Apart from the excellent songs, outrageously funny lines and a stellar cast, CEG is also deeply moving when it wants to be. Last season had those nuanced moments in spades but this season isn’t content with repeating same old patterns.
The development of Greg and Paula’s storylines have really done wonders for the first two episodes, moving their characters into new and interesting directions.
Episode two is most certainly their episode and it’s the attention to Paula’s career ambitions and Greg’s alcoholism that really hit home. Though there’s still comedy and great songs, the pathos that the writers and actors give these characters make sure the show is right out of the gate with heart and soul.
Rebecca and Josh are the ones who aren’t growing up, their regressing, despite the former realising that she deserves to be treated well by the end of the episode, she still spent the hour pretending to know how to play ping pong in order to please Josh.
Josh, however, blurts out to Greg about him and Rebecca then only ever thinks about himself. Of all the characters, he’s in the least good place as he can’t seem to figure out what he wants or how to make amends.
The scenes with him, White Josh and Hector in the bar are some of the episodes best. The shows subversion of the bro stereotypes are wonderful and time in these guys company is time well spent.
However, Greg doesn’t really take the news hugely well. Despite promising doughnuts to his AA group, he reprises I Could If I Wanted To and then punches a wall. Rebecca, concerned as to his whereabouts, finds him by a duck pond and the two have a heart to heart.
This scene proves why their relationship was the first season’s most watchable and by the end, you’re both hoping and not hoping they get together again. I mean, that’s where the seasons heading. As Rebecca comforts herself with his old jumper, you can tell she’s falling for him again.
Yet, to simply bring them together again would be going in the wrong direction and it’s only episode two. This isn’t a show about love triangles, it’s about mental health and obsession. It moves forward because of the developments in these characters, not who they’re dating.
Of course, as a homage to musicals, clearly, this show isn’t afraid to do a big romantic arc. Yet to do it this early would feel a little rushed.
I’m confident in the writers to give these characters more depth than just a constant cycle of romantic attraction.
Take Paula for example, whose story is moving her career forward in great new directions. Now her relationship with her husband is healthy and stable, there’s still plenty of weight to her story but it doesn’t feel like it’s repeating similar territory.
Just two episodes in and I already feel confident that the show has got the guts to truly do something different. We’ve still got to fully bring back Heather and reintroduce Valencia, which, once they’re back, will give the show even more avenues to explore.
It won’t be long before Rebecca and Josh will break up and there’s still plenty more issues with Rebecca to give the season more storylines, so I’m not worried that things are going to burn out too quickly.
It is still the best show on TV.
Extra
- The songs were great. Greg’s drinking song, in particular, was wonderful and poignant whilst some of the writing for Paula’s Disney inspired song was gut-bustingly funny.
- Poor Daryl. He’s Paula’s bestfriend don’t you know.
- Those AA guys were great.
Verdict
