Victoria Curatolo | On 03, Apr 2019

Warning: This contains spoilers for Season 1 and 2. Never seen Santa Clarita Diet? Read our spoiler-free review here.

A decapitated head in the basement, a Nazi neighbour and a Serbian saboteur Knightship. The latest season of Santa Clarita Diet kicks off in full gore, as we continue on from the sticky situation that Joel (Timothy Olyphant) and Sheila (Drew Barrymore) found themselves in when we last saw them a year ago.

The end of season 2 saw the happy couple about to bury Gary (the severed head, played by Nathan Fillion) in the desert, when police officer and neighbour Anne (Natalie Morales) arrived to discover Sheila and Joel in a compromising position. With no option but to defend herself, Anne shoots Sheila and, as a result of Sheila remaining unharmed, believes that she is an act of God. Meanwhile, the Hammonds’ daughter Abby (Liv Hewson) goes through with blowing up the fracking site with Eric (Skyler Gisondo) – another unlikely mess they’d gotten themselves into.

We now see Anne utterly devoted to Sheila, vowing to do whatever she asks – seeing that she’s an act of God and everything. The Hammonds use this to their advantage after they continue to kill Nazis and ask Anne to help cover their tracks. Meanwhile, a gang of Serbian Knightsmen who live to kill the undead (led by ER’s Goran Višnjić) make their way to Santa Clarita after hearing about Sheila.

Santa Clarita Diet is still bizarre, ridiculous and unapologetically hilarious. After reuniting with the series after a year’s break, Season 3 is a breath of fresh air and just as funny, smart and gory as its two predecessors. Barrymore and Olyphant continue to uphold serious couple goals; their marriage is portrayed as relatable, funny and comforting, just like any other marriage (if every other marriage consisted of zombies and dead bodies).

The script is undoubtedly slick and smart with one-liners and perfect timing emphasising the show’s intellect and down-to-earth originality. While it does bode a strange and, at times, ridiculous narrative, it’s done with intelligence, charm and an hilarious cast – it’s almost smartly stupid. Santa Clarita Diet is certifiable, it doesn’t make sense, it’s silly, it’s fun, it’s intelligent – it’s exactly what you never knew you needed.

 
Santa Clarita Diet Season 1 to 3 is available on Netflix UK, as part of an £9.99 monthly subscription.

 

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