Round Two: Breeders

Breeders: Season 1, Episode 2 “No Places” (B+)

I wasn’t sure whether I needed to continue watching this show since I’m evidently so far behind on television thanks to chaotic and unexpected events of the past few weeks, but then I realized that I really did enjoy the first episode and would like to continue following these actors in their latest project. I was impressed by Martin Freeman’s ability to get angry so easily in the first episode, and this follow-up installment allowed me to further appreciate Daisy Haggard, who was so terrific at making faces and noises on “Episodes” and then seemed to be great in the pilot for “Back to Life,” another show I wanted to continue but didn’t end up sticking with past episode one because there was too much else on. I was pleased to see Michael McKean, a recent Emmy nominee for his superb work on “Better Call Saul,” joining the cast as Ally’s father, who believes education is only for idiots and wants to invent stories for his grandchildren with them as the stars rather than read anything already written. Asking to stay with his daughter’s family was inevitable, and it’s not as if Paul is free from any parental burden thanks to his again parents’ decision to essentially ask him to euthanize them at a certain point. Claiming not to be depressed but instead to be a realist was very fitting for Paul, and I’m glad to see that he’s well-matched by his wife, who was on board with her equal hatred for the Hicksons, just as unsure of whether or not they should actually try to cause friction in their marriage so that they could have a shot at getting the house that could lead to great school opportunities. Having them embrace their son’s role as the lighting director just a second before he completely messed up and lit up the entire stage was a great way to send off a solid second installment.