Ginny & Georgia season 3 pulled no punches, delivering shock after shock while remaining committed to exploring the mental health of its characters. The hit Netflix series kept Georgia on trial – first in jail and later under house arrest – for most of Ginny & Georgia season 3, rather than finding an easy solution for her legal troubles early on. Naturally, this not only jeopardized her marriage to Paul, but it also put a huge strain on Ginny and Austin during an already difficult period of their young lives.

Ginny struggled with the guilt of her private wishes coming through, as she realized she never really wanted the world to know the truth about her mother if it meant losing her. After her father Zion collaborated with Austin’s father Gil to take away Georgia’s custody, Ginny sought custody in the arms of new boyfriend Wolfe, but that quickly fell apart after a pregnancy scare and quick abortion. Her final recourse was to convince Austin to testify against his father – who, while abusive towards Georgia and Ginny, was not an actual murderer – thus freeing her mother and reuniting their family.

Despite this pyrrhic victory, things in the Miller household are still in disarray. Paul filed for divorce, but Georgia now finds herself pregnant for real (after a brief attempt at faking a pregnancy to save her marriage) just as she’s on the cusp of a new relationship with Joe. And while Austin may have chosen his mother over his father, he still resents her deeply for having to make that decision. ScreenRant interviewed creator Sarah Lampert and showrunner Sarah Glinski about those Ginny & Georgia season 3 storylines and much more.

Georgia Had To Face The Consequences Of Her Actions In Season 3

“It’s Really All To Service The Growth Of Their Relationships”

Georgia Miller has always been a wild child with a serial killer streak, but Ginny & Georgia season 3 was the first time she had to confront her darker side in the light of day. The EPs revealed that they had their own concerns about how far they could take her, but as Lampert explained, “What I love about the show is that we take big swings. The actors have to be really brave, the writers have to be really brave, and the directors have to be really brave to get cool stuff a lot of the time.”

At the end of the day, whether she’s in jail or not, that’s not even the interesting story.

When it came to season 3 in particular, “We just totally went there. We exploded the world. We revealed the secrets of the main character.” As for why they made such a choice? “We don’t want it to feel stale. We want it to always be moving and shifting and evolving because at the end of the day, whether she’s in jail or not, that’s not even the interesting story. The interesting story is her relationships, specifically her relationships with her kids. Putting them through the wringer like that, it’s really all to service the growth of their relationships.”

Of course, she does get out of jail by the end of season 3, but not without sacrificing both of her children’s integrity. Austin gives false testimony at Ginny’s behest, and Ginny blackmails an unwitting Cynthia into setting her husband’s killer free. Whether or not we see Georgia suffocating him as a mercy, she has irrevocably damaged her children’s sense of ethics and morality.

Glinski’s take on this is that “it was important this season for Georgia to realize that her actions have consequences on her kids. We can see very much that going into episode 10; her actions have had huge consequences on Ginny and on Austin, and she’ll have to live with that in season 4. It’s going to be rough for Austin because of the guilt of having to choose between his mom and his dad – and then ultimately choosing his mom, but losing his dad.”

But does throwing Gil under the bus mean kicking him off the show? “I love Aaron Ashmore so deeply,” Lampert gushed. “He’s so fun on set. He’s so game. He’ll show up to set, and we’ll be like, “Here’s your horrible thing you’re doing today.” And he’ll be like, ‘Got it!’ He has no qualms playing the villain, and I love that about him. And he’s complex too. He does love his son, and I think that’s what makes that character really interesting. Will we lose him? I’m not telling!”

How Sarah Lampert & Sarah Glinski Approached Ginny’s Abortion And Marcus’ Alcoholism

“Everyone Who Works On The Show Really Cares About It”

While Georgia was fighting for her freedom, Ginny was fighting for her sanity in the face of isolation and confusion. Misunderstandings with Max alienated her from her best friend, her father’s good intentions paved the road to Hell away from her mother’s care, and Marcus’ increasingly concerning depression kept them apart romantically as well. Adding to all that chaos was the stress of an unwanted pregnancy in the first months of a new relationship, and the burden of having to get an abortion as a teenager.

