The third season of Crushed marks another year at Lucknow Central Convent school wherein the protagonists having just finished their exams are sent to an exchange program in Dehradun, where most of the actions(and sparks) unfold. The story here is sweet and endearing which may not be as good as the first season but definitely isn’t as forced as its previous season. It is somewhere in between tilting towards being positive given that there are heartfelt moments along the way. The screenplay standing at 6 episodes of 20 odd minutes each was about the right length of the show wherein the writers did not drag the proceedings unnecessarily and thereby didn’t allow the show to overstay its welcome.

There are a couple of things that were going for the third season of Crushed immediately. No matter how average the previous season was, it still gave you a chance to invest in the characters, some of whom were new, the payback of which could be reflected in its third season. In other words, come the third season, you were already acquainted with the characters and it did help in investing in their journeys a little better. Secondly, the writers have done a good job in changing the setting of the show, shifting the drama from the school premises to an exchange program/camp that added freshness to the drama. That said, the setup wasn’t the best with the drama following a flatter trajectory to begin with. It almost seemed like the writing was grappling from the mediocrity of the previous season before slowly getting back on track, once the drama shifts to Dehradun. The change in setting did change the fortune of the season to an extent as well.

The proceedings are fairly interesting with the onset of games that begin in the camp while all the protagonists deal with their own issues in the interpersonal relationships with each other. In fact, the drama relies on the character dynamics to drive the narrative ahead. This includes multiple love angles that bring with it, their own share of issues along the way while also testing the bond of friendship between characters. The good thing being that the issues aren’t tackled in a frivolous manner, instead there is purpose to the conflicts at hand while keeping the events light and frothy throughout. A couple of minor issues that I had was that the situations could have been staged a little better while allowing the viewers to spend some time with it. This as opposed to touching upon a conflict before moving to its resolution in the next subsequent scenes. Yet, there is a certain endearing quality in the writing that makes you want to give the show another chance, thereby working well in the favour of the show.

The writing of the show keeps getting better with every episode wherein I found myself getting acquainted to the characters that much more by being a little more privy to their traits. The events leading to the final act are good but somewhere I did feel that the writers could have infused a few of the other elements like comedy or even a tragedy(given that it was an outdoor setting) as opposed to allowing the drama to unfold at the same wavelength. That could have added a layer of novelty in the drama. Yet, the surprise final act had me excited for its next season given the turn that the drama took with respect to one of its characters(no spoilers provided). Overall, the screenplay is sweet and has its moments to shine, thus marking an improvement from its lacklustre last season.