Yesterday I finished watching the second season of Good Behavior and up until the fourth episode, it blew my mind! It's so much different than the first season. It's like it was written by a different group of writers! Oh let me just share my review of it below so you'll find out why I think so.
Warning: Spoilers ahead.
(Screenshot by ArtGirl, credit: TNT via YouTube)
♣ Series Synopsis ♣
After winning the custody battle against her ex, Leticia "Letty" Raines (Michelle Dockery) is finally able to take her son Jacob with her. They and her boyfriend, Javier Pereira (Juan Diego Botto), aim to live a normal life. To escape the authorities, they move to a different place. There she immediately begins to search for a new school for Jacob. They each also use a different name. Unfortunately, no school is able to accept Jacob due to the unfavorable timing. Plus, since he looks more black than mulatto, they experience some discrimination.
Without a choice, she decides to home school her son instead. Letty leaves her son at home to "buy" books and new clothes for him. Jacob meanwhile makes friends with a local kid which leads to him getting a chance to be accepted in a school. If all goes well, they would then only need money for tuition.
However, Letty doesn't have a job yet. The house they are renting and the enrollment cost turns out to be too much for them. Javier began working at a restaurant but still mainly kills people because it pays better. They don't have enough money to pay for a normal life so they are both "forced" to keep doing what they do best.
(Screenshot by ArtGirl, credit: TNT via YouTube)
They both try to stop each other from being what they are: a con artist/thief and a hitman but they just can't change. Eventually the two get caught by the FBI woman with a newbie partner in tow. Letty smartly deduces the situation they are in and plots their escape. They "escape" from their captors but then Javier's family issue haunts them next. Her son is traumatized in the process so she had to return him to her mom.
In the end, Letty commits a crime she said she would never do. The duo escape the scene of the crime and both plans to start something elsewhere.
♣ Season 2 Trailer ♣
Watch the trailer of the second season so you'll get a feel of it.
(Video credit: JoBlo TV Show Trailers via YouTube)
♣ Series Review ♣
The show started and ended on a light enough tone. Good behavior Season 2 lets us see how accepting oneself is hard and trying to change oneself or other people can be harder. It is possible but not easy, thus Letty keeps going back to her bad and damaging habits.
(Screenshot by ArtGirl, credit: TNT via YouTube)
If there will be a third season, it will probably veer off from the initial premise of Letty trying so hard to be a good person. The next time we see them, she will most likely fully embrace their criminal inclinations rather than fight it. If that's what happens then the title may not be appropriate anymore.
As of this writing there is no announcement yet of a third season. I think it's probably safe to say that this is the end of their story.
◙ Characters & Story
Well, if season 1 was all sad and gloomy, season 2 is all about action, fun and more emotion! It's like it was written by a different group of people! On Wikipedia though, the only difference I saw was the novella compilation author not being included in writing any episode of Season 2.
Good Behavior is based on Blake Crouch's book of the same title. I have not read the compilation and have no intention of doing so but perhaps it involves the entire story in season 1? The second season is so much different in treatment that I like it more than the other.
(Screenshot by ArtGirl, credit: TNT via YouTube)
The story continues after what happened in Season 1. Here they try to live a normal life but Letty doesn't have a job. Javier took on a job at a restaurant but that would not be enough to pay for a house and a school education. This is the entire dilemma of Letty and Javier.
Will she be a good mom to her son and stop doing illegal activities? Will she be able to provide a good life? Can Javier be the family man he ought to be? Or will they both just drag her son into a life of crime?
The storyline grabs people's emotions more than the first season does. The scenes also made me think more than the previous season. There are a few unexpected twists this time.
(Screenshot by ArtGirl, credit: TNT via YouTube)
If you got bored watching season one, this will definitely keep you watching until the end. There are more fun or adventurous scenarios than before. We also see new characters introduced in some episodes. It has more action, suspense and finally some mind boggling things going on. There are also more human twistedness and trippy scenes involved which is just right and not hardcore at all.
Also, Letty's character is shown having more difficult times as a thief doing con artistry rather than the usual easy stealing jobs. The character challenges made the show more thrilling and enjoyable. The storyline is so much better in this season.
Here we see more of the consequences of crime, drugs and alcohol addiction. It also shows the relationship of two damaged people that go from best to worst and back again.
(Video credit: TNT via YouTube)
If you are jaded or damaged in some way, you will definitely like this series. It will make you reflect on your own pain and why you tend to hurt yourself more instead of lift yourself up. Anyone who has no deep emotional wounds/scars and actual hardships experienced in life might not be able to relate to the lead character at all. This is why I am not surprised the show is not very popular. We are all used to good and heroic lead characters that we will probably never root for delinquent leads struggling to be good people. Come to think of it, I haven't seen any popular show with a spotlight on a character's moral dilemma.
The series is able to show more on how we are all responsible for our actions and that we must not blame other people for who we are. As adults we can choose the things we do, we each choose how we live our lives. Some people are just not able to accept responsibility for themselves and thus fail so bad at adulting. Nobody said being human is easy but at least if we always do our best we might be able to get out of living an awful life. It doesn't work that way for the Bonnie and Clyde of this show though.
(Screenshot by ArtGirl, credit: TNT via YouTube)
◙ Acting
The acting has definitely amped up from the first season. The first four episodes are the best as I was definitely blown away. The actors were able to express true emotions that finally made me tear up a bit. The episodes were able to draw out the right feelings in the emotionally charged scenes.
The child actor Nyles Julian Steele playing Jacob also had a bigger part in each episode this time. He was able to show his acting chops and I can say it's good. He doesn't seem like a human props or a puppet anymore.
(Screenshot by ArtGirl, credit: TNT via YouTube)
◙ Cinematography, Production Design & Music
I still stick to my original comparison of this series as the complete opposite of Alias. Here the lead character is not high tech and undercover as a government spy or agent out to save the world. This time it is about a lying, stealing and quick-witted con artist trying to save her life.
In the course of survival, Letty gets to be several characters again. The set and costumes are better than before. Letty gets to wear fun getups and even have a production number too!
Oh I love her drag queen look in episode 5. Look at the pic below! I like how her hair was done and the violet glittery skintight pants is just ♥. In the the close up scenes, even her make up is so ♥.
(Screenshot by ArtGirl, credit: TNT via YouTube)
The show is not usually set in drab or normal locations and situations anymore. Now there are more color, vibrancy and variety in each episode. There are also more blood and murder scenes going on. Perhaps this is because they had more budget?
And the music/soundtrack is still good enough for me. Nothing exceptional but definitely brings out the best in each scene.
(Screenshot by ArtGirl, credit: TNT via YouTube)
◙ Rating
Considering everything I wrote, I give it a 9.3 out of 10 stars this time. I don't want to provide a breakdown of the rating anymore but I will say I gave the acting a 9 out of 10 stars. This show is not perfect but it's a big improvement from the last season.
(Screenshot by ArtGirl, credit: TNT via YouTube)
So, do you think you or anyone you know will like watching this series? Let me know in the comments. :)
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For my other TV show reviews, click below:
- Good Behavior: The Show About Someone Trying To Be Good Even Though She's Bad
- ArtGirl's KDrama Review: Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
- ArtGirl's KDrama Review: Are You Human Too?
- Scrubs & Community: 2 of the Best American Comedy TV Series
- Game of Thrones Primer: 6 Things You Need to Know
- 10 Things a Non-Fan Should Know About Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV Series
- Hunter X Hunter and Naruto: A Closer Look and a Comparison Between Two Amazing Anime
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