STAR Season 3 Finale Review: “When the Levee Breaks”

How did STAR get canceled after that cliffhanger?! The injustice! Literally, many of the characters’ lives are hanging in the balance after that wedding massacre and now we’ll never know what happens. The production studio is trying to shop STAR around to another network, so hopefully everything works out for them. We need to know what happens and who survives. There’s still so much left up in the air after STAR’s Season 3 finale.

The biggest question marks, of course, are about who lived and who died. After the criminals shot up Alex and Derek’s wedding, the season (or series?) ended with Mateo, Angel, and Cassie suffering bullet wounds and bleeding heavily (in addition to all the nameless guests who had been shot). Miss Ruby, on the other hand, is definitely dead – there is no way she survived multiple gunshots before the wedding. Out of the three, my guess would be that Mateo is 100% dead. He was lifeless on the ground and his story wrapped up nicely when he decided to hand the company over to Carlotta. The writers were giving him an exit.

Wilford Harewood/FOX

With Xander potentially still alive, Cassie will need to survive to wrap up the story. Her crazy ex-boyfriend is skulking around the city with a vengeance AND his wife is pissed at Cassie – these are two elements that could provide plenty of drama. Xander’s wife wanted to murder Cassie with every fiber of her being; that tension shouldn’t be wasted. Angel … his outcome seems to be on the fence; however, if STAR comes back for season four, Angel should die. Simone’s plot with Angel during season three focused on how her protesting actions affected him, and since he already experienced a near-death scenario, this outcome would bring his story full-circle.

Going through STAR’s wedding massacre, the tone was reminiscent of another iconic wedding scene: Dynasty and the Moldavian Massacre. (You thought I was going to say The Red Wedding on Game of Thrones, right?) The wedding featured the characters in hopeful moments and seemed like this story would end off on a high note, but it left a good number of people in limbo. If STAR returns (or if we get an update somehow), the outcome of the casualties will affect the impact of this twist. Who lives, who dies, and how they’re reeling will propel the series in a specific direction. So, let’s hope that this cliffhanger had major stakes for the story in this universe.

Another major cliffhanger that hurts from the cancellation is the kidnapping of Davis. What happened to Star’s baby? Firstly, I don’t think Jax is dead. From the looks of him on the floor, Jax had been knocked out and someone took the baby early on. Secondly, the perpetrator had to be someone close to the family who did it to hurt Star. Maybe it’s Noah’s mother (who had threatened Star earlier) or Noah’s father? Neither wanted Davis to be put up for adoption, so this would ensure that their grandson was protected. Even with Bobby’s cancer diagnosis, we shouldn’t rule him out.

It’s a shame that this had to happen when both Noah and Star were coming to terms with the outcome of Davis’ future. Obviously, Star was going to win her court case with all the proof she had on Noah. The security footage she revealed in court was the perfect smoking gun to ensure a victory. Though, even with winning the case, Star had started reconsidering her options, especially when Jax wanted to come back into the picture. If the pair finds Davis, a future with Jax, Star, and Davis could be a real possibility.

Wilford Harewood/FOX

Another theory for the culprit could be Amber – she did just get caught for bribing and stealing the ASA award. In a move that mimicked the infamous Academy Awards fumble between La La Land and Moonlight (and the Steve Harvey mishap at Miss Universe), Lil Dini announced Take 3 as the winner of Best Pop Album instead of Amber. However, did he mess up or did the judges rectify Amber’s fake win with the wrong result? No matter how drunk he was at the podium, he wouldn’t have said the wrong number so coherently. Amber wanted the group to be blindsided and humiliated so that she could win the award.

Even though Amber stole the group’s moment, Take 3 at least had their few seconds on stage to congratulate everyone for winning. But, the entire Amber charade resolution came across as messy. Miss Bruce handed Star the award after all the shenanigans and resolutions happened off-screen. Why didn’t we get to see Amber’s deception come to light? If STAR had a few more episodes, the story would’ve allowed for an episode or two of the post-ASA drama playing out in the media, and Amber being revealed as a snake. STAR shouldn’t have wasted episodes with filler content – the meat of the group’s drama would’ve been more enjoyable to watch.

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Carlotta’s relationship with Rashad came across as realistic and heartbreaking. With a truthbomb like the maternity/paternity results, the pair couldn’t go back to being who they were. And even with Carlotta trying to protect him, Rashad has to work out his demons, regardless if that means getting drunk and performing with Lil Dini. Their award show number could be the first of many performances that take him down a bad spiral.

Could Olivia’s blindfolded tryst with Derek end up getting her pregnant? That move would be something she’d cook up to get revenge on Alex. Olivia is dangerous and could possibly cause more harm with her being free from the hospital. Though, let’s not ignore the fact that Olivia RAPED Derek. Their hookup was not consensual and she pretended to be Alex throughout it all. Hopefully, STAR approaches this crime in a potential season four.

“When the Levee Breaks” ended the season on an intense and heart-pounding momentum. Unfortunately, with the cancellation, this development might not go anywhere, and we’ll be left with only questions and no answers. There’s so much left in the air that it would be terrible if this was how STAR ended after three seasons. Whether it’s a renewal at a new network or a merger (or answer) with parent show Empire, something has to give.

Last Musical Notes:

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