How To With John Wilson Season 3 Review: The series concludes with the biggest questions yet

dirty: It’s the final season of John Wilson’s HBO docuseries, and once again, we’re given six totally unique journeys into the human condition. As he did in the first two seasons of How with John Wilsonthe documentarian sets out on a mission to shed light on many small issues—how to find a public bathroom in New York City, how to clean your ears, how to watch “the game,” and how to exercise.

But these inquiries, and the shades that Wilson follows in his explorations, ultimately lead to much larger questions about life and existence in general. Throughout Season 3, Wilson finds himself starting each excursion in New York City before following a thread that leads him to various parts of the country – Burning Man, a cryogenic facility in Scottsdale, Arizona, a convention/competition/vacuum cleaner community in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

As he reaches these unexpected locations and stumbles across these unexpected stories, Wilson comes to ponder the importance of their minute details, turning the camera back toward himself and questioning his own preconceived notions. Since this is the season finale of his first TV show, it’s clear Wilson’s mission has a little more urgency than before. Think of success howThe first two seasons wonder how all this makes no sense. He muses on his relationship to masculinity, having children and dying alone. In one remarkable episode, he even explores his show’s relationship to “the truth,” the trappings and liberation of presenting a fictionalized picture of life.

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Although these ideas are certainly heavy, Wilson’s subtle humor and snapshots of life add some much-needed gravitas. This time around, however, there is less focus on how ridiculous the interviewees are and more on the thematic context. The resulting season is certainly the best of the three, and an honest method for Wilson and his team mates. to end the show.

Trip of a lifetime: As mentioned, although a good amount of Wilson’s footage originates from the streets and institutions of New York City, he spends a good amount of season three on the road. In many episodes, his ventures outside the safe walls of the city lead to some truly unpredictable interactions – Wilson’s insistence on getting on with his subjects’ lives often leads to tense and absurd scenarios, but his confidence hits a high this time, and Season 3 can feel both light and stressful.

There are explorations of the bizarre and normative in different societies, such as the vacuum cleaner collectors he ties in “How to Watch the Game” or the giant pumpkin harvesters in “How to Work Out”. But there are also more charged guests—the cannon-firing neighbor featured in “How to Clean Your Ears” adds an almost apocalyptic air of American libertarian violence and arrogance, and the ex-cop Bruce Beveridge featured in “How to Watch Birds” is a study full of multifaceted characters.

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How To With John Wilson (HBO)