Review: Final Season of 'Young Royals' Might Be Its Polished Crown Jewel

Our favorite gay crown prince, Wilhelm, is back in the third and final season of Netflix's "Young Royals," the soapy gay drama that takes place in a prestigious Swedish boarding school.

If you have watched the first two seasons, you already know the backstory of this intriguing drama about young adults coming of age. If not, here's a synopsis that contains mild spoilers in case you want to dive right into the third season.

Wilhelm is the successor to the Swedish throne, a title he didn't ever want but, due to the sudden death of his older brother, Erik, he now must take on. If his mother dies, he will be king. It's a daunting thought, and he hasn't properly grieved Erik on top of it. This leads to inner turmoil, which comes out as anger and eventually gets him in trouble.

His mother enrolls him at Hillerska, a prestigious boarding school where he meets Simon, a commuting student of lesser social station.
The two become lovers, but must hide it to avoid royal scandal and academic ridicule. Wilhelm's cousin, August – who also attends Hillerska – throws a spanner in the works when he records the two young men having sex and then releases it online. The fallout leads to familial strife for both Wilhelm and Simon.

They decide to separate in order to save face, but they still have feelings for each other. When Wilhelm gives a speech at the school's 120th anniversary, it becomes a watershed moment as he implores the school to forgo traditional social norms and embrace diversity. He and Simon now feel free to explore a relationship out in the open.

The third season starts with an arbitration between Simon, Wilhelm, and August, who is finally charged with releasing the sex tape – a federal offense that carries a prison sentence. A monetary agreement is reached with Simon's family that he not reveal August's crime, and Wilhelm comes to terms with his position as crown prince, with a now-safeguarded August becoming his successor.

The series does a great job of intertwining story arcs beyond Wilhelm's and Simon's, although theirs remains the center tent pole.

Edvin Ryding plays Wilhelm with a lingering sadness. His uncanny valley resemblance to Tom Sandoval from "Vanderpump Rules" is sometimes jarring.

Omar Rudberg plays Simon with optimistic aplomb, even though things appear destined to fail. In fact, the series finale won't be available until March 18. That's a weird marketing ploy, and it makes no sense.

The series takes some liberties with royal protocols and the rule of successors, but, after all, this is kind of a fairytale (and if you don't know the rules, it doesn't matter anyway).

There is also a character arc with Simon's sister Sara (Frida Argento), who is shunned at school for whistleblowing. Argento is engaging, playing Sara with equal parts tragedy and remorsefulness. You are never sure if she's enduring her pain or plotting her own self-destruction.

This final season torques up the drama. There are confrontations, relationship conflicts, and familial resolutions.

It should be noted that this is a Swedish-language series, but Netflix offers an excellent dubbed option.

"Young Royals" is a queer melodrama for the young adult crowd, but that doesn't mean it's condescending to older generations. It's just as soapy and theatrical as anything we've seen before, but the queer imperial spin and pretty cast are compelling enough to feel fresh in this streaming world of stale ideas.

The third and final season of "Young Royals" streams on Netflix starting March 11.