What Is The Story About?
Sony LIV’s Cubicles Season 3 is yet another deep-dive into the stressful and high-pressure lives of coders in the tech world. Piyush Prajapati (Abhishek Chauhan) is enjoying an upgrade at work, having been elevated to the position of team lead. But all is not hunky dory; his colleagues cum friends — who are now his subordinates — are not too happy with what they perceive to be Piyush’s high-handedness. Piyush, in turn, seems to have bitten off more than he can chew. Will he be able to rise up to the occasion, iron out his differences with his team and fulfil the work commitments he’s made as team lead?
Cubicles Season 3 is directed by Divyanshu Malhotra, and produced by The Viral Fever for Sony LIV.
Performances?
Abhishek Chauhan continues to impress as Piyush. His earnest, effortless performance adds nuance to his well-written, largely likeable character. Badri Chavan, as Gautam, is adorable to watch as always, as is Niketan Sharma as Shetty. Ayushi Gupta, as Sunaina, the fourth cog in the wheel, lends good support. Arnav Bhasin is back as Kalpesh, a welcome return. Shivankit Singh Parihar lends heft to his Angad, while Khushbu Baid is excellent as HR person Supriya. New entrant Ketaki Kulkarni, as the shy, under-confident Neha, is good.
Analysis?
Cubicles Season 3 continues to touch upon subjects that might be part and parcel of the corporate life of every techie ever – tight deadlines, goof-ups, code errors, bugs, team clashes, unrelenting bosses, and so many more issues that are seemingly everyday things in the life of a coder. The difference is that Piyush Prajapati, who we first meet when he is a young, fresh-faced, wet-behind-the-ears “resource” in Season 1, is now team lead, and responsible for crucial, high-value deliverables.
Through five crisp episodes, we relive Piyush’s tumultuous journey, as he juggles the egos of his team members, strategises, makes mistakes, tries to put them right, even plays “mind games” with his team, ending up alienating them in the process. As in previous seasons, each episode has a special message to share at the end of it, leaving Piyush, and also the viewer, wiser and more enlightened.
The writing is sharp, with relatable quibbles and perilous situations. The characters are as engaging as a always, and you stay invested in each until the end of the show. The dialogues are sublime and thought-provoking, without sounding preachy and overbearing, making you ponder over a lot of things, things that are common place in all of our lives.
The series is more serious and emotional this season, with a poignant ending. The story gets repetitive and draggy in between, and you just wish they would rush it to the end. However, Cubicles Season 3 puts a smile on your face despite yourself, and a king-sized credit for that goes to the actors. Abhishek Chauhan has made the role his own, and Piyush’s character arc this season is more nuanced and bracing than previous seasons.
Besides the writing and performances, another standout element of Cubicles Season 3 is its soundtrack, just like the previous two seasons. The songs are eminently hummable, while the background music is on point. The title track, especially, gets on your mind like the proverbial ear worm.
To sum it up, Cubicles Season 3 is one of the best from The Viral Fever’s stables – dare we say even better than their recent new seasons for Aspirants, Flames, Humorously Yours and a few others. Give it a watch, and you won’t be disappointed.
Music And Other Departments?
Arabinda Neog’s musical score for Cubicles Season 3 is excellent. The songs and background music are terrific. Ashwin Kadamboor’s camerawork is efficient, though there’s not much bandwidth to innovate here. Akash Bundhoo’s editing is average – could have been crisper.
Highlights?
The writing, performances, relatability Non-preachy tone
Drawbacks?
A bit repetitive and draggy in between
Did I like it?
Yes, mostly
Do I recommend it?
Yes, mostly
Cubicles S3 Series Review by Binged Bureau
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