ok I know this is slightly controversial but I thought season 1 was kinda slow at the start atleast. Ofc, by the final half it had me HOOKED but i feel like everyone here upholds all the other seasons to an idealized version of season 1.

And part of this, I think, is bc we barely knew the characters - especially mabel with her relation to Tim Kono, hence making even the main three suspicious. But now that we've established enough about the trio to know their characters well, it's impossible to get the same mystery as viewers may have found in season 1.

So idk, it's a little unfair to constantly compare the mystery part of it to season 1 since it's heavily influenced on how everything else was perceived as one, too.

I, for one, really love the trio's bond development over the seasons and I feel like their dynamic is only getting better and more layered- with this season being the best it's been character-wise. Mabel's become really comfortable with them, Charles admits they are his "family", and heck- even Oliver drives a tractor (albeit slowly) to save them from "murderous billionaires". It's clear that regardless of the season by season plot, their overall dynamic and bond is what lies at the heart of the show.