It’s the end of the world as we know it in Sweet Tooth Season 3. Based on the comic book by Jeff Lemire, the series returns to Netflix today for a third-season conclusion. Although, in some ways, the live-action is softer than Lemire’s merciless vision of human evolution, this series isn’t a cuddly tale of animal hybrids bringing joy to the world. Created by Jim Mickle and Beth Schwartz, and showrun by Mickle, Sweet Tooth S3 is as sweet and sharp as a candy cane shiv. Seen from the viewpoint of our favorite half-boy, half-deer, Gus, this post-apocalyptic hell stabs a little deeper. Saddled with the fate of the future, Gus maintains his sense of wonder, while Wendy—our lovely half-girl, half-pig—keeps the spirit of goodness safe, despite their grim reality. The stakes are high this season, and no matter what Gus and his guardian, Jepperd, decide it leads to one endgame or another.
But let’s set things up. Our motley crew (defined as “a diverse and poorly organized group”), is fresh off a victory over the Captain Hook analog, General Abbot, and the death of Wendy’s mother from exposure to the cataclysmic Sick. In search of Gus’ mother, Birdie (Amy Seimetz)—the one person who might know how to end the disease—the crew of Gus (Christian Convery), Jepperd (Nonso Anozie), Becky AKA Peter Pan (Stefania LaVie Owen), and Wendy (Naledi Murray) embark on an Alaskan odyssey.
The tainted Dr. Singh (Adeel Akhtar) returns and new characters emerge. Although our crew needs help, everyone they meet seems like a suspect. In the villain camp, Helen Zhang (Rosalind Chao) and her daughter Rosie (Kelly Marie Tran) are on the hunt for Gus with motives “born” in desperation. When it comes to tragedy, theirs is more infectious than the Sick—and they’re spreading it to anyone they touch. Later, the plotlines converge when the crew follows the clues to Siana (Cara Gee) and her hybrid daughter Nuka (Ayazhan Dalabayeva). But before then, there’s a subplot on a cruise ship where hard-won hopes are downed—this is the unforgettable moment of the season. That says a lot in a series this affecting. As the doomsday clock runs out, alliances shake, destinies entwine, and the denouement lands like a plunge into dark, icy waters.
Sweet Tooth continues to be a balm for the heart and good for the eyes, even while it kicks you in the chest. If you can watch without your emotions getting involved, you’re probably sculpted from metal and stone—no human or hybrid can reach you.
