Dinner is served.
Netflix’s original program Santa Clarita Diet is back for its second season and what a good one it is. The series picks right back off from where the first season ended with Joel (Timothy Olyphant) is in a psych ward and Shiela (Drew Barrymore) locked in the basement. It doesn’t take long for those issues to be resolved and then new issues for the Hammond family arise. This season answers a lot of questions that were left unanswered from the previous season and even manages to add some new questions for viewers to ponder until season 3.
If you are a fan of the first season then you will definitely enjoy the latest season. Season 2 helps build upon the foundation of the previous season and finds many interesting ways to improve upon the general premise of the show. This season also has a great deal of character development for not only Joel and Shiela but their young teenager daughter Abby played by Liv Hewson. There was a fair bit of criticism over last season and how much gore was displayed. Personally, this was not an issue I had but I do feel as though the creators of the series may have taken that on board for this season. That being said there is still many moments of gore and gross moments to make you cringe. So if that is why you love Santa Clarita Diet then you should be happy.
I feel as though the chemistry between Timothy Olyphant and Drew Barrymore is incredible and very authentic. As the viewer, you genuinely feel as though they are a married couple trying to navigate being new murderers. You really do feel for Timothy Olyphant’s character Joel as he is just a man trying to keep his family together whilst dealing with his recently undead wife and her need for human flesh. The lunacy comes when they become premeditated murderers and still manage to completely mess it up. I did genuinely feel for Timothy Olyphant’s character as he clearly wants things to go back to normal and the sad realisation that his life will never be the same. All Joel wants to do is go build the bookcase he has been talking about and go back to writing his Yelp reviews. This continually eludes Joel as he is constantly trying to assist his wife’s need to kill for sustenance and trying to find out what caused his wife’s illness. Needless to say, there is a lot going on in this season.
The relationship between Joel and Sheila seems to be stronger than ever despite the new added stress in their lives. There are some genuinely sweet moments in this season and it’s hilarious to see Joel and Sheila try to continue being normal parents to their daughter Abby. In this season Abby has really shined and is probably the only smart person in the Hammond family. Another highlight of this season is the budding relationship between Abby and Eric the next door neighbour. Eric is one of my favourite characters in the series because he is just so awkward and his comedic timing is just perfect.
This season has a lot going for it and really improves on everything from season one. If you want a good laugh and don’t mind a bit of gore then I would highly recommend Santa Clarita Diet. This is by far the best zombie show out right now.