Ginny & Georgia Season 3 puts every member of the Miller family in a morally gray area, at the very least. Georgia (Brianne Howey) is on trial for a murder that she committed. Ginny (Antonia Gentry) and Austin (Diesel La Torraca) know she is guilty and take drastic steps to free her. Then there are the men in Georgia’s life, and while Gil (Aaron Ashmore) has always been bad, Zion (Nathan Mitchell) losing faith in Georgia and getting Ginny and Austin taken away from her is a low blow. But none of the season’s twists surprised me as much as Paul’s (Scott Porter). In only ten episodes, he goes from being a supportive and loving husband to arguably a villain. And, though I understand splitting the two of them up was necessary for keeping the love triangle between Paul, Georgia, and Joe (Raymond Ablack) alive and to create drama for Season 4, it feels very sudden and out of character.
What Did Paul Do in ‘Ginny & Georgia’ Season 3?
I recognize that Paul is put in a difficult position in Ginny & Georgia Season 3, especially as Nick’s (Daniel Beirne) evidence quickly convinces him that Georgia is guilty, forcing him to wonder if he will be the next victim. After all, Georgia has lied to him so many times it’s impossible to count. Plus, she is guilty of all the murders she has been accused of, and her manipulating him with a fake pregnancy is pretty horrible. Given all of that, his choice to divorce Georgia is understandable, but his choice is also impacted by the fact that Georgia’s trial is impacting his political aspirations. When Georgia’s trial isn’t going her way, many voters turn against Paul, so he chooses to distance himself from her to save face. Ironically, this backfires in the end, when she is found not guilty, and the town feels bad for the “falsely accused” woman.
When Paul publicly divorces Georgia, he announces it in a press conference and refuses to answer questions about the trial. Even at the time, this is cruel because he is not only knowingly hurting Georgia’s case, but she is not the only one affected by Paul’s choice. Ginny and Austin rely on Georgia, and despite knowing this and claiming to be there for them, Paul is damaging their family. He even stops paying for Georgia’s lawyer without warning, and if Ginny wasn’t able to find a replacement, that would have guaranteed Georgia being locked up. Yet the thing that I can never forgive him for is the fact that he did nothing to help Austin despite knowing that Gil was abusive to Georgia, leaving the child in a dangerous situation. Honestly, I don’t think he can come back from that.
‘Ginny & Georgia’ Season 3 Showed an Abrupt Change in Paul
What is so shocking about Paul’s Season 3 story isn’t so much about what he does but how out of character it is. Initially, he is a kind and safe choice for Georgia, seeming to break her pattern of bad decisions when it comes to men. So, his Season 3 choice to cut all ties to Georgia to further his political ambitions is sudden. Even at the beginning of Season 3, he is supportive, doing everything he can for her by taking charge of her kids, hiring an expensive lawyer, and trying to reassure her. To go from that to publicly divorcing Georgia without the least bit of remorse is a major change for Paul.
After two seasons, I expected Paul to be the good guy. He is there for Georgia, and, especially after their engagement in Season 2, he actively tries to help her care for her kids, even expressing concerns about Austin’s education. Plus, he stood up to his parents, who dislike Georgia, insisting that he loves her regardless of what they have to say. All the evidence pointed to Paul being a good guy, which is why his fall from grace caught me so off guard when he turned around and decided that his anger and ambitions were more important to him.
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‘Ginny & Georgia’ Needed This Change for Paul
As surprising as it is for Paul to fall so far, Ginny & Georgia‘s story required him and Georgia to break up and to make that believable, Paul’s personality had to change. Since the beginning of the series, there has been a love triangle between Paul, Georgia, and Joe, and Paul, as good as he seemed, was never it. While I have been rooting for Georgia and Joe since the beginning, Paul was hard to hate. However, Paul and Georgia’s relationship doesn’t start genuinely as she is interested in him from the moment she sees his sign and even manipulates her way into a meet-cute. Georgia uses Paul for safety and power, while she’s interested in Joe without any selfish motivation.
Though Georgia and Joe are set up to be in love, Ginny & Georgia‘s early seasons made Paul too likable, and with Georgia seeming happy as she marries him, it became hard to root against Paul, complicating the love triangle. For Georgia and Joe to ever explore their relationship, her marriage to Paul had to fall apart, and after seeing how much he was willing to forgive her, it certainly had to be a major falling out. So, I understand why Paul changes so drastically, though I do think there could have been more to set it up.
Paul’s Development Sets Up More Drama for ‘Ginny & Georgia’ Season 4
While the change was sudden, Paul’s Season 3 twist sets up an interesting direction with his characters. The most obvious, of course, is the fact that he could potentially be the father of Georgia’s new child. Season 3’s finale revealed that Georgia is pregnant, for real this time, but who the father is reamins undetermined. If Paul is the father, they are tied together, whether they like it or not. There is also the growing animosity between them. This is the first time Georgia has chosen not to run away from her problems, and now, she must face Paul’s hatred of her and the likelihood that he will try to expose her to improve his political standing. These two storylines will be fascinating for Season 4, keeping Paul relevant even though he is no longer in love with Georgia. While Paul might have needed a few more negative traits early on, Season 3’s choice to turn him against Georgia is a great direction for the story, even if it happened too quickly.
All episodes of Ginny & Georgia can be streamed on Netflix in the U.S.
- Release Date
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February 24, 2021
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Sarah Lampert
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Antonia Gentry
Virginia ‘Ginny’ Miller
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