Disenchantment is Matt Groening’s third animated television show, housed exclusively on Netflix. While the show has had mixed reviews since its 2018 release, there are a lot of fans looking forward to Season 3 (called Part III) in hopes that the show will find its footing.
Parts I and II still have a lot to offer fans, including great performances from veteran voice actors like John DiMaggio and strong comics including Abbi Jacobson and Eric Andre. Even so, fans are hoping for more story focus and character development for Part III.
Liked: Bean’s Character Development
One thing fans and critics really appreciated this season was Bean’s growth as a character. As she begins exploring the expanding world around her, she starts to transform from a lonely, frustrated, and rebellious teenage princess to a brave adventurer. Life also starts throwing punches at her in Part II: she realizes Dagmar’s true intentions and the way she’s manipulated those around her. She realizes the horrible mistake of reviving her mother instead of Elfo. She’s tormented by guilt and morning the loss of her friend. She does a lot of growing up and discovers new worlds and possibilities for herself. Overall, Bean has gotten better and better as the series protagonist, and fans of the show are excited to see what direction she takes next.
Hoping For: More New Adventures For Bean
Disenchantment is full of interesting and fantastical characters, and some episodes delve into the lives of side characters and shift focus away from Bean. But for many viewers, storylines that focus on Bean tend to be more exciting and enveloping. Relatable but also unique, she is a strong enough main character to be the focus of the show, and her character arc is one of the more interesting aspects of Parts I and II, especially as she begins to travel outside Dreamworld. With luck, Part III will bring more Bean-centric adventures overall.
Liked: Queen Oona’s New Pirate Persona
Queen Oona went from frigid amphibian and just another one of Zøg’s exes to the swashbuckling Pirate Queen after Dreamland’s demise. Despite the fact that Bean and Oona were never close, it turns out they share a lot of the same frustrations: being forced to play a subservient role and live an unfulfilling life as a female royal.
Oona escapes The Kingdom of Dreamland after making an agreement with Odval and Dagmar turns every citizen to stone. It’s at this point that Oona can finally be her true-spirited self. Even when she returns to Dreamland and Zøg tries to win her back, she rejects him and files for divorce, affirming her newfound freedom and pirate lifestyle.
Hoping For: Higher Stakes
There’s a lot of creative opportunities when it comes to fantasy shows and movies, and there are instances when Disenchantment takes advantage of these opportunities. There are plenty of interesting creatures like ogres, fairies, mermaids, and elves throughout the show as well as mythical locations. Bean’s magic abilities was an interesting reveal. But one potential problem with this is that any serious problems or struggles can ultimately be overcome and solved with some kind of magic spell, potion, or mystical ability. For example, well after Elfo’s death, they make contact with him in heaven. They make a plan to have Elfo anger God and get him sent to Hell so they can retrieve him. Since living people are actually able to go to Hell in this world, they successfully bring Elfo back to life, and he becomes part of the show again. Introducing more stakes, consequences, and rules for the world of Disenchantment for Part III might make for more edge-of-your-seat moments for viewers.
Liked: Enchanting New Locations
Viewers have seen the ins and outs of Dreamland, and many felt intrigued as they discovered new kingdoms and worlds along with Bean. Steamland, for example, was an intricate metropolis of tech and industry, complete with robots and zeppelins, seeking to bridge the gap between science and magic. Early on in Part II, we see Maru, a desert kingdom inhabited by magical, paranoid beings. Bean literally rescues Elfo from Hell after we get to see him interacting with God and other characters in heaven. These new settings were creative and visually clever, and fans hope to see more of this in Part III.
Hoping For: More Destiny Reveals
Bean becomes frustrated as she learns of a dark prophecy surrounding her birth but is left with little clues. Tormented by nightmares involving her mother holding a music box, she searches for clues around the castle and finds some Maruvian symbols and a cavern. She becomes frightened and leaves without finding out more. In the last episode, Bean encounters Dagmar in the catacombs where she is seen holding the music box. It’s very possible that this interesting arc will be explored further in Part III.
Liked: King Zøg’s Soft Side
Zøg’s personality as a king is pretty stereotypical: he’s self-serving and mostly uncaring and cold to his citizens. He’s abrasive and drinks frequently. He’s also very by-the-book and expects others to follow these traditional expectations, oftentimes much to Bean’s frustration.
However, in Part II of Disenchantment, we see a tiny bit of another side of Zøg. Viewers have already seen that Zøg’s greatest fear is being alone – he married Oona just a year after Dagmar was turned to stone, and he never stopped missing her. When he’s finally forced to be alone, he goes out hunting and stumbles upon a bear-woman named Ursula. As they begin to develop a relationship, Zøg hides her bear skin so she can’t return to the woods. Seeing how unhappy she is, however, he ultimately returns it to her. This shows tremendous character growth on the part of King Zøg.
Hoping For: More Focus
Some critics point out that the show lacks direction. It tries to be a fantasy, a buddy comedy, a sitcom, and a black comedy, and it can sometimes feel like the show can’t decide which direction to take. Some of the storylines feel hastily put together and not all of the jokes land for everyone. There’s plenty of potential and room for improvement, especially with more focus on the main characters and fewer filler episodes.
Liked: Bean’s Dynamic With Her Mother
Bean has always idolized her mom and really felt the sting of her absence growing up. She so longed to have her back in her life that she ended up choosing to revive her over Elfo, and she’s overjoyed when she returns to life in Part I.
By Part II, Bean starts to realize Dagmar is not who she appears. Bean was kept in the dark about the fact that Dagmar was the one turning people to stone, and that she had been born just to fulfill a prophecy.
After realizing her mother’s true self and evil motives, Bean is tormented by nightmares centered around her. Both her and her father King Zøg eventually come to terms with her mother’s betrayal together. Dagmar continues to lurk behind the scenes and she does end up rescuing Bean at the end of the season, but it’s undoubtedly for self-serving reasons.
Hoping For: More Medival Gags
Bean, Luci, and Elfo pass a “Plague Patrol” cart manned by a cheerful peasant after walking home from the bar. A dirty street peddler in a barrel sells “me-flavored water”. Medieval times were a harsh reality, and one thing both The Simpsons and Futurama were good at was making jokes based on serious societal problems. There are a lot of chances for dark humor jokes for a show taking place in the dark ages, and the more the merrier.
