Our favorite thief is back in the final installation of her adventure, and she’s better than ever. Fans must finally say goodbye to Netflix’s Carmen Sandiego, but the fourth season is no disappointment. Many loose ends are tied up in an impressively short amount of time, and we finally discover Carmen’s (Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin) one-of-a-kind origin story.
When I heard the show decided to conclude after season four, I was a little worried. It seemed like there was so much left to explore. After all, since thief Carmen Sandiego travels across the globe on her capers to stop the evil organization V.I.L.E., there are many places we haven’t yet traveled to with her and her team. And there were plenty of misunderstandings between Carmen and both the “good” and “bad” guys, especially the question of who Carmen Sandiego really sides with. Is she a thief that steals artifacts before the villains can, or does she do it for them?
But the final season brings us all of the answers, as well as brings us to a lot of exciting places, China, Bavaria, and Egypt among them. And the missions in each of these places connect us to past characters we know and love, ranging from the unique V.I.L.E. operatives to old friends like Graham Calloway (Michael Goldsmith, Gotham), a.k.a. Carmen’s crime school buddy “Crackle.” His presence is one of the most interesting parts of the season: seeing Graham’s relationship to crime versus his bond with Carmen, and which side he will ultimately choose. It also raises the question of whether or not he will regain his memory since one of V.I.L.E.’s heads Dr. Bellum (Sharon Muthu, Carcerem) previously wiped his mind of any trace that he was once a criminal.
Another part of the season that stands out to me is the discovery of Carmen’s past. It’s always been somewhat of a mystery, and the thief considers her past teacher Shadowsan (Paul Nakauchi, Overwatch) as her family. But in earlier seasons we learned that her parents have a complicated backstory that one that connects Carmen to V.I.L.E., and even the detective agency that’s been on her tail, A.C.M.E. No spoilers, but we do get to uncover the truth about Carmen’s family and her past, although not without jumping through a few hoops.
Members of Carmen’s team, along with side characters, got moments to shine this season. Some of my favorites are the siblings from Boston Zack (Michael Hawley) and Ivy (Abby Trott), V.I.L.E. operatives Tigress (Kari Wahlgren, Marvel Future Avengers), El Topo (Andrew Pifko, Playmobil: The Movie), and La Chevre (Bernardo De Paula, Shameless), and special agents Chase Devineaux (Rafael Petardi, Bitten) and Julia Argent (Charlet Chung, Craig of the Creek). Each of these characters have their own intriguing storylines and their own heroic and hilarious moments. Not to mention V.I.L.E. faculty members, whose arguments and greed add to the comedic value of the series. It’s also our last time seeing Carmen’s tech-savvy ally Player (Finn Wolfhard, Stranger Things), which is especially compelling because we get a peek into his life outside of simply helping Carmen.
Later in the season, there are also many twists to the mystery of Carmen’s past, as well as her own character growth. Though there is less romance than I may have hoped for in the final season, the relationships carry great weight and keep the audience guessing. The ending is not exactly what I expected, but Carmen Sandiego ties up fairly neatly, while still leaving a little bit to the imagination.
As the theme song says, “Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?” At the end, it seems like we still don’t know, and that’s just part of the fun.