We just want to explore all the different aspects of being a woman.

Glinski shed light on the decision-making process in the writers’ room. “On this show, we just want to explore all the different aspects of being a woman. So, this felt like a natural place to go. In terms of deciding how to approach it, we just did what we thought was right for the character at this moment in time for her. It was just a natural story that, obviously, we talked a lot about in the writer’s room. But it just felt like the right thing to do.”

Lampert added that the actors were all very willing to take that journey with them, helping to ensure they handled such a sensitive storyline with care. “The reason the show is so successful is that everyone who works on the show just really cares about it. They care about the characters, the story, and the fans. We hit different tones, we hit different topics – they can be wild, they can be real, or big, or small. The people who are working on the show put their talent and their heart into it, and that’s what connects with the fans.”

As for Ginny’s relationship with Marcus, while they circled around each other all season, they never made it back to where they were due to the latter’s debilitating alcoholism. While clearly a way to cope with his depression, it also made him unable to function and even led to his failing the school year. He ends the season going to rehab, but a poem Ginny wrote for him indicates that hope is never lost for these two.

“I had the ‘Sunshine’ poem kicking around for a few years now, and I was just waiting for the right moment to place it,” Lampert admitted. “To me, that really represents where they’re at right now. She sees his sunshine through the dark, and I think that it’s very much a place of hope. But it’s also a place of hopelessness because Marcus is on his way to rehab – we see that, but we also see that he doesn’t feel he belongs there.”

Marcus thinking he doesn’t belong in rehab is an unfortunate portent of what’s to come in season 4. Lampert reiterated her point by adding, “I just don’t think, unless something changes while he’s there, that he is in a place to really confront what he’s struggling with and make progress and get better until he himself wants to do that.”

MANG’s Growing Pains & Max’s Suffering Are Crucial To Season 3

“I Do Genuinely Think She’s Such A Pure Soul”

Ginny and Marcus are far from the only teenagers suffering in Ginny & Georgia season 3, but their struggles are treated as much more serious by those around them. Marcus’ twin Max, on the other hand, is made to suffer in silence for the most part lest she be accused of being too dramatic and self-absorbed. Even her concern over her brother’s drinking habits is dismissed until it’s almost too late.

Unlike season 2, Max and her best friends (known collectively as MANG) do not patch things up even temporarily with a hug and a pep talk. When asked if the arc you was meant to carry through to season 4, Lampert responded, “I think we just follow the emotional truth of the characters, and then the plot falls in around that. The storylines showcase the emotional growth of the characters: we’re not trying to solve Abby’s eating disorder in an episode; that’s just not realistic. That’s not true to life. And same with Max’s relationships; it’s going to take time.”

Sara Waisglass is able to be so vulnerable as well as big and over the top. Her range is ridiculous

And though she insisted that “Max is one of my favorites too. Whenever we need to add levity or a breath or humor or energy to a scene, we just write ‘Maxine enters,’” she also acknowledged that Max was not entirely blameless for her current predicament. “It’s the repercussions of Max’s own actions, but Maxine isn’t fully able to grasp that in season 3. My heart bleeds for that character because I do genuinely think she’s such a pure soul. She just wants the best for everyone, and she wants everyone to be fun and happy and silly.”

“We enter the season with her barking at someone to protect Ginny, and that’s who she is at her core. But she’s not perfect. The gorgeous thing about Sara Waisglass and her performance is she’s able to be so vulnerable as well as big and over the top. Her range is ridiculous,” Lampert concluded before Glinski chimed in with, “Max and MANG feel authentic to the teen girl friendship. Just because they want it to be okay doesn’t mean it’s going to be. It’s harder and more complicated. They have more work to do if they’re going to come out the other side.”

