4 things to expect in Season 2 of Hulu's 'Casual'
LOS ANGELES -- TV's favorite dysfunctional family trio is back.
Season 2 of Hulu's Casual -- which returns on the streaming service Tuesday -- picks up right where the first season left off: At the center of a family's complicated yet humorous life.
The Emmy-nominated, Jason Reitman-directed series follows divorced mom Valerie (Michaela Watkins) and teenage daughter Laura (Tara Lynne Barr) after they move into Val's brother Alex's (Tommy Dewey) house.
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Last season, Val pissed off both Alex and Laura by sleeping with Laura's high school teacher (and crush) and Alex's girlfriend (post Ecstasy high). This season, they all appear to be coping in one way or another.
“I’m kind of trying to distance myself from that word, ‘hate,’ verbally and emotionally,” Alex says in the beginning of the first episode of Season 2.
“How’s that working for you?” Val asks.
Alex replies: “So far happiness is kind of boring."
Luckily for viewers, the series is definitely far from boring.
Here are four things to expect in Season 2:
1. New friends?
Season 1 focused on all things casual -- ranging from one-night stands to open relationships.
This season it seems that sex may not be high up on Val's priority list, especially given the encounters that almost ruined her relationships with the two people she cares about most.
When Val suggests Laura socialize with people her own age, her daughter quips that it's hypocritical since her mom doesn't have any friends from growing up.
That makes Val re-evaluate her social circle, or lack there of.
"How many friends do you have?" Val asks her secretary. "Instagram, 13,000," her secretary replies (before setting up an account for Val).
Similarly, Laura finds herself in a new school setting: A homeschooling collective.
2. The continuation of a realistic mother-daughter relationship on TV.
Sure, they eat Chinese food together -- but don't call them the Gilmore Girls.
As Decider's Kayla Cobb writes:
"Valerie and Laura’s relationship isn’t just that of quippy best friends. There’s disappointment, pity, frustration, acceptance, and so much love. In several ways, this complicated mess of emotions watches like one of the most authentic portrayals of a healthy mother daughter relationship."
3. Leon being great as usual.
Speaking of friendship...
Leon (played by Nyasha Hatendi) started out as a potential one night stand for the unstable Val, who picked him up at a bar one night and took him home only to let him sleep in the bed with her (sans hook up).
One awkward breakfast later and Alex decided to enlist him as his friend. Turns out, reserved Leon is the only grounded character in the series, and because of that he brings a sort of sweetness to the dark comedy.
Season 2 has even more great Leon moments, including a scene where he reveals he was coerced into joining Alex's diet and exercise routine (a.k.a. Alex threw his food out).
4. Elaborate, well-crafted dialogue.
Reitman is a strong director -- but it is creator Zander Lehmann's voice that helps make the show stand out.
In Season 2, Lehmann continues to find the humor in the characters' loneliness, which results in tons of memorable moments.
Like this gem from Alex, after he gets asked out in yoga class:
“You know, I would, but you’re actually a real person and the thought of intimacy, or, really, anything beyond a night of meaningless sex, is totally crushing. On an existential level."
So Casual.
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Saba was a Los Angeles-based reporter who covers all things digital entertainment, including YouTube, streaming services and digital influencers. Prior to that, she spent two years at the Los Angeles Times covering entertainment for the Calendar and Company Town sections. Saba grew up in Santa Monica and graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in journalism and B.A. in political science. When not reporting, she is usually binge watching shows online or looking for new coffee shops to frequent.
