Flames: Season 3 Review - More Romance & Break-Ups Than The Science Lessons & Comedy That We Enjoyed In The Prequels

Ritvik Sahore, Tanya Maniktala, Shivam Kakar and Sunakshi Grover's Flames has reached its third season in 2022. The previous two seasons came back to back within a year, but the third season took a gap of three years. Still, the characters are so fresh in our minds that we can relate to them even after five years. That's what works in favour of Flames Season 3, despite a weak and unexciting plot. Season 3 lacks comedy and freshness in the romance, leaving you bored for two hours, while the remaining 50 minutes have something to keep you interested in the story.Ishita (Tanya Maniktala) is back after the trauma, and Rajat (Ritvik Sahore) is looking forward to taking their relationship to a stronger level. However, Ishita has some other goals, i.e., the 12th board exams, which puts Ritvik in a sort of depression. He has to tackle his father over his professional desires, and that makes him more frustrated. On the other hand, Anusha (Sunakshi Grover) wants to buy a scooter and her boyfriend, Gaurav (Shivam Kakar), has a problem. Unlike Rajat and Ishita, Gaurav and Anusha are a fun couple, with no melodrama and depressive thoughts attached. Their relationship gets even better in season 3, and that's one of the highlights of this season. By the end, you come to know about Kaushal Sir's tuition on the verge of closing down, but let's keep it a "raaz" for now.Ritvik Sahore was recently seen in Amazon miniTV's Ishq Express, and he was so cute there. Flames is a step behind in mature romance. Here he is a little insensitive and confused, and most of the time his expression makes things very clear. His love interest, Tanya, also falls into the depressive and cold club, but the kind of intensity she brings to the table is really commendable. The most entertaining and funniest part is played by Shivam Kakar. He is so delightful with all those one-liners and abuses. His girlfriend, Sunakshi, is lovable too. Her enthusiasm for the scooty and ability to analyse situations are admirable. In the supporting roles, Deepesh Jagdish, Gaurav Manwani, Debobrata Mukherjee, Neelu Dogra, Sachin Vidrohi, Purnendu Bhattacharya and Raj Sharma are decent.To be frank, it's a tiring romance. In five episodes, you get bored of watching Rajat and Ishita's regular talk, flirts, fights, and patch-ups. It is outdated and damn irritating. It may have been appropriate for their ages (18), but the clever writing and humour were definitely lacking. Interestingly, Gaurav and Anusha's love story looks so sensible and time-tested. The comedy factor is there too, but it is more about being lighthearted and not depressive and cold. The screenplay is quite engaging considering the amount of writing it has got and the cinematography is fine too.Divyanshu Malhotra's direction has problems, but not too many. It is not that Flames 3 is a headache and all, but it is certainly a little tedious. If he could have worked on the humour and enriching factors, then I believe the Flames season would have blossomed better. Well, there are flaws, very expected ones, but if you can pass them, you are in for a decent ride again. Season 3 is a step lower than Season 2, which was a step lower than its predecessor, and that's very natural. You get friendly with the characters, and that's why they become predictable. It's not a big issue for franchise lovers, while others might have a different opinion (like me). In a nutshell, Flames Season 3 has too much romance and break-ups, which is unnecessary while we were looking for interesting chemical reactions.