Reasons to be skeptical about the fourth season ofUnREAL, which launched Monday in its entirety on Hulu.
The meta-soap has struggled to hit the high heights of season 1.
It only just concludeda rather miserable third season, ending its run on original online grid Lifetime in April.
Credit: Bettina Strauss/Hulu
That seasons buzzless reception led Lifetime to sell off season 4.
You worry sometimes that our chic-new-now streaming services operate as part-time dumping grounds, vacuuming up all available content.
(RememberThe Cloverfield Paradox?
Good news: the fourth season is a bleak riot.
There are a couple essential improvements, terrible-character banishments that shouldve happened years ago.
Jeremy (Josh Kelly), emo-killer camera guy, is gone forever.
Rachel (Shiri Appleby) never once mentions her awful parents.
But theres also a brazen new spirit, a kitchen-sink sensibility.
The confusing joy ofUnREALwas how consistently she failed.
The show-within-a-show is having anAll-Starsseason.
Everlasting All-Starsis a pastiche of reality nonsense, pointless rules, strange competitions, a million-dollar prize.
This is the most sexist, misogynistic bulls we have ever done, and I love it!
exults Quinn (Constance Zimmer).
The spectacles never been less believable.
Back in season 1,UnREALapproximated a fascinating ground-gritty look at the making of reality TV.
In season 4, we seem to be living in a retro-futureGothamversion of showbiz.
But the mind games behindAll-Starsare terrifying.
Two of the returning contestants participated in one ofUnREALseason 1s most disturbing subplots.
Theyre both back forAll-Stars.Rachel dreams of a passionate showdown, a woman reclaiming her agency.
But she also seems to be torturing poor Maya, pushing her into her rapists orbit.
I want Roger and Maya locked in a room together by episode 4!
Rachel demands in the premiere.
I wont spoil it, though it involves the phrase girl-power rape revenge witch trial.
That phrase was written on Rachels T-shirt way back in theUnREALseries premiere.
Appleby was always so good at magnifying Rachels internal struggle.
Its hard to explain the Tommy-Rachel relationship.
Theyre kind of a will-they-wont-they.
Their flirty lets-destroy-some-souls machinations resemble the plotting step-siblings inCruel Intentions.
UnREALseason 4 is like a funnierCruel Intentions, have I sold you yet?
Something in the basic structure still feels misshapen, at times.
And the wonderful Bowyer-Chapman still feels a bit wasted on a cocaine bad!
Were still miles away from the majesty of season 1.
There are real delights in this final season, though.
Candy Coco (Natalie Hall) joinsEverlasting All-Starsas a joke personality.
Shes a single mom and a successful Florida stripper, potential star of a new docusoap calledStripper Queens.
I wish alotof things aboutUnREAL, but Im glad I stuck with it through the end.
