I have been looking forward to S3 for a while since I binge-watched the first two last year. Those 20 episodes contain some of the most fast-paced, tense and almost anxiety-inducing elements in a TV show since - dare I say it - "Breaking Bad". Lots of tremendous acting especially by Giovanni Ribisi, great characters, setups and mini-payoffs building up to a grand finale for each season.
S3 was off to a great start and I whipped through the first 4 episodes in a row but honestly, I started losing general interest halfway through. Ribisi and McRae visibly grow tired of their respective characters and there are lot of strange, forced throwaway scenes. Overall the acting/writing sort of just fizzles towards the end with each mini-payoff just barely necessary to a climax half as exciting compared to the previous seasons.
I noticed a complete lack of return of the writing and production staff from those first two seasons - especially Graham Yost, a master screenwriter of the fast-paced action-thriller genre. There are a couple of great moments especially in the beginning but overall not nearly as good as the first two seasons. The show needs to do itself a favor and get Yost back in the screenwriting chair for the next season if there is one.
Unfortunately S3 knocks my IMDb rating down to a 7 for overall show - S1/2 are a solid 9.
