Usually  I try to have at least one non-TV-related post between the #CurrentlyWatching features, but … that didn’t happen this week. Instead, I am just going to seamlessly continue with my theme of “competitive environment” by introducing you to a show called 3%.

As so very often with my posts, 3% is a Netflix show, however, it is a dystopian thriller from Brazil, and that is not so regular at all! You can watch it in its original language with subtitles, but there are also dubbed versions available. Coming from a country that has absolutely EVERYTHING dubbed from movies and shows to whatever-you-have-it, I am quite used to it. Nonetheless, it can be very distracting for people when the movement of the lips isn’t entirely in sync with what’s being said, so I just want to say that a lot of folks online recommend watching it not dubbed. I am someone who likes to do other things while watching my shows sometimes, so if I had to read the entire time, it just wouldn’t always have worked for me. I can therefore say with a confidence that the dubbing is not that terrible. I can’t really say how accurate the translations were though, as I suspect that would also be an issue if you read the subtitles? Anyway, there is currently one season out and the second season is set to release in 2018 (but no specific date has been announced as of yet).

The Offshore is the big dream for everyone living in the Inland. It’s a way to escape poverty and suffering, but only if they make it through the Process. Only 3% of candidates will be able to get that better life for themselves – what are they willing to do for it?

Where to start? I did not really have any expectations for this show. I am pretty sure that I watched it while I was in Toronto the first time, when it rained quite a lot and I needed some sort of distraction. I like to try all sorts of new things and a worldwide success from Brazil in the shape of a dystopian show definitely made its way onto my radar. Honestly, I thought I was over dystopians a little bit, but they did everything right with this one.

While watching 3%, you are never overwhelmed with information, in fact, you really only get it piece by piece over the season. I wouldn’t say it is unpredictable, but there are certainly revelations that keep building up constant tension. With a simple yet meaningful cinematography, 3% tells the story of a social divide and corrupt system at its own pace. Each of the characters has their own reasons for being part of the Process, their own backstory and beliefs. With a cast quite big, I always find it admirable when the creators manage to balance those peeks into everyone’s lives. I don’t know how famous the actors and actresses are in their own land, but they were new faces for me and somehow that even added to the realness and rawness of it all.

To me, 3% was an interesting exploration of how far humans would go in various scenarios. There were a couple deeply psychological aspects to the narrative and no hesitation to go dark when necessary. Moral issues were explored and were woven into a strong plot that still has potential to go pretty much anywhere they choose to take this story in season 2. Either way, it is very thought-provoking already and I have some hopes for what might happen in the episodes to come.

Usually, I am all over ships in shows and movies, but that wasn’t really the case with 3%. To be honest, I kind of dreaded some of the romantic entanglements and if you know me, you will understand how rare of a thing that is for me to say. I appreciated that we got to explore so many different characters and their relationships as they either intensify or grow apart during the Process. There is definitely something to say about each and every character of the show, be it good or bad, but I think I want to focus on Michele just because she was one of the first people I felt like I connected to.

Michele joins the Process because of revenge. That is already something that easily catches my attention. On the surface she is a very level-headed and reasonable young woman. She proves to have good leadership qualities and a sense of justice when it comes to the different tasks, it was just really simple to like her. However, still waters run deep and there is a lot more to her, especially a ruthlessness when it comes to avenging her late brother that you might not immediately see at first glance. In some ways I found her really manipulative, which is why I was always a bit on guard when she got close to people. I feel like she is a good person at heart, like she doesn’t enjoy bad things happening to others, but she also has priorities … if that makes sense. In the end, I enjoyed watching her navigate the Process and the relationships that came with it. I cannot wait to see where her character goes in Season 2. There is something in particular that I am hoping for, some romantic stuff I actually want to happen, but spoilers … so that’s it from me for today!

Have you watched 3%? Would you want to? Do you appreciate Netflix branching out into non-English territory more and more often as much as I do?