Max gets the chance to spotlight some of her issues in season 3, episode 9, “It’s Time For My Solo.” The episode was written by Glinski, and it features Max and Bracia as the leads of the original musical Mousse. Glinski was proud of giving Max her moment to shine, explaining, “I think we felt it really was time for Max’s solo. We got to see a little bit of Marcus in season 2 and to go behind the scenes with him, and we thought it was really important to see behind the scenes with Max in season 3.”

“It made sense to do it in the musical episode since that is her time to shine, and also one of the most important times of the year for her,” Glinski added. “I think it was a great opportunity to see everything collide. Obviously, the drama with her brother, her relationship with Silver, and obviously all the complicated friendship stuff going on with MANG.”

Ginny & Georgia Season 3 Makes A Strong Case For Joe – Regardless Of Who Her Baby Daddy Is

“He Really Brings Out This Side Of Her That Feels Like Who She Is At Her Core”

I go back and forth on who I ship Georgia with, but season 3 felt like it (metaphorically) murdered all her love interests except for Joe. Zion found new love with Simone and betrayed Georgia by taking her kids away, while Paul ran out when a measly murder trial got to be too much for him. But Joe stayed steadfast, willing to stand by Georgia’s side even after learning the whole truth about her criminal activity. “What’s great about Joe is that he really brings out a side of Georgia we don’t see with the other two guys,” Lampert agreed.

“They all bring out something different in Georgia because she’s such a dynamic character,” she clarified, “But Joe really brings out a playful side of her. And it’s really interesting because that’s not even necessarily fully scripted. We’re kind of writing that based on the energy the actors are giving us. Ray and Bri [Raymond Ablack and Brianne Howey] are so playful and lovely together.”

“Whenever Georgia is with Paul, she seems a little bit more mature to me. She’s putting on her Mayoress costume or what have you,” Lampert explained, providing insight into how quickly Paul ran away when the Mayoress mask slipped. “But when she’s with Joe, she feels really young. She feels like a kid. You remember that she’s so young, you remember she’s in her early thirties because he really brings out this side of her that feels just like who she is at her core.”

Glinski took a slightly different approach. “The reason he’s so important to her this season is because, when the whole world turns against her, he’s really a rock, and he’s really someone who doesn’t care about outside perception. His whole thing is loyalty. He doesn’t judge her. He’s the only person who doesn’t judge her. Because of that, she knows she can be her true self and be vulnerable with him.”

At the end of the day, it comes down to who Georgia is on her own, and which man can handle that. “What she needs is someone that she can just be vulnerable, be herself with, and feel safe in all the chaos that’s happening with this season. Because with Paul, and even with Zion, she’s always putting on this armor. She’s Georgia Miller, Georgia Randolph, etc. She’s putting that on. But with Joe, she can just be herself.”

Ending season 3 that way was my plan back in season 1. That was always the way to end season 3.

Naturally, just as it seems Georgia might get her fairytale ending with her kids back in the house and Joe awaiting to pick up the pieces, season 3 ends with the reveal that she’s pregnant. Now the question becomes who the father is – her about-to-be ex-husband or her potential new boyfriend? “Ending season 3 that way was my plan back in season 1. That was always the way to end season 3,” Lampert revealed.

In season 2, I always knew it was going to be Georgia getting arrested during her first dance to Paul, and then putting the cop car to the song ‘Going to the Chapel,’ because the show has a sense of humor. Even as the world is crumbling, it’s a little fun, right? Same thing with season 3. We always knew it was going to be the moment with the milk.

Lampert played coy about the father, but she credited her team of returning writers for guiding the story along perfectly. “They know this world really well. They’re so talented, and they know these characters. Glinsk and I entered the writer’s room this season and said, ‘We know who the dad is. We know whose baby it is. Change our mind.’ We spent a full day just debating whose baby this was, what the stories could be for each version, and had a robust conversation. Ultimately, we stuck with the original plan. But we changed it for a day or two!”

Glinski was equally effusive in her praise of the writing process. “I think it made us more certain about our decision as to who the father should be, but also made that story way richer because we learned so much more about what the relationships between Georgia and each of the possible fathers would look like.”

All 3 seasons of Ginny & Georgia are now streaming on Netflix.