Liam Hoofe reviews the second season of Matt Groening’s Disenchantment…
When Disenchantment arrived on Netflix in August of 2018, the show’s initial critical reception was mixed. The opening five or six episodes struggling to find a consistent tone and the three main protagonists failed to connect with their audience. That all shifted in the final few episodes of the season, where the show strung together a thrilling finale and provided fans with plenty of promise for the second season.
Thankfully, the show picks up exactly where it left off and never lets up during the second season’s entire ten-episode run. The show wastes no time in exploring the aftermath of dreamland being turned to stone and it also reveals a lot about Bean’s long-lost mother, Dagmar. Without heading into spoiler territory, the season brings the storyline to a satisfying conclusion before adding yet another twist right at the end of the season.
One of the most notable things that season two does, that season one failed to do, is it opens up the world that the characters live in a lot more. Almost every episode is set in a different location and Matt Groening’s fantastic imagination and eye for detail are constantly on display here. Each environment is full of its own little quirks and visual gags and you feel as though any one of them could work as its own spin-off series.
Watching the show’s first season it was difficult not to get the sense that the show was struggling to find its feet in terms of tone. Part two feels like a much more confident version of the show. Almost all of the jokes land throughout the season and the less restrictive rating really allows Groening to explore some more adult humour that has never really been possible with The Simpsons or Futurama.
The characters also feel so much more fleshed out here. Bean, Elfo and Luci are all brilliant to follow throughout the season while King Zog has quickly become the highlight of the show. The season also manages to explore some of the show’s supporting cast and it looks as though some of them are set to be major players in the show’s third season.
Verdict: After a tricky first season, Disenchantment Part Two feels like a show that has become more confident in its own skin. Everything about this season feels so much stronger than the first and the future looks very bright for Bean and Co.
Liam Hoofe
