On the back of winning the league without ever losing a game, the Sudbury Bulldogs are set to take place in the National Senior Tournament. Season 2 was all about being the best team in the league ever, but Shoresy Season 3 sets its sights on higher goals as the team faces its toughest challenges yet.
Right off the bat, Shoresy Season 3 makes it clear that this won’t be easy for the Bulldogs. The team is decimated by injuries and faces the best teams across all of Canada. The opening episode does a good job of introducing the challengers while also presenting the real opponent for the Bulldogs; themselves.
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The mantra “go until you can’t go no more” is a theme that runs throughout the entire series. At first, it is because the guys are hurt. Shoresy (Jared Keeso), the team captain and titular character, has a busted ankle and can’t contribute on the ice like he is used to. He is not the only one, however. The entire team is dealing with injuries except for JJ “Frankie” JJ (Max Bouffard) who has entirely different problems.
These injuries are limiting factors, sure, but Shoresy Season 3 focuses on a bigger issue. The team’s mentality, especially that of captain Shoresy, is what is really keeping them back. Instead of focusing only on the on-ice action, the season takes a deeper look at what makes Shoresy tick and what hockey means to him.
Instead of leading the team with his on-ice abilities, Shoresy’s role is mainly vocal. When his teammates are down and want to give up, he keeps reminding them to “go until you can’t go no more.” The problem is that Shoresy has to carry all of that weight himself. It is not until later in the season that we finally see Nat (Tasya Teles) step in and help take care of him.
The best moments of Shoresy Season 3 are when the series focuses on Shoresy’s internal struggle. He is not used to being a liability on the ice and it is hard for him to adapt to that. He still puts on the outward face of not caring and only there to talk crap and fight hard, but you can see the emotion bubbling beneath the surface.
All of that struggle comes to a head when Shoresy suffers a concussion. Nat tells him he is out of the semifinal matchup and, in typical hockey player fashion, Shoresy refuses to hear it. Hockey is all Shoresy cares about so losing that is rough. It forces him to take a look at what life outside of hockey might look like for him.
Arguably the best moment of the season is when Shoresy is asked if he will be happy when he eventually stops playing. Normally quick to chirp back, he is left speechless. Shoresy realizes his identity has always been tied together with hockey and he has never even contemplated life without it. But he has to now, and that’s what makes the emotional moments of Shoresy Season 3 so impactful. It’s about Shoresy finding himself despite not wanting to go through that experience.
In the midst of these deeply emotional moments is some of the best humor the series has provided. Keeso is a phenomenal writer and the way he inserts comedy even in the most serious moments elevates the series. Subplots, like JJ “Frankie” JJ’s love affairs, manage to flesh out the story as well while still containing the clever charm the series is known for.
The one moment that gave me pause was when the fourth episode started with a flashback to the end-of-season celebrations from the season before. The legendary victory party had been mentioned, as had the weird haircuts the players were sporting, so it made sense to go back and explain what happened. It would have made way more sense to do that towards the start of the season, not in the second half. The episode finds its footing eventually, but it was jarring at first considering how the series had been progressing beforehand.
By the end, though, it all comes together in a very satisfying way. The final episode is such a wonderful conclusion to the story arc that it would have worked great as a series finale. There is still more to come from Shoresy’s story that is set up in the Shoresy Season 3 finale, and it will be interesting to see where things go from here.
Shoresy Season 3 is an introspective victory lap that is equal parts funny and emotional. Seeing these characters, especially Shoresy himself, grow and get what they deserve is incredibly satisfying and the season is a well-earned triumph for Keeso and the crew.
Shoresy Season 3 is streaming now on Hulu.
