I think part of the problem was that the writing in season two was a rush job. He had more time to develop season three, which is probably why it is such a step up from its sophomore season. Also, I think he ran away a bit from the tropes that people liked about season one and he returned to some of those for season three. I actually think that season three is better written than season one but I suspect many people will still prefer that season due to the newness and the star power.
What did Tom Purcell see inside of the pink room right before Harris James snuck up on him and supposedly overpowered him (so he could stage the suicide at Devil's Den)? He stared at the other side of the room and said "Julie?". Now, we can be almost sure it wasn't Julie herself because she was supposedly escaped and in the outside world at that time. So who? One theory is that Tom Purcell saw another little girl whom he just thought to be Julie. One possibility is that he didn't see Julie but Julie's daughter (born between her own abduction in 1980 and Tom entering the pink room in 1990). A child that Julie left behind in her escape. Which would also mean that unlike Julie Purcell, Eliza would actually be the right age to be this girl. Seems a bit out there in terms of theories. Certainly it asks a lot more questions about Eliza's motivations.
I'm going back to my original theory. It's not a paedo ring. The boy died accidentally whilst playing with the mad Hoyt woman and they took Julie to live with her.
But who does Tom see in the Pink room? And why was Will Purcell looking for them (Freddy told this to the cops when they questioned him)? That seems to suggest that Isabelle Hoyt took Julie when Will was still alive.
So that was it for season three. I liked it a lot. I'm guessing that episode eight will have been divisive in how it was received but I thought it mostly worked. One thing I still don't get: we now know no one else was in the Pink Room following Julie Purcell's (assisted) escape. So who or what did Tom Purcell see when he stared at something and addressed it with "Julie?" shortly after entering the Pink Room? Right before Harris James appeared behind him and overpowered him off camera. One other little thing: we've seen Wayne Hayes use little notes to help with his memory loss before. So why would he not add a memento to the note with Julie's address on it. e.g. something as simple as 'Julie lives there!' would have been enough.
Much of season three has mirrored season one, though mostly to do things slightly differently. So whilst we ended on a bonding moment yet again for the two detectives (outside of the hospital in season one and on Wayne Hayes' son's front porch in season three), the penultimate scenes were quite different. In season one, the ending of the journey of the investigation was them reaching "Carcosa". In season three, Wayne Hayes finds what he is looking for (Julie Purcell alive and well) but doesn't even realize it himself due to his condition.
I enjoyed it. The acting was great. The father obviously saw the drawings and recognised them as his daughters.
So the main themes of season three were the effects of the passing of time and the illusion of closure?
What did you make of the very last scene --- Hayes back in Vietnam, turning to stare back toward the camera before disappearing into the jungle?
I don't know yet. I think that scene and the scene right before it (at the veterans bar when he reconciled with Amelia back in 1980) have to be seen in conjunction.
Moments in time mirroring each other have been a theme throughout the season. Sometimes made literal by having an older or younger Wayne Hayes reflected in a window just as the man himself is about to flip to another time line. I'm not sure how the jungle moment fits in in that regard. There is a certain subtheme about his initial solitude as a scout and how he ultimately needs help to solve the case. Not sure if that is enough of a justification to return to that image as the closing shot of the season/series.
All very plausible. And similar (I think) to what you're saying --- maybe it's intentional dissonance but one that's fitting with regard to Hays's character. Finding Julie, even though he ultimately doesn't make the connection because of his illness, then reuniting with his daughter, the scene on the porch with his family and Roland, and even his reconciliation with Amelia in the bar are all about closure and optimism-tinged closure at that. But at his core, Hays is ultimately a hunter/detective, and that final shot --- another look back but then into the jungle --- demonstrates that such will always be the case.