What I’m Watching: Santa Clarita Diet (Season Premiere)

Santa Clarita Diet: Season 2, Episode 1 “No Family is Perfect” (B+)

I accidentally started watching the pilot episode of this show again and was extremely confused to find Joel not in a mental institution and Sheila not chained up in the basement, two season-ending developments that I remembered strongly from the finale that I watched almost a year ago. Though this show is unapologetically weird, that’s what I like about it. Opening Joel’s stint under surveillance with Jonathan Slavin from “Better Off Ted” as the Asparagus-phobic Ron was great, and I like that Joel was so legitimately moved to compassion by the story of his late wife. He did follow that up with a visit to the morgue attendant who’s awfully willing to sell body parts to whoever wants them, though, as he angrily pointed out upon his return home, he paid $300 for his bile because no one bothered to call him. Eric was very easily manipulated by Sheila into freeing her, but fortunately that didn’t go so bad until she pounced on and violently devoured the Serbian guy who followed Abby home. Joel’s neighbors definitely still think he’s crazy, but at least the family is all together now, sleeping in a bed in the basement because they genuinely love each other. This is clearly not a sustainable lifestyle, but that’s part of the fun here, along with the truly revolting things, like Sheila breaking her thumbs to escape from her handcuffs. As long as you can get past that and accept it as one of this show’s signature oddities, it really is a great ride, and one I look forward to enjoying this season.