REVIEW: ‘Survival Of The Thickest’ Season 3 Is A Heartfelt Send-Off With A Well-Earned Ending

Survival of the Thickest Season 3 arrives as Mavis Beumont, stylist-turned-designer, takes the fashion world by storm, in addition to managing life challenges as they come along. The Netflix original quirky comedic drama series, written and co-created by Michelle Buteau and Danielle Sanchez-Witzel, is inspired by Buteau’s acclaimed book of essays. The series is executive-produced by Buteau, Sanchez-Witzel, and Amy Aniobi. 

Season 3’s cast features Michelle Buteau as Mavis Beaumont, Tone Bell as Kalil, and Marouane Zotti as Luca. In addition to the main cast, the supporting cast features Garcelle Beauvais as Natasha, Peppermint as Peppermint, Anthony Michael Lopez as Bruce, and Alecsys Procto-Truner as Nala. Alongside the returning main and supporting cast, there are several special appearances and cameos. 

Survival of the Thickest excels at giving time to its main and supporting characters alike.

This season, Mavis explores her fertility options as she embarks on her journey to motherhood while still pursuing her fashion industry dreams. This season, Mavis’s dreams are bigger than ever as she hopes to tackle bigger issues in the fashion industry and comes to learn just how hard it is to make it as a designer. Mavis and Luca’s love is stronger than ever, but while their relationship drama may be over, they still have their fair share of issues to work through. Meanwhile, Khalil attempts to reconnect with his estranged, incarcerated father.  

Tasha Smith’s absence from this season was a surprise, and her character is sorely missed. Not having the character included in the last season felt like a mistake, given how much of a role she has played in the show’s run. But the void Marley’s absence has left is not empty for too long, as the show shifts some of its focus to another character, Luca. 

Survival of the Thickest excels at giving time to its main and supporting characters, but this season elevates certain characters with larger story arcs and development. Initially, Luca has existed in the show as Mavis’s on-again, off-again, and now on-again love interest throughout the series. While the show previously gave Luca decent attention as a supporting character, this season, Luca truly feels like part of the main cast.

Marouane Zotti gives some of his best work this season with Luca.

As Mavis and Luca’s relationship continues to evolve and they take things to the next level, they also face their fair share of struggles. One of those struggles this season is the relationship dynamic between Luca and Khalil. As two men who quite possibly love Mavis the most in this world, they often find themselves unintentionally clashing.

However, as the season progresses, Khalil and Mavis work to build a bond beyond their relationship centered on Mavis. Khalil and Luca’s deeper bond offers a beautiful look into male friendships and the importance of developing connections that exist independently of one’s romantic partner. 

Performance-wise, Marouane Zotti gives some of his best work this season with Luca. As Luca finally gets the narrative attention he deserves, Zotti’s performance evolves the character from a supporting love interest by bringing more vulnerability and layers to the role. Similarly, Tone Bell continues to make Khalil one of the series’ most compelling and complex characters. Bell superbly captures the raw emotional honesty of Khalil’s healing journey. 

Survival of the Thickest Season 3 takes Buteau through her most emotional and demanding performances. 

Last but not least, Buteau delivers her strongest performance as Mavis this season. Buteau is a comedic genius who nails one-liners and captures Mavis’ whimsical nature, unwavering optimism, and infectious confidence. But Survival of the Thickest Season 3 takes Buteau through her most emotionally charged and demanding performances. 

Fans have watched Mavis navigate pain and heartbreak before, but Season 3 takes things deeper after Mavis and Luca suffer a deep loss. The show highlights how the mental, physical, and emotional recovery process for someone who has experienced a miscarriage involves intimate moments that aren’t regularly seen. And the series does not take the uncomfortableness of miscarriage lightly; instead, it takes its time to really show the grieving and healing process, from the dark, bad, and ugly moments to finally getting back to a good place. 

One of the best parts of Mavis’ fertility journey is how the show keeps it fluid. Oftentimes, society makes women think that deciding to have a child is a permanent decision. In reality, people may want children one day and not want to be a parent the next. While yes, Mavis is racing against the biological clock to conceive a child, she does not let that stop her from pursuing her personal, career, and family dreams.

Another important part of Mavis’s fertility journey and miscarriage is that it also acknowledges how pregnancy can affect partners differently. The show highlights that grief and loss are not one-sided experiences. While Mavis is understandably centered on the narrative of the miscarriage, the show also makes intentional space for Luca’s pain and grief. He quietly pushes his grief down to prioritize Mavis and to be the supportive partner she needs in the present moment. In turn, Mavis is there to support him through his pain and grieving process. 

Watching Khalil’s growth over the last few seasons has been beautiful. From his emotional and mental health journey, he learned to talk about his problems beyond the surface level, not only with his friends but also by opening up more through his therapy journey. Which is why it was a bit disappointing to see Khalil’s relationship and dating arc seem to have taken a step back compared to last season.

Last season, Khalil started a budding relationship with Simone, his former art manager, as the two were romantically interested and did not want to mix business with pleasure. By the end of Season 2, the pair decided to explore things with one another more deeply, which felt like Khalil might have been done with emotionally detached sex and late-night hook-ups for the time being. 

Survival of the Thickest honors the series’ emotional core with its final season.

While this season does not delve much into what became of Khalil and Simone’s relationship, it does explore how his resolved tensions with his father are affecting him in the bedroom. Having worked through much of the resentment and issues involving his mother through therapy, Khalil attempts to work on his relationship with his incarcerated father. He comes to terms with some of their shared similarities. 

This season explores just how even messier and more predatory the fashion industry can be, especially for a designer on the rise like Mavis. If viewers thought Mavis’ troubles with Charles Renee (played by RonRaeaco Lee) were over following their resolution last season, they would be sorely mistaken.

It seems Charles’s time spent collaborating with Mavis has not made him a better person, but it has given him access to her creativity and work, making him richer and more relevant. While the storyline with Charles Renee is brief, it touches on the darker side of the fashion industry and how creatives like Mavis are regularly preyed upon for their talents and creativity. 

Survival of the Thickest honors the series’ emotional core with its third and final season. Granted, the season is not perfect, but it does stay true to what has always made it stand out: celebrating self-love, body positivity, Black and queer joy, friendships, and community. While the final season is not perfect, it goes out on the right note with a well-earned sense of closure for one of Netflix’s most refreshing original comedies. 

Survival of the Thickest Season 3 is streaming now on Netflix.