Netflix’s “The 4 Seasons,” an adaptation of Alan Alda’s 1981 film of the identical name, has returned for a second season, and this time, grief, mid-life crises, babies and depression are on the menu. Created by Tina Fey, Lang Fisher and Tracey Wigfield, the primary season followed three couples, all-decades-long friends, who vacation together all year long (or 4 seasons). The series opener began with Nick (Steve Carell) announcing his intention to go away his wife, Anne (Kerri Kenney-Silver), on the eve of the couple’s twenty fifth wedding anniversary. It concluded with Nick’s shocking death and the revelation that his 30-something girlfriend, Ginny (Erika Henningsen), was pregnant along with his child. In a morose Season 2, the group, now shrunken to a fivesome, with Ginny and her baby sometimes in tow, grapples with life after Nick and what their respective next chapters might bring.
It’s spring as Season 2 begins, and the crew has all come together within the Catskills for a mountaineering trip to spread Nick’s ashes. Unfortunately, only Jack (Will Forte), who’s taking Nick’s death the toughest and a heavily pregnant but spry Ginny appear to be having fun with the trek up the mountain. Kate (Fey) is putting on a brave face to cheer Jack up. She has begrudgingly agreed to “train” for a marathon that he’s eagerly signed them up for. Though Kate and Jack are growing distant, Claude (Marco Calvani) and Danny (Colman Domingo) look like on the identical page for once. That’s, until a conversation about having children throws their relationship right into a tailspin. Furthermore, things between Ginny and Anne are increasingly awkward, especially when funds and settling Nick’s estate are brought up. What occurs over the course of the weekend is what happens as grief festers into rage.
Moving into the summer, the buddies find themselves vacationing on the Jersey Shore with a really tiny guest in tow. In Episode 4, “On the Boardwalk,” Anne explores what life looks like as a girl untethered. Meanwhile, Kate, who can also be no champion of change, discovers a dream she didn’t realize she had, an idea that would bring her solace as she and Jack drift further away from one another. This episode, paired with Episode 3, “Down the Shore,” is a generous reminder to each the characters and viewers that self-governance is usually the important thing to happiness.
The acting stays solid. Nonetheless, except for the summer and winter episodes, Season 2 simply doesn’t have the whimsy of its predecessor. The humor and even the reappearance of Anne’s guitar-playing ex-beau Terry (Toby Huss) feel muted, lacking the punch of previous jokes. And maybe that’s the point. Death is difficult, painful and dark, and everybody who knew and loved Nick is doing their best to press forward in their very own way.
What works is the show’s willingness to look at long-term marriages and relationships under a practical microscope. Showing Claude and Danny weighing the professionals and cons of parenthood while Ginny struggles to deal with single motherhood is a fun contrast. Danny, specifically, seems keen on the concept of raising a toddler, but lacks real-world experience and a real understanding of what it entails. Then, the cries of Ginny’s baby are a serious wake-up call for the couple that may’t be ignored.
Still, the examination of Kate and Jack’s partnership is maybe essentially the most grounded here. In the primary season, the problems between the pair seemed quieter, especially in contrast to the demise of Nick and Anne’s union. This season, Kate is exhausted by the dark cloud hanging over their home and marriage. While Jack wants to take a seat within the pain of losing his best friend, Kate is weary from the burden of his emotions and desperate to search out some levity again.
The freshman season of “The 4 Seasons” worked since it was so willing to tug the rug from under the day by day lives of a gaggle of fifty-somethings, but Season 2, which has less wit and seemingly lower stakes, never quite reaches the breezy, banter-filled charm. Yet, with several latest locations, including the Italian Alps in all of their winter glory, and a gaggle of utterly talented actors whose chemistry leaps off the screen, the show stays a world very much value trying out.
“The 4 Seasons” Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.