The Capture - Season 3

With a strong cast, plenty of suspense, and interesting themes, the third season of The Capture manages to impress.

The Capture has an extremely interesting premise that, when the first season was released in 2019, was still somewhat futuristic. The idea that criminals, terrorists, and corrupt government officials could use deepfakes of security and surveillance footage was fascinating but seemed far removed from our reality. With recent developments in artificial intelligence, that reality suddenly feels much closer, and season three cleverly capitalizes on this.

A year has passed since the end of the second season, in which detective Rachel Carey (Holliday Grainger), journalist Khadija Khan (Indira Varma), and politician Isaac Turner (Paapa Essiedu) managed to expose the deepfake conspiracy. Carey is now working for the counter-terrorism unit SO15, and Turner is well on his way to becoming the new prime minister. Together, they are developing a new system to counter deepfakes in security cameras. However, during the unveiling of the system, a terrorist attack occurs. But once again, it turns out that the camera footage cannot be trusted, and Carey finds herself on her own.

Although I had my reservations about this series after the first season, I found the second season to be much more solid. And I think the same applies to the third season. It's thrilling, well-acted, and genuinely has something to say. Perhaps that's because the series now stands much closer to the real world, as artificial intelligence has become a much larger part of our daily lives. The Capture manages to pose (and answer) smart questions in its third season.

The Capture draws a clear line between good and evil, but also shows many shades of grey.

The best science fiction (and this might be a little bit of that) is found when technology and science are used to hold a mirror to society and magnify social problems. The Capture masters this perfectly. To what extent is it justified to falsify evidence if it means getting a criminal behind bars? Should people give up their privacy for safety? Although the series is clearly critical of the deepfake technology we see here, the creators also succeed in showing that abolishing this technology has consequences. There are clear lines drawn between good and evil, but within those lines, there are also many shades of gray.

This technology is well-utilized in the storyline. It's once again incredibly exciting and full of unexpected twists that keep you on the edge of your seat and watching the screen with bated breath. Here and there, the whole thing does go a bit off the rails. Midway through the season, the story takes an unexpected turn, and while the result is spectacular and emotional, the lead-up to it is a bit messy. Nonetheless, the creators know how to make thrilling television, and they demonstrate that very well this season. Finally, I'm pleased that the writer decided to answer an open question that made the end of the first season frustrating for me.

Killian Scott is an incredible addition to the cast this season.

The cast is also noteworthy again. Holliday Grainger and Ron Perlman perform excellently, and it's a joy to see these two actors back together. Lia Williams also plays an interesting role as Carey's boss once more. Where Paapa Essiedu and Indira Varma stole the show last season, their roles are noticeably smaller this season. That's a pity because they are two good actors, but their presence is still felt in a good way throughout this season. This season also has some strong new additions. Especially Killian Scott and Joe Dempsie play two delightful villain roles, and both actors manage to excellently bring out the complexity of their characters.

Season three of The Capture manages to maintain the high level that the previous season also had, with an intriguing premise, a thrilling story full of unexpected twists, and a strong cast. Although the BBC has not yet released anything about a possible fourth season at the time of writing, it's clear that Carey's fight against the deepfake conspiracy is not over, and the door for a sequel is wide open. It would be a shame if The Capture were to stop at this point.