Netflix has decided not to renew “Warrior Nun” for season 3. The cancellation of the series is a massive blow to the supporters of the series, and not simply because of the myriad of unanswered narrative threads. 2022 has been a year of disappointment for viewers of shows centered on sapphic couplings.
In this year, fan favorites including Gentleman Jack, First Kill, and The Wilds all ended prematurely. The Owl House, a critically praised animated series with multiple LGBTQ characters, has only broadcast the first of its three final episodes that make up Season 3, which was shortened when the series was canceled in its heyday.
This practice has prompted online criticism, which is frequently followed by the hashtag #cancelyourgays. This hashtag is a parody of the fad of 2016 known as #buryyourgays. The latter relates to the huge number of LGBTQ featuring characters who have killed off TV programs of the time, and the former hashtag users argue that canceling (Queer-led) series is the present manifestation of that trend.
Some people who have used the hashtag have argued that the reasons why these shows were canceled don’t make sense. As evidence, they point to the fact that First Kill was one of the most-watched original series on Prime Video and that The Wilds was in Netflix’s Top 10 shortly after the show’s premiere.
In a similar manner, Warrior Nun achieved Netflix’s list of top 10 and secured the highest Rotten Tomatoes score of any Netflix original series from viewers and reviewers alike. Platform representatives have maintained that completion rates and viewing with a specific number of days play the most important role in the renewal process. Whatever the company’s explanation, the fact remains that the show was well-loved and many are disappointed by its cancellation, so let’s go over what fans will miss and why it matters. There’s also a form generated for a petition to be made to allow fans to secure season 3 of Warrior Nun.
#SaveWarriorNun RENEW WARRIOR NUN FOR SEASON 3 – Assine a petição! https://t.co/9oiYrv5bjk via @change_br
— Rosana✨🌈✨ (@kassen_rosana) December 19, 2022
Warrior Nun closed with numerous narrative strands unresolved, including the cross-shaped Sword briefly shining, signifying the return of “Ava” at the last moment, now appearing tragically probable considering recent developments. If there was a third season, Ava would most likely have returned to Earth with information on the enigmatic “Reya” the god-like figure that glimpsed throughout the season. Keeping base on Season 1’s plot trajectory, which gradually built up to Ava’s understanding Adriel wasn’t all he looked, a hypothetical Season 3 would have done the same thing by putting the spotlight on Reya and giving her a twist that made people question what they already thought about her.
Maybe a second season would have thrown a spanner in the works and led viewers down a path that was even more unexpected. So, fans can only guess how the story might have ended at this point.
Warrior Nun’s great use of foreshadowing is one of its most beloved qualities. Whether it was through hints hidden in conversation (dialogues), a brilliantly shot frame, or just building on the world’s magic system in a logically coherent fashion, which is uncommon in this sort of program.
The viewers were provided just enough information to make the payoff satisfactory for those who paid attention. Between shows that hammer fans with glaringly obvious clues and those that shoehorn in complicated twists for the sake of shock value, Warrior Nun’s approach to the narrative was a ‘breath of fresh air.’
That fresh air, however, now tastes bitter. Although the narrative footprints make rewatching the series just as enjoyable as the first time, they also serve as a reminder that viewers will never know if their Season 3 predictions were correct.
There are numerous loose ends to pull for those in the fans who want to keep theorizing despite in defiance of the depressing news. Season 2 provided viewers plenty to ponder about, from Lilith’s warning that a bigger conflict is coming to Beatrice’s beginning of a new life.
What will happen to the Catholic Church now that Pope Duretti has been publicly executed? What will the Other Side Combatants do in the absence of a Warrior Nun? After Adriel’s death, what will happen to the people who followed him when he is no longer their leader? What sort of scientific endeavor does Dr. Salvius plan to undertake next, now that Michael is no longer with us? And, naturally, what will happen to Beatrice and Ava in the future?
Shows are canceled or discontinued all the time in reality. It’s an unavoidable aspect of life. That all said, art has a profound impact on those it affects, becoming a part of life, and there’s no denying that. Warrior Nun is only one show, and Avatrice is just one fictional relationship, but they’re more than just something to watch right now.
Netflix attracts people from all walks of life. For some LGBTQ persons, especially those who are secretive or lack access to a local community, representation in cinema and television is the only way they may feel seen and accepted. For others, onscreen representation normalizes their identity in the eyes of their friends, family, coworkers, and community, or even within themselves if they suffer from internalized homophobia.
Fans of series like Warrior Nun are losing more than simply a source of entertainment. By canceling many sapphic-led series in a short period of time, individuals in charge of some of the world’s wealthiest firms are teaching queer women what they receive from such tales is less essential than saving money or maintaining corporate identity.
Profit is unsurprising, but it doesn’t mean individuals don’t have the right to be outraged about a system that unavoidably prioritizes the blandest, most palatable, majority-led tales while sometimes offering scraps to those begging for a place at the table.
There is optimism that one day we will no longer need to be validated by a television show. Until then, firms who brag about how inclusive they are should lay aside their arbitrary cancellation policies and dole out a part of their billions of dollars in revenues to renew a few series that thousands of people have expressed support for on social media. At this point, the blowback has been deafeningly loud and clear.
What are your thoughts on life’s undeniable reality of “show cancellations” and their impact on the viewers? Let us know in the comments section below!
Jane Davies
