Dead To Me - Season 2

After an addictive first season and a cut-throat cliff hanger, Dead To Me returns at the perfect time for us to binge from our sofas (which many of us are stuck on at the minute). In Season 1, Jen and Judy strike up an unlikely friendship after meeting at a grief group. Jen has lost her husband to a car crash, and Judy's reasons for being there come to light gradually as the season progresses. Amidst this black comedy is a thrilling plot, underneath which bubbles an intelligent analysis of the struggles that come with middle-age as a Mother, Wife, and woman. 

The star of this show is the relationship between Jen and Judy. Polar opposites, and yet, convincing in their ride-or-die friendship (literally), the performances from Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini touch on such a wide range of anxieties, angst and animosities that it is sometimes hard to keep up. The thriller style of the show mean that this is never to it's detriment, always maintaining a pace that fits with the show's unique tone.

While the immorality of Jen and Judy's actions is worse in this season than you ever could have imagined, Liz Feldman (the show's creator) has mastered the art of creating characters so lovable that you manage to find yourself on their side. And, most importantly, your empathy for these two nutters aides the show's celebration of an enraged woman. Although society is now experiencing a 4th wave of feminism, the image of a woman shouting, screaming and speaking her mind is something that is still tentatively approached in TV and cinema. Dead To Me not only embraces a woman on the edge but honours these immense states of outrage as an essential part of trauma recovery.

The total absurdity of the show lends itself to a short and sweet season, and I feel like this instalment could have tied it all up quite nicely. However, the brutal cliff-hanger promises the certainty of a third season of Dead To Me, and I'm not mad about it. I have no doubt that Feldman will take the next phase even further than this one, and carried by this stunning cast and on-point black comedy, I am sure that another season of this total madness will be a success.