Riviera Season 3 (2020) Review

So after watching the first two seasons, I have now had a chance to watch the new Third season of Sky show Riviera and here is my review for it. The premise of the season sees a year after Season 2, Georgina has left the Riviera and her family to live her own life when she is dragged into an international conspiracy. 

Main Character

Julia Stiles plays Georgina and I think she is better this season, she is still a really interesting character and after dealing with all the family drama from last season she can go back to being on the hunt after people. She is just a strong protagonist and I feltthis season it was easier to get on board with her and want to see her succeed. 

Supporting Characters

Now if you liked the characters from the previous two seasons then too bad, because they aren't here to be found, well mostly, I will get onto the two characters who did make it in later. Rupert Graves plays Gabriel and I liked him, it continues the trend of Georgina having a male companion and though he wasn't as good as Will Arnett from the last season he is still a fun addition to the show. But then there is the rest of the cast, so onto the returning cast Jack Fox as Nico and Poppy Delevingne as Daphne and they are just as boring as last season and even worse they just feel really out of place here and like they are just here because they forgot to finish their arc from the last season. The new cast fair just as bad, they are so dull and boring with no depth at all, this is basically a fresh start for the show and they waste it on really forgettable characters. 

Story 

This is easily the worst part of the season, it is just all over the place and makes no sense. I mean as I said before you don't really need to watch the previous seasons as it ignores them, did you want to know what happened to Christos, Adrianna and Negrescu well too bad the show completely forgets about them even when they should be included. This new story is so convoluted and ridiculous, Georgina doesn't even have any personal stake here, you wonder why she is even around as the show just went too far in making the show feel too different to the previous. 

Script

The script is okay, there are some decent dramatic dialogue here and Stiles manages to make you believe in what she is trying to achieve. But there is nothing that really stands out and the forced attempt at humour isn't great, but the worst is the over convoluted plot lines that doesn't do a good enough job in making the characters or their motivations interesting. 

Style

The style of the show is great, we don't see much of the Riviera but the show still manages to still look great and actually going to the new locations freshens things up a bit more. This season is also the most exciting of the show, there is more action scenes and it does make it an easier watch. Also the season has only 8 episodes compared to 10 and that makes it also an easier to watch and like the season is moving faster. 

Overall

Overall, this is a very mixed season of the show but veers slightly to the positive side. It misses the mark on most of its characters and plot but it has a great lead and exciting set pieces that make it an okay watch. I wouldn't say rush to watch it, but maybe sometime in the future when you are bored it might be worth a watch. 

Rating - 6/10 

Riviera Season 2 (2019) Review

So in prep for watching the third season of the show I have now watched the second season of Riviera and here is my review for it. The premise of the season sees after the events on the season 1 finale Georgina keeps hiding lies to keep her relationship with her family alive. 

Main Character 

I thought Julia Stiles was really good as Georgina Clios in the first season  but I think her character is written weaker this season though Stiles tries her best. Stiles is a strong actress and she is still a good lead character it is just Georgina isn't very interesting and it feels like the show wasn't sure how to develop her, I feel like this is more of an issue with the show then Sties herself and I just wish the show had done more to make her interesting. 

Supporting Characters

You know it isn't a great thing when Will Arnett is the best part of your show, he is really great here. He is a fun addition to the cast but he actually gives a strong and likeable performance and as I said he is easily the best character on this show. Lena Olin is back as Irina and I thought she was pretty good too, she shares plenty of scenes with Arnett and they are pretty fun to watch together on screen. But all the other characters are poorly written, All the new characters are dull and uninteresting and the returning characters such as Christos and Adriana are given nothing interesting to do and makes them an uninteresting and unimportant part of the show. 

Story 

The story is really uninteresting, it feels like they had plans for the first season and then got picked up for a second season and they had no idea what to do. The characters are given very little to do and it clearly shows and this season has one of the worst plot twists in a show ever and it makes no sense and really hurts the overall show. There are whole parts of the show that end without mention and as I said it was like the writers run out of ideas and what to do plot wise. 

Script

The script is probably the worst part of the show, as I mentioned in the plot, the show is so unfocused and it is like they had no idea what to do for this season. The dialogue does nothing to help things either, with the characters being uninteresting and the writing for the show being so poor. 

Style

The style for the show still looks pretty good, the Riviera looks beautiful and the show knows it and it is at least nice to look at. But the pacing of the show is terrible, I mean maybe this show could have been 6 episodes but it drags itself to 10 and it took me ages to force myself through all the episodes which says a lot. 

Overall

Overall, this is such a weak second season. I liked the first season of the show but you can just see that it never required a second season and that this show should have always been a one season show. 

Rating - 3/10

Riviera Season 1 (2017) Review

Riviera's third season has just hit the Uk and I have not watched any of it so I thought I would start the show and I finished the first season and here is my review for it. The premise of the season sees a woman find out her family's fame and fortune has been built up by Blood and Criminal Activity which has put her in the crosshairs. 

Main Character

Julia Stiles is a great actress and she plays the lead role here and does a really good job. She is a very strong character and seeing her finding out about all these shocking things makes you care about her and it makes her a relatable character. She isn't one dimensional though and has plenty of depth making her an interesting character and one that develops over the season in a natural and compelling way. 

Supporting Characters

Lena Olin is really good in this show, her and Stiles rivalry is an interesting part of the show and their dynamic is really interesting and she is one of the more interesting characters on the show. Igal Naor plays a gangster here and I thought he was very good in the role, he played the role well and he just has a presence on screen, his particular part of the show isn't as interesting but he delivered in his role. Iwan Rheon who plays Ramsey Bolton on Game Of Throne is here and once again he does a really good job here, surprisingly he is a character you actually feel sympathy for and it goes someway in moving him away from his iconic role. But there was also some weaker characters, Dimitri Leonidas and Roxane Duran play the other children and they do their best but the writing for their characters is poor and it just gives them very little to do to make them standout. Same with the whole police angle, there is this cop going after the family and one leading the investigation and they end up not really mattering and you wonder why the show bothered with it. 

Story

The story is interesting, this woman played by Stiles is our window into this just crazy world and it just gets more crazy as the show goes on. The show's plot is pretty convoluted, but it is interesting and keeps you on your toes throughout. This show has family drama and it mostly works, it is just the individual arcs that don't really work, It is like there is this great idea here but they have to pad it out over 10 episodes so they have to add these dull plot lines. 

Script 

The script is fine, it has some good dialogue, mainly with Stiles bringing her A game and rising it up, also some of the other characters have good moments. But as I mentioned above, some of the other characters are poorly written and what doesn't help is that the plot focuses on too many different things and some of it just doesn't get enough interest. 

Style

The show looks great, The Riviera is beautiful and is a great backdrop for this show which adds a bit of uniqueness to it. There are also some exciting scenes involved, I know I said some of the story arcs didn't work but the show flowed nicely and the 10 episodes didn't feel too long even though I just wish certain things had been improved. 

Overall

Overall, this is a good first season of this show. It has intrigue and style to it, I mean it does nothing to rise it above good but if you like dramatic shows then this could be worth a watch. 

Rating - 7/10