Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Jurassic World: Chaos Theory season 3’s third season is by far the show’s most ambitious yet, as it follows the Nublar Six to various new locations while balancing multiple storylines at once. One of these storylines involves the arrival of a long-awaited baby dinosaur, who hatches from the egg that first appeared in the show’s first season. This cute subplot features throughout season 3, in a welcome contrast to Jurassic World: Chaos Theory’s scariest moments. It also highlights just how much is going on in this season of the show, which aims to offer something for everyone who watches it.

The dinosaur egg that hatches in season 3 of Jurassic World: Chaos Theory was laid at the end of season 1 by Bumpy, the dino-protagonist of the series’ first two seasons. The Nublar Six had been trying to keep the egg safe and incubated since it was laid, faced with threats from humans and dinosaurs alike. It finally hatches in the most unexpected of locations: a house belonging to the grandmother of Ben’s girlfriend, Gia, where the Nublar Six seek refuge for most of the season. , quickly winning the hearts of everyone he meets.

This subplot of Jurassic World: Chaos Theory demonstrates once again just how flexible the Jurassic franchise is across its movies and TV shows. The franchise effortlessly straddles several genres at once, with its original movie setting the tone by blending elements of comedy, romance, graphic horror, action-adventure, and suspense with its sci-fi premise.

Chaos Theory’s third season is emblematic of the franchise’s tonal flexibility, as it mixes a story of human-animal companionship with the requisite dino-scares, as well as interpersonal plotlines around themes of family and romance. We see Yaz and Sammy break up, while Ben struggles to win over Gia’s grandmother, Nonna. Gia herself, a paleontologist who’s a great new addition to Jurassic World: Chaos Theory, has a tough time convincing Nonna to accept her love of dinosaurs. Overall, about the sale of dinosaurs on the black market.

The main challenge that Jurassic World: Chaos Theory faces, over and above the genre-blending exploits of the Jurassic movies, is that it has to appeal to both young children and older dinosaur lovers at the same time. The Smoothie subplot in the show’s third season exemplifies just how well it rises to this challenge., because of the predatory dinosaurs lurking in his vicinity. For instance, in episode 4, Smoothie is very nearly eaten by a feathered Pyroraptor, before Nonna intervenes to save him.

At the end of Jurassic World: Chaos Theory season 3, a sleeping Smoothie awakens in Kenji’s arms with an agreeable chirp, as Sammy suggests they go and find his mother, Bumpy the Ankylosaurus. The three gaze across Biosyn Valley to the plant where predatory black-market dinosaurs are being bred and trained, as ominous music swells. This moment perfectly combines the sweet and the scary in Jurassic World: Chaos Theory, which looking for something that’s at once monstrous and playful.

The Smoothie subplot in that punctuate each of its episodes. The climactic fight scene between the Carnotaurus and the Atrociraptors in episode 10 is edge-of-the-seat viewing, and features some of the best dinosaur animation of any Jurassic franchise release, whether live-action or cartoon. It’s scenes like this one that ultimately define the franchise, and have done ever since Jurassic Park’s Tyrannosaurus Rex gobbled up a Velociraptor way back in 1993.

continues to get bigger and better with each season because its showrunners understand how to strike the perfect balance between relatable, character-driven storylines and genuinely scary, dinosaur-driven danger. The best releases of the Jurassic franchise are the ones that have managed to get this balance right, striking fear and awe into their audience as well as connecting them to sympathetic characters. It’s to be hoped that the next entry into the franchise, Gareth Edwards’ upcoming movie Jurassic World Rebirth, follows suit.