Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Girls5eva Season 3.
Our favorite ’90s has-been girl group has finally returned, asGirls5eva’s third season premiered last week after an almost two-year hiatus. The show—created byMeredith Scardinoand executive-produced byRobert CarlockandTina Fey—found further life following a quiet cancellation at Peacock and a swift save by Netflix. Season 3 picks up sometime after the Season 2 finale, in which the girls make their final moves before going out on tour. Dawn (Sara Bareilles) realizes that she’s pregnant but is willing to perform, Wickie (Renée Elise Goldsberry) decides to keep her relationship with lunch lord, Sheawn (Chad L. Coleman), Gloria (Paula Pell) ends hers with Caroline (Janine Brito), and Summer (Busy Philipps) makes Kev (Andrew Rannells) take care of their daughter for once.
The six-episode Season 3 finally shows Girls5eva fulfilling their dream of a comeback tour, aptly named “Returnity.” Going through several cities of the country, the girls’ journey is full of surprises and awakenings. The shift of having them leave New York during the tour shines a light on the relationships between the girls and with their own selves.The true focus on the four leading ladies allows for growth and self-discoveriesthat prove useful for the season finale.
A one-hit-wonder band from the ’90s gets a second shot at fame when a young rapper samples their song.
‘Girls5eva’ Embark on Their Returnity Tour for Season 3
The Returnity Tourtakes Girls5eva through several explored and unexplored corners of America. Their stint in Fort Worth proves fruitful, as they’re acclaimed for their song, “Tap Into Your (Fort) Worth,” as it brings a feeling of comfort, making most of them (aside from Wickie) want to leave. They pass through the conservative Bomont, which proves a challenge for them to sing their hit song, “B.P.E.” After years of exploiting her fake suburban lower-class background, Maryland pulls the curtain on Wickie being upper-middle class and having a caring family.
A private birthday party takes the girls to Orlando, where Dawn’s morality almost sabotages their gig but ends up loosening herself up a bit to just have fun, while Girls5eva gets a temporary fifth girl in Taffy (Catherine Cohen). In Cleveland, the group is joined by Gray Holland (Thomas Doherty), a pop superstar who befriends Gloria after disguising himself as a trucker to be able to eat at regular Italian food restaurants. Through it all,Gloria owns her status as a lesbian icon, Wickie discovers she can also be the group’s leader, Summer learns to do things without the need of male approval, and Dawn lets go (just a little) of her obsessionswhile focusing on her upcoming baby.
The comings and goings of Girls5eva are sprinkled in with the presence of already-known and endearing faces. Bootsy Tings (Jeremiah Craft), the girls’ constant collaborator and the artist formerly known as Lil Stinker, shows up briefly but indirectly makes the girls determined to continue the tour, while Percy (John Lutz), a victim of the group when they taped a prank show in the 2000s, now works as their driver and assistant. Thetraditional celebrity cameosinclude former basketball player,Rebecca Lobo, and a hilariousIngrid Michaelsonas fictional singer, Pixie, both as part of the rich girl birthday party in the season’s fourth episode.Mario Lopezalso makes a brief appearance painfully covering the topic of Gray Holland’s most recent break-up.
The Season 3 Finale Pits ‘Girls5eva’ vs. Thanksgiving
At the beginning of Season 3, an unaware Wickie books Radio City Music Hall months in advance as the final venue of the Returnity Tour. The only problem? The date is Thanksgiving. The season finale sees the girls using their newfound abilities to fulfill both their contracts and inner expectations, having all the odds stacked against them. Dawn finds inspiration for their newest song in a brilliantRichard Kind, who gives her advice about being famous without having the spotlight on her constantly. Following her streak of one-night stands, Gloria realizes that it’s her ex-wife, Caroline, who checks off all her boxes. But while confessing her love to Caroline, she discovers that she’s already in a relationship with Dr. Bev (Lea DeLaria).
Wickie tries to raise money to pay off Radio City Music Hall by selling her documentary to several streamers, but none of them are convinced about the idea given her lack of present-day relevance. In the end and very surprisingly, it’s Summer who—after having inadvertently entered a pyramid scheme business—learns how to buy and use bots in their favor. That way, the show is sold out just minutes before it starts.Having been released from their contracts, Girls5eva doesn’t have to perform anymore, but they still do, anyway, but they do it for themselves(and their family members, two venue staffers, and two clueless buyers).
Every Song From ‘Girls5Eva’ Season 1, Ranked
“So what are you waiting 5?”
‘Girls5eva’ Vow To Enjoy Their Medium Time in the Season 3 Finale
Dawn’s Richard-Kind-inspired song, “The Middle Time,” is the closing act of the night. In it, Girls5eva thinks about the future they want and if fame is really worth all the sacrifice. The girls finally come to terms withtheir status as has-beens, remaining thankful for this encore that life threw their way. But the grand finale of the evening is Dawn going into labor, giving birth to her daughter, Lesley, in honor of Wickie’s real name.
During the season, a seemingly unrelated subplot involves Dawn watching the Girls5eva universe’s reinterpretation ofThe Crownwhich, conversely to the real version, focuses on Prince Andrew’s questionable obsessions. The last minutes of the season show Wickie’s debut solo song, “Yesternights,” being featured in aStranger Things-like segment of (the fake)The Crown, igniting aKate Bush-level resurgencefor her. At that exact moment, she receives a call from famous manager, Nance (Vanessa Williams), offering her a deal to represent her and have her do the music of a femaleGarfieldfilm. Wickie demands Nance to take on the whole group, to which she accedes,but we’re left without knowing what the girls’ answer is.
Season 3 ofGirls5evamight have been a shortened one, but it’s also one in which the uphill climb that the group has gone through since the first season finally pays off. Whether it was at an empty Radio City Music Hall or a crowded Texaa venue, the girls were finally able to make a full comeback. And though there’s been no official word regarding the show’s future, we do hope that the cliffhanger ending gets a resolution; in an ideal world,Girls5evashould make it at least to Season 5, because 4eva’s too short.
Girls5evaSeason 3 is available to watch on Netflix in the U.S.
