Season 3 of Santa Clarita Diet proved what we knew already.. the Hammonds are our favorite real-a-tor family in America and Sheila should be worshiped like the undead Goddess she is.
In terms of plot, more happened in season 3 than has happened on the show before. There were more fight scenes, bloody death scenes and Abby even gets in on the action and stabs a member of the undead to death. What is so shocking about the violence is just how unphased the Hammond family have become. At first, Sheila and Joel desperately try to shelter Abby from their bizarre world but by the end, they are one big, happy zombie slaying family.
The scenes where Sheila and Joel converse during their awful missions are some of the highlights. The couple seamlessly switch between their suburban life and their mental new life. For example, when contemplating how to execute the disposal of a decomposing body, the idea of framing an innocent lion becomes a segway to discussing whether or not they should renew their zoo passes. The way the couple navigate family life and undead life is a major source of the show’s unique humor.
Season 3 also introduced us to an eclectic host of new characters. Psychiatric patient Ron returns and forces the decrepit head that is Garry to bite him. As a member of the undead, Ron has a bad habit of turning his friends and the Hammonds are forced into keeping him prisoner so they can teach him why turning people into zombies is bad. Meanwhile, Sheila goes behind Joel’s back and turns the old lady she delivers meals to into a member of the undead so she can see her granddaughter for the first time. It’s all very sweet until the newly undead friends end up killing a woman together in her appartment. Tommy is also a fun addition to the cast who starts out wanting to kill Sheila and ends up a member of her cult. It’s all very, very insane.
Anyhow, the season had us laughing out loud and despite ourselves, we’ve fallen deeply for the real-a-tor Hammond family. Eric and Abby are our new favorite ‘will they/won’t they’ couple and we’re hopeful for a season 4 which sees the zombie virus spreading tenfold and the cult of Sheila becoming even more of a force to be reckoned with.
4/5
