One of the reasons why the previous two seasons of Mismatched had actually worked was the setting of a classroom, or a common campus that basically did see all characters under one roof. But here the change of setting brings with it a set of challenges – the campuses are divided into two powercenters – one belonging to the upright and result oriented Nandini (Dipannita Sharma), and the other, a more understanding Gen Y/X Sid (Rannvijay Singha). The issue with the writing extends to dividing the characters across these two forums, with a few exceptions being at a different location, even while having to carve out individual arcs, each related to the issues of the youth. This is not to say that the writing is a complete miss – in fact, I did like a subplot involving an gender crisis with respect to the character of Rith, thereby coaxing that character to breach the firewalls of the metaverse, all in the name of escapism. Another interesting conflict involved a character undergoing an inferiority complex with respect to his weight, that stopped him from approaching the girl that he liked in the campus, or even a s*xual preference conflict involving another character. But therein also lies the drawback of the screenplay – the number of characters is directly proportional to the various conflicts faced by each of them, something that scatters the writing into being a collection of multiple subplots as opposed to it being focused to one plot along with a few subplots. One small drawback also remained on how the various voiceover at the start of each episode had a thing to say, without the drama changing its POV even once.

If I were to compare this season to the previous seasons, this was more of a transition from the teens to the twenties, a period that attracts more complexities in life. It is naturally depicted through the three year jump in the timelines of the drama, that sees the growth of a few characters rather well. For instance, the character of Anmol (Taaruk Raina) is much more calmer while having to deal with his insecurity related to his disability, that coaxes him to see the world differently even while sharing an intimate moment with his girlfriend Timmy (Ahsaas Channa). At the same time, you are witness to a confused growth of a few characters, one of them being Krish (Abhinav Sharma) who is shown to be seemingly attracted to Celina (Muskkaan Jaferi) while dealing with an uncertain future. This is reflective of the confused state of the writing too, that isn’t consistent enough to grant the characters effective conflicts. Likewise, the shared ‘roomie’ chemistry between the adults Sid and Zeenat (Vidya Malavade) seemed half-baked and didn’t exactly hit home with the internal psyche of either of the two characters. And this had more to do with the number of characters in the fray which seemed to be on the higher side, yet not always in sync with the conflicts presented to each of them. The worst affected though (and surprisingly so) was Rishi and Dimple, and the confused dynamics that the two share.

One glance into the budding relationship between Rishi and Dimple, and you will know that their conflict was more on the lines of searching for a problem. It wasn’t a game of one-upmanship anymore like in the first season, it also wasn’t really a presence of the third wheel in their relationship like in season 2 (although there was a hint of the same here that quickly fizzled out). The fact that Dimple may have been the better choice for Nandita’s institute and her bid to prepare a product in the form of a metaverse, was hardly ever explored. As a result, I was pretty much detached from the two marquee characters of the show for pretty much half the runtime – only seemingly getting my attention back after a tragic emotional spree that enters the equation. But despite that, a followup plot-point of their impulsive decision to get engaged (and eventually marry) was atrocious to say the least. This is because a far more important plot point of mental health that was later touched upon, needed to be the crux of the writing which would in turn result in ripples in their relationship.

I must admit that the show does present a few heartwarming moments with respect to the conclusion of a few plot-points, most of which were a matured take on reality. The idea of accepting oneself based on the physical appearance (Aalif and Anmol) was a good one wherein you do feel the internalized emotions of the duo. Likewise for Rith who played an important roll in the fall and rise of the metaverse, a virtual reality directly affecting her incompetance to cope with her gender conflict. In that regard, the show does show some spark towards the dying minutes of the season, even if it is related with the soothing but strained conflict between Sid and Zeenat, which may not have been as well established to begin with, but filled with emotions during its conclusion. This is true even for Rishi and Dimple who share a bittersweet dynamic by the end of things, but it was a payoff that wasn’t as rewarding given the path that the writers tread for these characters. Overall, the screenplay here is scattered while largely being unfocused that results in a mixed bag of emotions.