Odd Squad (season 3)
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Odd Squad is a Canadian/American children's live action educational television series that premiered on TVOKids in Canada and PBS Kids in the United States on November 26, 2014.
While the first two seasons of the show were well received (2014-2019), the same can't be said about its third and final season (2020-2022), which garnered negative reception due to the highly radical changes.
Plot
Ms. O, who has been promoted to the Big O, recruits four agents, Opal (replaced with Osmerelda in "Odd Off The Press" and onwards), Omar, Orla, and Oswald as the Odd Squad Mobile Unit, a team who travel in a flying van solving odd cases around the world.
Not Odd Qualities
- The CGI effects look downgraded after the first two seasons.
- Many iconic Odd Squad traits are removed from the show or rarely used such as "the tube sytem" (an Odd Squad agent's way of transportation where they are squished into a ball and launched to their destination).
- A lot of bad to average episodes.
- The episode "The B-Team" has just recycled the plot from the season 1 episode, "Switch Your Partner Round and Round".
- Ms. O, who has recently been promoted to The Big O, has changed from a bossy and fearless girl with a hilarious personality to a very bland and serious leader of all Odd Squad precincts.
- Big O, who had a big role in the first two seasons when she was Ms. O, is rarely seen on screen and hasn't been seen since "Odd Off The Press" where she is replaced by the character Little O.
- There is little to no connection to the first two seasons, making this season seem almost non-canon to said seasons.
- A bunch of fan favorite characters from the first two seasons (i.e.: Most secondary 13579 agents, Odd Todd, and most of the recurring villains from the first two seasons, Polly Graph, Delivery Debbie, Delivery Doug, Mayor Macklemore, Rivka and Baby Genius) are completely absent. For child characters this can be excused, as kid actors grow up, but there's no reason why the adults can't return somehow.
- Unlike the first two seasons, there are no guest appearances from any characters (that being sensible since the show has been running for 7 years and most of the kid actors cannot stay kids forever).
- The season sometimes rip-off villains from the first two seasons.
- The actress of The Shapeshifter, Laura Landauer, returned but as The Form Changer, looking exactly like The Shapeshifter except she is orange and has now glowing effect.
- The Utensiler returns in the episode "Odd in 60 Seconds " but with a different actress claiming to be the original one's little sister.
- Poor writing: In numerous episodes it is hinted that Opal knew who The Shadow was behind the mask all along but in "Follow the Leader" when The Shadow reveals that she is Opal's sister, Olizabeth, Opal reacts surprised.
- Agent Opal, a loveable main character, is removed from the show and has not been seen since the episode "End of the Road" (the mid season finale), she is later replaced by Osmerelda.
- The new main characters in this season aren't quite good as the characters in seasons 1 and 2.
- The addition of adding Osmerelda (Esmerelda Kim) to the Mobile Unit feels like a rushed last-minute decision considering the fact that her early appearances of wanting to join Odd Squad but being too busy with something else (such as flute practice) was a running gag.
- There is no comedic relief scientist character like Oscar from season 1 and Oona from season 2 due to this season only focusing on the Mobile Unit department.
Good Qualities
- The story arc about Opal and The Shadow's past is interesting.
- The first two seasons are better then this season.
- Great new characters such as Opal and Orla (a 500 year old warrior who is trying to adapt to the modern world).
- Heartwarming moments.
- Diverse cast: many of the females are portrayed as leaders.
- Some reappearances to old characters such as Rainbow Robyn, Jellybean Joe, and Miss Triangle.
- The "tube system" is acknowledged once again in the episode "Down the Tubes" which gives us an in-depth understanding on how the tube system works.
- There are still some good episodes, like the series finale "Odd Together Now", which was heartwarming and was a good send-off to the series.
Reception
Season 3 of Odd Squad garnered mixed to negative reception from fans with many criticizing them for removing Olive, Otto, Oscar, Olympia, Otis, and Oona, with their replacements Opal, Omar, Oswald, Orla, and Osmerelda which aren't as well-received. By the time Season 3 premiered, either older fans had stopped watching the show entirely, or newer fans would watch and be more attracted to the past two seasons and its characters. It didn't help that the show got a Retool, with the main setting being changed and characters being swapped out for new ones. While there are a few fans both young and old who still enjoy it, a majority of people dislike the season because of the massive changes, although there are fans who enjoy the season prior to Opal's departure. It received a 7.2 on IMDB.