Customer Reviews

Hotel Babylon: Season 3

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I closed my review of Season Two with, "I can't wait for Season Three to reach the States." Sadly, I think I have to take those words back.

There's nothing inherently wrong with this 3rd season. It's just that, it's nothing that you didn't experience from Seasons 1 & 2. Simply put, the plots (as breezy and energetic as they are) aren't interesting enough to pull me through. Worse though is the cast changes that occur mid-season.

The performances are fine, with each actor giving their all (although Emma Pearson's Anna can be really tough to sit through sometimes). But they have nothing interesting to do? The romantic relationships get a bit more complicated, but it doesn't feel natural. I always worry when TV shows spice things up this way, because it always feels like the writers don't trust their product. I mean, among all the craziness in this 5-star hotel, why must I watch the series regulars flirt around?

Season Three is going to be notorious among series' fans for when two favorite cast members left the show. I won't say who leaves, and I won't speculate to the real-life reasons for this. All I'll say is that while it's handled relatively well, it definitely left an unforunate mark for the last few episodes. The new additions to the cast are decent enough, particularly with Alexandra Moen's Emily being introduced in a mysterious fashion. But once two lead actors leave the show, the remaining beloved characters can only do so much.

I suppose the cast changes weren't going to be the only problems with this 3rd season, as a couple of ideas from previous seasons are repeated, most notably a wedding scenario and a violent hostage situation. And as much as I love plot twists and surprises, it'd be nice if "Hotel Babylon" would try letting stories progress naturally, without the need to spice up everything. I know I'm contradicting what I loved so much about Season 1 & 2, but this show needs to try slowing down once in a while.

Season Three isn't a bad season, but there's no reason that you should go out of your way to watch it. It's more of the same, which is great news for diehard fans, and sad news for viewers who've tired of the constant escapism. I recommend renting it or using Netflix (which currently has the UK-exclusive Season Four) rather than buying this one. Sorry fans, but my stay at the "Hotel Babylon" this time wasn't my fondest memory.

Four-stars go to a show that's original, has an irreplaceable cast, is fun, sharp, and tender, beautiful to see, and something I'm buying so I can see it again. [Definitely not to a so-called "guilty pleasure," like soap operas Dallas or 90210.]
That said, if you liked "Las Vegas," this is its glitzy hotel Mirage as an exclusive, boutique hotel with a chic clientele and tony service. Yet the staff are working class people, with enough street smarts to give posh service for better-paying jobs. Having that mix of the tosh and the toff gives the fantasy its zest and the drama its heart as they step carefully between ambition and temptation.
You will quickly find yourself liking all the characters, and often even the guests. Get your reservation in now.

Absolutely brilliant series. Dramatic, hilarious, sexy ... Life in a five-star hotel from the staff's perspective. The actors are all excellent; casting was very well done. Technically first-rate - love the camera work, reminiscent of 'Goodfellas.' I guarantee you'll be hooked after the first episode - I only regret it was a finite series, and didn't continue for several more seasons.

i have allready purchased the two preavious seasons and this one was not as good as the other ones, defenitly with the departure of charly hotel babylons misses something

I think "Hotel Babylon" lost its "mojo" with the departure of Max Beesley as Charlie, the smooth talking hotel manager (and maybe it started to slip a bit in Season 2 with the departure of Rebecca).

As others here have noted, it's not like the series turned into garbage overnight, but I think they began to run out of fairly plausible parts and came up with progressively less and less believable ones in their place. This culminated in a plot line where the hotel staff decided to play the role of a SWAT team to deal with a hostage situation in one of the rooms...when you compare that with the better story-lines in Seasons 1 and 2, you really notice a qualitative drop.

I've tried watching a couple of episodes of Season 4 and the decline pretty much intensified with the youngish hotel manager who replaced Max near the end of Season 3 vanishing without a trace and when I read that Anna (who shows up in the beginning of the season very pregnant with no explanation) leaves the show in the third episode, my interest in watching it dropped even further. And when you add the fact that Season 4 ends with a cliffhanger that the show's cancellation leaves unresolved, that's a real put off.

But I enjoyed most of "Hotel Babylon" and it's made me want to check out similar shows like "the Grand." And maybe the production company will decide to do a reunion movie (like they sort of did with the abruptly canceled "Farscape" science fiction series) that sorts all the dangling plot threads out, but I'm not confident that will happen.

I agree that Season 3 is not as strong as 1 and 2 - due to characters' departures (Rebecca and then Jackie as well as Charlie).

On the technical side though, the DVD Case design is simply a terrible mistake, and I see major quality issues on top of that. First of all, it will take you about half an hour of struggle to remove all 3 discs from their hubs and if you have not broken a disc or sustained injury yourself in the process, you should consider yourself lucky.

Here is my history with Season 3 so far:

- First order: Discs 1 and 2 OK, Disc 3 cracked at the inner edge - most likely due to the hub design.
- Replacement: Disc 2 shows funny air bubbles in the inner section, Disc 3 quite severely scratched.

I may need to have them replaced again, depending on whether Disc 3 plays OK despite the scratches.

Conclusion: BBC should pick a different vendor for their DVD cases. The current one should focus on making shotgun holders for police cars that they seem to be good at, considering the robustness of their DVD case hubs. On top of that make sure the factory does not allow shipping discs that appear to have been dropped on the floor.

On a different note, I would be happy to purchase Seasons 2 and 3 on Blu-Ray. I own the 1st one on Blu-Ray and the picture quality difference definitely makes it worth buying.

Now this is another BBC series that promises great fun and entertainment. This and the previous two seasons are sure to deliver laughs and drama for everyone!

The Brits can do some brilliant comedy and great period miniseries, but the US still kicks their butt when it comes to trashy soaps like this one, a spin on the old Hotel series. The staff never seems quite sexy enough and the tawdry goings-on not quite tawdry enough. Still, better than that low-rent show about flight attendants. Visit me at michaelgiltz dot com.