Living Free (Season 3)

*Living Free'*s third season was announced on March 31st, 2022, the day before the third episode of Season 2. Mike Barkhoff intentionally did this due to the date (3/31) but has been working on the season alongside Season 2 from the early writing phases.

The plot is expected to continue on from Season 2. It was reported that Drake Vegas of Drakoloid was being attached to the series as an Associate Producer and that the series would return in 2023. Minimalistic poster art has been released that is AI generated by the phrase "Living Free Season 3" or variants of that.

## Plot

Mike awakens in his room to see a man staring at him. He quickly realizes it is a future variant of himself. Future Mike asks for advice on whether or not he should get a particular face tattoo, fearing it may be too racy. His idea is a tear under his eye, which he fears because of it's relation to gang and prison usage. Current Mike suggests that the only thing racist about that is that Future Mike would think it's racist. Future Mike then suggests that Present Mike give up filmmaking, as it'd save him time. Present Mike refuses, though, lamenting that he's "still having fun" before realizing aloud that "it's all about fun".

## Release

In December of 2022, it was announced the series would return in January 2023 with three episodes, before going on hiatus and returning with another three, a release method that would continue throughout the year until all twelve episodes were released.

The season was further teased in January by means of a trailer. It began airing on January 13th, with a new episode every Friday for three weeks, adhering to the previously discussed schedule.

Overall, this season has seen the most minimalistic form of the series, bearing a trailer with no actual footage from the show as well as no actual posters being finalized without the usage of AI apps.

## Production

Plots of the season were taken from early treatments of Season 2, combined with original episodes written strictly for the season. Barkhoff has been open in admitting his self criticism for the season, suggesting people may not like it as much. Barkhoff's basis for Season 3 was inspired by how "Breaking Bad" approached their third season, opting to focus more on character development than continuous stake raising plot evolving. Barkhoff has been on record to state when he first watched "Breaking Bad" he disliked Season 3, but quickly realized upon rewatch that was an "adolescent mistake".

The season entered filming simultaneously with Chapters. (Season 4). Both seasons were handled uniquely by Barkhoff, as he opted to write as few scripts as possible between the block of episodes, instead wanting to write a thesis, and, as he made the episode, build off of it from there. The reasoning for this was to make the two season's unique and to challenge himself artistically. Another unique factor of the season is that a majority of episodes are built around a specific coloring, which is often related to the episodic theme(s). The season covers twelve episodes and aired in four blocks of three episode portions.

## Episodes

"The Man"

"In The Mirror"

"Asphyxiation

"Asstral"

"In Tha Mirror"

"The Slap"

## Reception

The third season began with three episodes that received overwhelming rave reviews, being cited by many as not only the strongest of the series but also amongst the best of Barkhoff's portfolio work. The color scheme has been lauded for it's effective use, and the plot has been positively compared to that of "Atlanta", which inspired this series, as it unfolds from such a simple narrative.

The second block of three episodes was met with further laud. The "prologue and epilogue", as Barkhoff has called them, were met with very positive reviews for their simplicity and commentary on the current status quo of Hollywood, and the examination it makes on the industry. The middle episode, meanwhile, was met with universal laud and has been considered a front-runner for best episode of the series. Notably, it makes use of a plot in which racism is reversed as opposed to normal life. Barkhoff had the idea for the episode after watching the third and fourth season's of Atlanta and wanting to become "more creative" with Living Free.