwari becomes a wanted man, fleeing from both the establishment and his old enemies. The distinction between being a patriot and a fugitive becomes increasingly blurry. At the same time, the delicate Northeastern area of India is under the threat of a dark and well-funded plot that might spark separatist bloodshed and extensive anarchy. In the midst of a nationwide crisis that could spark a catastrophic war, Srikant faces a personal struggle to clear his name and shield his estranged family from the consequences of his most dangerous mission to date. This quest compels him to make ultimate sacrifices, testing his loyalty and determination, as he races against the clock to expose the sinister forces at work.

The Family Man Season 3 review:

Indian streaming series are something we call not-so-trustworthy. When the series is renewed, all we have to do is wait for when it will come out. Occasionally the wait is almost four years, like here, with The Family Man, which has come back for Season 3. But if the wait is so long, the benchmark becomes so high that there's not much scope to make a mistake here. Well, my biggest concern almost came true, but was it still worth the wait? Let's find out...

When I watched the first episode, I honestly felt that it didn't seem like I had waited four years because it immediately got into the groove. Towards the end of the first episode, we see a few things established: Srikant Tiwari (Manoj Bajpayee) and Suchi (Priyamani) are still estranged, living under the same roof. They move to a new house with their children – Dhriti (Ashlesha Thakur) and Atharv (Vedant Sinha) – but it's hardly a home because they don't interact with each other much.

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Meanwhile, a new enemy has emerged in the Northeastern region of India, known as the Seven Sisters. The show begins with a bomb blast in Kohima, which continues as a chain in several other cities. Unlike the previous seasons, where we are not blatantly shown who the antagonist is, here we have two villains entering the scene with a bang and establishing that their game is evil and it's dangerous. On one side, there is Meera (Nimrat Kaur), who appears composed but is actually a ruthless criminal. She organises murder while sitting in her palace bungalow, and she establishes that she has no remorse for taking any extreme steps to wipe out the people she decides to. In no time, we also see Rukma (Jaideep Ahlawat), who is an assassin and not ready to take no for an answer.

So many things get packed in the first episode itself that I am definitely hooked, also because I have always been a fan of the show. However, the show compensates by dedicating a significant amount of time and exploring a multitude of details that could potentially span across all genres. What I particularly appreciated about the villains in "The Family Man" is that their backstories are so convincing that their actions often seem justified, even though the characters cannot assume that the outcome will always be positive.

However, in this case, the situation has shifted, revealing their gradual humanisation.

This time, Raj & DK lead us on a journey of pursuit, where the hunter finds himself under attack. Although Srikant is a member of the TASC, he has also been accused of going rogue and changing sides after one of the prominent members dies in front of his eyes. The series does get too exciting when this chase begins. Yes, it's understandable that the pursuit can't be the only thing happening in the series when every character has something to express and also has their own issues going on.

We hardly see any main characters cross paths with each other, and most of the work is done in isolation. But two antagonists do come together and try to bring the house down. However, until we saw Meera and Rukma in the same frame, it all made sense, and the world seemed to be more perilous. However, I feel that their coming together diminishes the impact, leaving us with little expectation of anything refreshing to watch.

This season, Raj & DK mellow down on thrills as well as action, while pumping up the emotions from almost every character possible. On one side, we have Tiwari trapped, and he protected his family, who are also in danger now. On the other hand, the villains are experiencing a meltdown because events are not unfolding as they desire, which makes this battle feel more personal than political.

The episodes got shorter this time, as the first one had 10 episodes, and in the second season, we saw nine episodes. This time, after a wait of four long years, we have got only seven episodes, which has made me disappointed the most. Yes, there is creative liberty and the filmmakers' choices to consider, but it is unreasonable to expect that this season is acceptable when the benchmark is so high.

The best part of both the seasons was the fact that we had a satisfactory ending, a closure from the adversaries, while paving the path for the next one. The second one hit a high note, for coming in 2021, amid the pandemic. However, we have been waiting for four years without having the opportunity to see everything come together and create a much-needed conclusion.

To be honest, after a while, all I was waiting for was to see how the cat-and-mouse chase would eventually end and whether the hunter had been caught in the end. However, the whole process becomes longer and longer with twists and suspense coming in at every interval, so all I could do was guess what's going to happen or who is the mole in the system. Well, so predictable!

This time, Suman Kumar and Tusshar Seyth have joined Raj & DK for directing episodes. But too many cooks this time made the broth more pungent and less spicy, which is not what The Family Man is known for. I wish I could cease expressing my disappointment over the show's impact on my expectations, which I have been eagerly awaiting all year.

It was definitely a treat to have Ahlawat as the nemesis this time, who comes off as a forceful personality and maintains it as well. But there's a softer side that comes often, and the actor balances it impeccably. I wish there were more scenes between Bajpayee and Ahlawat like the former had with earlier villains.

On the other hand, Kaur as Meera starts off as an antagonist with a chilling persona. But as the show progresses, her character just gets lost in translation, and there's hardly any redemption arc, so to speak.

The show, however, unabashedly explores the uncharted and less discussed conflict of the Northeast region and how things are getting sensitive and dangerous with every step. We also see how Myanmar is involved in this story, which ultimately leads to the core conflict with China. The filmmaker duo has always taken this creative liberty in showing the real-world issues and not mellowing them down in the fictional world. However, this time, the focus on real-world issues detracts from the development of the character arcs, leaving you wanting more.

I hope the wait for that is definitely not longer this time!

The Family Man Season 3 verdict:

After a four-year hiatus, The Family Man Season 3 is a mixed-bag mission. While Manoj Bajpayee's Tiwari is still a spy who cannot lie about his charisma, too many cooks spoil the broth of this long-awaited return. It's a gripping, albeit predictable, watch that might leave you asking: Was the wait worth the weight of expectation?