The Third Day has proved to be one of the most interesting dark dramas ever to air, with the first three episodes now available to stream on HBO Max and a 12-hour livestream event of the day of the Esus festival on the island of Osea. Before the final three episodes of the series air on HBO, there are some important takeaways from the livestream.
The live event, called "Autumn", impressively shot in a single take over the course of a day, aired on Saturday, October 3. It centers on the annual festival to Esus that the island celebrates every year. However, this year is very important, as the island has not had a leader in a long time and the islanders believe the balance of the world has been thrown off because of this. With Sam now living on the island, the rightful king because of his bloodline, he can perform the necessary rituals to get the island back on track. Of course, Sam hasn't grown up on Osea and doesn't know the traditions. As "Autumn" progresses, he is led through a series of trials and eventually put in charge of blessing the wishes of the islanders, but becomes distracted by his son, Nathan, and fails in his duties.
The first three episodes of The Third Day were about Sam (Jude Law) and his discovering a connection to the island. That section is called "Summer". Then comes "Autumn", the 12-hour livestream event depicting the day of the festival, followed by the final 3 episodes called "Winter", which tell the story of Sam's wife (Naomie Harris) coming to the island looking for him. While the livestream is available for anyone to watch, "Summer" and "Winter" are presented on HBO and HBO Max. The livestream bridges the gap between the more traditional episodes, giving audiences a realistically-portrayed look into the workings of Osea and what's happening on the island between the first 3 episodes and the last 3. "Autumn" offers several major reveals and a detailed look at the rituals and traditions of Osea.
The Third Day, "Autumn", begins on the morning of the festival day, with the islanders preparing for the festivities. However, before long, a group of men known as the "salt disciples" arrive at the large house where Sam has been living. They forcefully lead him down to the ocean, where he begins a series of trials that are somewhat similar to Christ's arrest and crucifixion, but different. Sam is given the role of Esus in the ritual, the messiah figure that the islanders worship. A 16-year-old boy named Johnny is appointed by the "soil disciples" to undergo similar rituals on the other side of the island.
The trials involve a group of islanders following Sam around the island as he walks to different stations of the cross, which are boxes built all across the island depicting certain key events. At each one, someone reads a scripture passage and Sam is forced to reenact physically brutal experiences. He begins by digging his own grave in a field. From there, he walks through the street while the islands jeer at him and some of them throw mud. Then, he is forced to drag a boat across the island by a rope slung over his shoulders. Finally, Sam and Johnny are put into a boat and rowed out to a couple of wooden platforms just large enough for them to stand on. The camera lingers on them as they, eventually, each become too exhausted to stand and fall into the ocean.
Interesting, it's clear that not everyone agrees with the ritual taking place. Towards the beginning of the broadcast, a woman confronts a group of the villagers as they are making preparations and tells them the island is doomed and everyone is going to burn. Later, as Sam is taken through the streets, where a woman preaches that "this man is useless to us". It's clear that not everyone on the island believes Sam is capable of restoring balance to the island.
It seems that although Sam has been appointed as the "Father" of the island, Osea's leader, not everyone agrees that he should be. Just like in "Summer", controversy remains on the island. Some believe that Sam's father was rejected by the island and so Sam should not be their leader. Others feel that Sam is their only hope for restoring balance to the world.
As the festival unfolds, it's clear that many of the traditions are similar to Christian ones, but remain tied to older rituals as well. At one point, people are dunked in a pool of mud made from ocean saltwater similar to a baptism. The villagers also gather at a long table outside, similar in style to that of the Last Supper, and feast while Sam is undergoing the trials. They then write their wishes down on pieces of paper, which are gathered up in a box for Sam to bless.
Meanwhile, Jude Law's Sam and Johnny are buried in their graves, while the villagers begin to party. Night descends on the island and many of the islanders dance to techno music. This goes on until Sam and Johnny return. Sam is appointed as the Father of Osea and is given responsibility for their hopes and dreams. He is given the basket with everyone's wishes in it and he marches across the island. Nevertheless, after he puts the basket of wishes into a small house, he is distracted by his son and walks off into the dark with Nathan. The camera lingers on the house where the wishes are as it catches fire and burns. This may mean that Sam has failed to restore balance and that the dissenting villagers are right to be skeptical of him.
As the day progresses in "Autumn", several new characters make an appearance. One of them is Johnny, the 16-year-old chosen as the soil Esus. Another is Vadoma, a woman who preaches at several of the trial stops early on. She is the one who says that Sam is useless to the island and not the true father of Osea. Interestingly, she turns out to be the daughter of Goltan, the man who allegedly kidnapped and murdered Sam's son, Nathan.
Another notable character is Veronica, played by Florence Welch from the musical group Florence and the Machine. She sings at several of the stops across the island. Her music is a strange mix between Chrisitan hymns and Essex folk music. It will be interesting to see if she is seen again in "Winter".
The Third Day's livestream event offers audiences a glimpse of life on the island as several months pass between Part I, "Summer", and Part II, "Winter". As soon as Sam makes an appearance, it's obvious that some time has passed, as he has now grown a beard that he didn't have at the end of Part I. This means that he has been living on the island with his son, Nathan, and seems to have agreed to go along with Osea's rituals even if he doesn't agree with or understand them.
Interestingly, "Autumn" also shows that Jess is still on the island. Both she and Sam seem to have been swept up in the drama of the island. She even takes part in the ritual, dressing in traditional attire at one point, and reading some scripture. It very well may be the case that she is pregnant with Sam's child, making her baby the next leader of the island, so she has been compelled to stay on Osea. Either way, it seems she has found comfort in the traditions of the island as an escape from her life on the mainland.
By the end, as the camera lingers on the burning building, it's unclear if Sam is the rightful Father of Osea, or if he's too far removed from the island's traditions to restore balance. Has he neglected the wishes of the islanders by letting them burn? It seems likely that Part III will explore this idea, beginning with episode 4 of The Third Day, that airs October 19th. Either Sam will learn to take his place and live on Osea, or the life he left behind will come and drag him back to reality. Either way, the island seems split over Sam, and there are those who are likely to do whatever they can to replace him.
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