‘Girls5eva’ Season 3 review: The band keeps its high note strong

The comeback is still full of fun and fire for Girls5eva. The third season, now on Netflix, the ‘90s girl group hit the road for their first tour in decades. Whereas previous seasons found the group building up on their band resurgence and creating a new album, Season 3 was all about capturing their tour magic. What came through was a short season of ambition, band unity, and the ‘90s/Y2K nostalgia that we loved about Girls5eva.

Girls5eva suffers thanks to Netflix length

One of the big changes for Girls5eva Season 3 came in its episode length. The first two seasons had eight episodes each, but this iteration only had six. With each coming in around 30 minutes, it’s a tight timeframe to cover an entire arc in under three hours. Girls5eva did a good job of giving each main character a spotlight moment and plot that you could follow. Some are big, like Wickie (Renée Elise Goldsberry) facing the reality of her past, and others are for comedic relief like Gloria’s (Paula Pell) mission to sleep with every type of lesbian. Unfortunately, with limited time, not every plot got to go deeper than an episode or two (we’ll get to this later on). However, the plots that focused on the overall group felt right at home in tone and fun for Girls5eva.

For Season 3, the group embarked on a small tour before going all in on their biggest venue yet: Radio City Music Hall. The adventure of the tour schedule put Girls5eva in a reality they hadn’t faced in years: being a working and touring group. This story shined because it showed all the challenges that the group would face now back on the road and performing to paying audiences. Wickie, Gloria, Summer (Busy Philipps), and Dawn (Sara Bareilles) were no longer the girl group at the height of their momentum, even during the resurgence from Season 1. They face new obstacles, like getting too comfortable in a welcoming town; it was exciting to see what they would overcome next and what they got themselves into.

New fame, new problems

The other big theme of the season came in the form of fame. More specifically, the level of fame and success that Girls5eva was comfortable having in their return. The first two seasons dealt with the women fighting to get back on top, like with a new album and group success. However, they were riding high on the momentum that came from being sampled in a song. Season 3 introduced us to how the group would react to fame, and if they were ready for it. This is best seen in “Cleveland” when Girls5eva meets the dark side of the press and fans. It is an interesting topic to explore because fame was something that drove the group to reunite, but in truth, they are ill-prepared to get it back.

“Fort Worth” made them too comfortable with local notoriety and they wanted more, while “Cleveland” was too much for them. This latest season proves that the group truly needs something in the middle: recognition and performing but still having a life. Granted, Wickie is still the only one who would sign up for A-list pop superstardom willingly, but she’d also prefer downtime with her boyfriend. And Dawn came around to recognizing that she missed the nostalgia and notoriety of being a popular group. Girls5eva might never on MTV again with their weird songs; but the season explored a way for them to craft a level that worked for them.

Arcs are also hampered by length

Speaking of Dawn, her individual plot fell into the same trap that the other members of Girls5eva did too. Specifically, their plots felt rushed or kept light due to the limited episodes and time. We didn’t get much about Dawn’s growth during Season 3. With her family back in New York, the focus shifted to her being on tour or her pregnancy. Comparatively, it’s a smaller focus this time around than when she drove the narrative during previous seasons. The benefit is that the narrative evens out between the main cast, but with less episodes, the timing isn’t always effective across the board. The same is true about Gloria as her arc narrows down to being the comic relief.

Out of the four, Wickie had the most development as we explored her past, and her growth from her decisions. Her storyline shed a lot of light on who she was; it provided answers for her eccentric behavior. In addition, Summer had a great arc as she focused on finding her identity and independence. Throughout Girls5eva’s first two seasons, Summer has been a follower and the dumb one of the group. She still made sitcom-level bad decisions this time around, but it was all in part to finding a path for herself. If Girls5eva returns for another season, it’ll be great to see her land on her feet and define herself further.

Brisk but fun

Girls5eva Season 3 was a quick and fun adventure that breezed by with a fast pacing. Their tour gave us plenty of laughs, but it also potentially provided a satisfying send-off for the series. Season 3 feels like an ending of sorts for the early starts of their reunion, and if the series ends here, it will finish with good resolutions for all of the storylines. But if it does return, we’ll be ready and waiting for wherever the group goes next. Plus, all the new songs that need to be created next!

Girls5eva Season 3 is available to stream now on Netflix.