Picking up right where it left off, Ginny and Georgia's third season is a captivating tale of seeing just how far the Miller family can be pushed until all of their secrets are spilled. However, season three's best element is not necessarily the unraveling tale of Georgia's fall, but how this unraveling impacts Georgia, Ginny, and Austin as their lives are placed in the small town spotlight as Georgia must face the consequences of being accused of murder.
The narrative offers deep emotional stories for most of its main cast as season three navigates its way between its fun-loving identity and a far more serious approach to serious topics, such as mental health. As per usual, Ginny and Georgia are front and center of the season, and the ten episodes use them well, showing each character striving to determine what their new situation of being in the spotlight means for their family.
Each of the show's main family members plays their roles well. Brianne Howey still brings both emotional grounding and comic relief to her portrayal of Georgia, as Georgia claims innocence, knowing she is truly guilty of the crime for which she is accused. Her desperation to be wanted and needed by her children, mixed with the knowledge of what her arrest could mean for them and herself offers new layers to a character who's instincts for survival are still very much alive in the season's past flashbacks, even if present-day Georgia jumps between scheming for a way to appeal to the jury and public opinion and eventually determining a lack of hope for a chance to avoid prison.
Antonia Gentry's performance as Ginny captures her desire for a sense of normalcy and stability that she lacked growing up. Ginny and Georgia's relationship remains the heart of the show, as the season's most emotional moment emphasizes their dynamic with each other as things continue to grow worse for their family.
Diesel La Torraca also performs well as Austin, but even with his portrayal continuing to guide the character into darker waters toward the end of the season, it is far too noticeable that the age gap between the actor and the character has widened significantly. The real-life gap between filming seasons two and three resulted in a visible disconnect that just does not work in the show's favor. Many actors have played younger than they are, but to be a teenager playing a child about nine years old somewhat hurts the show's sense of relatability. The rest of the season is very strong, and while this age gap may be easy enough to overlook, knowing that it was the real-life gap in filming production that resulted in the visible difference, it is still slightly off-putting.
Max and Marcus also have significant subplots going on as well. Max struggles with the reality that her friends have seemingly grown closer without her, while Ginny and Georgia presents how Marcus has turned to drinking and separating himself from his loved ones. While Max spends season three desperately trying to be there for Ginny, Norah, and Abby, she is ignored at almost every turn. Ginny, Norah, and Abby hang out without Max, spending time trauma-bonding and enjoying themselves without inviting Max to join in. Max only learns important details about her friends long after they have happened. Ginny and Georgia's devotion to telling mental health stories from the perspectives of both a teenage girl and a teenage boy offers layers to the series, as Marcus eventually spirals to the point where it can no longer be brushed aside by his mother, who so desperately just wants him to be okay.
Season three uses emotions to its advantage, portraying the spectrum of anything from happy to devastated to anguished in the span of ten episodes. In many ways, season three feels like the season that the series had been building toward, making the most of its uses of its pre-established dynamics between the Miller family, teenage cast, and Georgia's past and present love interests to reach its biggest climax yet. No stone is left unturned, whether it be Zion's eventual breaking point toward Georgia, Gil's actions resulting in his own downfall, Georgia and Paul's potential final stand, or the highly anticipated long-time coming romance growing between Georgia and Joe.
Ginny and Georgia portrays the emotional familial connection between Max and Marcus, as well as continuing to explore the connection that Ginny and Marcus share, even when they are no longer a romantic couple. Season three is the Netflix show's darkest and most emotional one yet, and one that sets up a fourth season that has plenty of storylines to back up whatever direction it goes.