Publications
Partners
WHAT IT'S ABOUT:
Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant star in this Netflix-original series as married realtors, Sheila and Joel, who are living a quiet life, raising their teenage daughter in Santa Clarita, California. Their world unexpectedly changes when Sheila goes through a dramatic transformation that sends her down a road of death and destruction - but leaves her looking and feeling better than ever.
WHAT WE THOUGHT:
Santa Clarita Diet is one of the best original shows Netflix has put out, which is why it’s so frustrating and mind-boggling that they’ve cancelled it. Now usually I wouldn’t advise watching a show that’s been cancelled (except Firefly – damn you Fox!), but Santa Clarita Diet is certainly still worth the watch. It’s charming, hilarious and Timothy Olyphant is a national treasure.
Season 3 opens up in Serbia with a zombie hostage situation. Said zombie is being tortured by Goran Visnjic (who will always be Dr Luca Kovac to me) who is now a Colonel in presumably the Serbian military. What do they want with zombies? We don’t find out till the end of the season, but the reason is not what you think it is. Yet, it’s somewhat obvious.
Moving back to Santa Clarita, the Hammonds are getting back to their lives now that they don’t have to go on the run and Anne the deputy believes that Sheila has been sent to do God’s work on Earth by killing evildoers.
But things with the Hammonds are never easy. Just when they think they can breathe something else comes up. This season deals with a lot of the fallout and consequences from season 2. The FBI is investigating the explosion at the fracking site caused by Abby and Eric. Joel’s old roommate from the psych ward wants to become a zombie too. Sheila wants to turn the dying lady she helps at Meals on Wheels into a zombie too so that she can meet her granddaughter. Oh and also Goran Visnjic and the Knights of Serbia are looking for undead in Santa Clarita.
There are many twists, turns and laughs this season. A lot of the laughs courtesy of Joel Hammond trying to navigate his new normal while supporting and making his wife feel normal as an undead and raising a teenage daughter.
Joel should get the Husband of The Year award if we’re being honest because this is a lot and he handles it with such grace and humour, especially since Sheila offers to turn him into a zombie too. We watch him wrestle with his thoughts and prejudices around the undead and what it would mean. Sheila doesn’t understand his reluctance, and it’s an ongoing argument between the two over this season which they eventually come to an agreement on.
The season ends on one hell of a cliffhanger which makes you honestly wonder why the heck Netflix cancelled this masterpiece.
Sheila has been trying to teach her Mr Ball Legs (that super gross spider-like meatball thing covered in eyes that all zombies throw up when they turn) to say, mama. But Mr Ball Legs having no mouth hops onto Joel’s shoulder and while they think he’s just being friendly, he goes into Joel’s ear and Joel says, mama! I will give you a second to process that. Because the season ends with Joel collapsing and Sheila biting him in hopes of saving him? Did she? Is Joel Mr Ball Legs now? Sadly, we’ll never know.
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
