WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Third Day, now airing on HBO.
In its first three episodes, The Third Day delivered a slow burn, yet a thoroughly engaging affair with Sam (Jude Law) stuck on Osea Island, trying to figure out who's this mysterious ghost stalking him. Bit by bit, it became clear that he had a dark connection to the natives and the pagan rituals of the past, which culminated in him accepting his role as Osea's "Father," ending the first act.
However, the second act, a one-camera, one-shot live stream brought on by series co-producer and theater company, Punchdrunk, ruins Sam's journey as it tries to put the finishing touches on him coming back.
This experimental live-event, "Autumn," takes place for 12 hours, and it's meant to showcase Sam in a series of trials to honor Esus, the warped war god and Celtic version of Jesus. However, it's overkill as you have to sit through a lot of dull material, which feels pretentious and exhausting. Now, series co-creator, Felix Barrett, runs Punchdrunk and along with the other creator, Dennis Kelly, they felt it'd be best to shape this as an immersive event. Even Law was amazed by the scope and ambition of things, but it's still one of those ideas that feels better on paper.
The execution is done well, but the narrative drags on and on, losing the viewer in the process. As a joint production with Sky Atlantic and HBO, 2,700 people tuned in, but that number waned as the day passed. It's just hours and hours of footage to waft through, seeing a rugged Sam sleeping, digging his own grave and strangers cooking. In reality, the event should have been compacted rather than letting viewers endure his agony for so long. It's meant to create an emotional attachment and have viewers suffer along with Sam, but if it were compressed, it'd have gotten to the key moments quicker and left more impact.
The series touts this interlude as something viewers don't need to move into the final act, "Winter," but that makes no sense because it's essential in terms of where Sam ends up. He drags a boat, has a maritime dinner with disciples, wears a crown of thorns and stands on a platform for hours before he falls off and drowns. Then, he's buried and resurrected, finally worthy of being crowned king. Viewers e also see Jess, the woman he had an affair with and who betrayed him to keep him on Osea, not just preaching and paying homage to her religious roots, but also sleeping on his grave in an act of affection. So, there's so much more about other characters that continue from the first three episodes, not to mention there's a huge bombshell as Sam embraces the ghost, who's really his son Nathan, alive and well, at the end in a fiery celebration to confirm he's not a figment of Sam's psychosis.
In other words, this is a powerful epilogue that bookends Sam's journey, yet the long wait feels like it's done for shock factor and to be different from other shows. By not condensing it, though, the event has so much dead space, not even the chilling score and haunting moody atmosphere is enough to keep you tethered to Sam's insanity and healing process. In the end, fans are left just waiting for it to be over, instead of being excited at what Sam's become and his new family.
Starring Jude Law, Naomie Harris, Katherine Waterston, Nico Parker, Charlotte Gairdner-Mihell, Paddy Considine and Emily Watson, The Third Day airs at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.