REVIEW: ‘Sonic Prime’ Season 3 Crafts A Satisfying Conclusion

With the Paradox Prism in the hands of Nine (Ashleigh Ball, The Deep), Sonic (Deven Christian Mack) must unite with friends and enemies alike if he is to save the Shatterverse and find a way back to Green Hill. But the battle ahead promises to be the biggest one yet in Sonic Prime Season 3.

With two previous seasons building up the threat and story of Sonic’s adventures in the Shatterverse, this season looks to deliver a big payoff to the audience. Happily, it succeeds in almost every aspect of the series’ narrative. It comes together to craft an exciting conclusion that almost manages to stick the landing perfectly.

Sonic Prime Season 3 starts with Sonic and Shadow (Ian Hanlin) as they try to wrest control of the Paradox Prism from Nine. While the duo’s first attempt falls well short of the mark, the series uses this jumping-off point to increase the scale of the narrative’s final fight. Each of the show’s seven episodes increases the scale leading up to the final moments. As alliances are formed and new dangers are brought out to face them, the series culminates in a battle that is far bigger than the audience ever would’ve expected.

Despite this confrontation spanning six of the season’s episodes, Sonic Prime Season 3 never feels bogged down by the length of its battle. Shifting threats, new strategies, and previously unseen powers keep the moment-to-moment danger fresh. Even when some of these moments don’t make sense, like when Sonic spontaneously discovers new powers thanks to the Paradox Energy that’s been inside him the entire series, what these moments deliver is visually cool. Enough so that the kids that make up the target audience for the series are unlikely to care about the significant plot holes they create.

All these shifts in the battle and cool surprises are brought to life through a solid visual presentation. Despite the large numbers of characters, energy blasts, and general mayhem on screen, the show manages to keep everything as clear as it does exciting. This is particularly impressive as there are up to three different versions of many characters present for the show’s biggest moments.

Along with lots of fun action, the series also delivers a good payoff for Sonic’s personal journey. His rashness and unwillingness to let others take the lead brought about the troubles the series has spent fixing. As the battle with Nine reaches its fever pitch, we see Sonic learn the lessons the show has strived to teach him. This growth on the part of the show’s lead brings a personal element to the final battle of the series, lending some solid substance to the battle’s spectacle.

The big point where Sonic Prime Season 3 stumbles during its big finale battle is in Sonic’s refusal to see Nine as the villain. The show tries to sell Sonic as being compassionate towards his former friend as he refuses to give up on him. While this is a nice message, when someone is relentlessly destroying the universe, they probably are the bad guy. Also, the viewer can only hear Sonic yell, “Nine, please stop!” so many times before it just gets old.

The other stumbling block comes in the final episode. As Sonic and his friends race against the clock to get him home, they encounter obstacles to keep them from reaching their destination on time. A lot of obstacles. As one roadblock after another is thrown up, the attempt to build tension is lost to frustration as the melodrama becomes too much.

Sonic Prime Season 3 brings its story to a satisfying conclusion thanks to fun action, well-executed animation, and solid growth from its lead character. With only a couple of stumbles, this season is a must-watch for anyone who come this far in the Blue Blur’s newest animated journey.

Sonic Prime Season 3 is streaming now on Netflix.