What I’m Watching: The Detour (Season Finale)

The Detour: Season 2, Episode 12 and 13 “The Mule” and “The Ass” (B+)

Midway through the second of these two episodes, when all of this Cuba absurdity was at its height, I was thinking that we hadn’t seen the mail police for a while, which was a shame. And not a minute later, we saw Laura Benanti’s Edie and Mamoudou Athie’s Carl again, chanting “Mail! Mail! We will not fail!” I think the mail police has been my favorite part of this season, though I think that the show also evolved well and continued its exploration of its two central characters and their relationship. Nate putting on an Australian accent and claiming that he couldn’t be racist was a funny start to their adventures in Cuba, and his complete inability to understand Spanish and social cues, like thinking that people holding up their hands to stop him meant that they wanted him to pay five dollars for whatever they weren’t selling was great, as was his completely misunderstanding of the bull explosion that nearly claimed his life. There were some superb comic moments throughout it all, like Nate crashing the boat into the dock, saying “I don’t do yoga, I work,” and getting electrocuted a whole lot after making it over the fence. Nate washing himself with the soup was also pretty memorable. After everything, Robin still had to contend with the disappointment of her children and husband after she blew up Saddam’s ass and ruined the possibility of them living in Cuba, something that they tried to do but failed miserably at. JR setting up his other daughter to take the fall was an interesting twist, and as the end of the episode indicated, we’re not close to done with all this interviewing. I eagerly look forward to season three, which was announced well in advance of these season-ending episodes.

Season grade: B+
Season MVP: Natalie Zea as Robin/Laura Benanti as Edie