Episodes S2: DVD Review

Episodes S2: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by BBC and Roadshow Home Entertainment

Matt LeBlanc, Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig return in Season 2 of the British/ American sitcom, Episodes.

Picking up where season 1 ended, Sean and Beverly's long standing marriage is in tatters after Beverly slept with Matt LeBlanc during the planning of their American sitcom, Pucks.

When the premiere of their show does well, it looks like the rocky patch could prove a difficult working environment for Sean and Beverly but by the second episode, the ratings are sliding and networks are hovering around the show to make changes.

Season 2 of Episodes is not as smart as the first which really delved into the politics of the industry and making a show as well as poking fun at Matt LeBlanc's public persona. While there was more of a sly and smart sense to the writing in season one, a lot of that seems to have been jettisoned for broader comedy and as a result, while Episodes S2 is good, it's nowhere near as good as the first season was.

The main trio are still watchable - though it's Greig who gives more of a deeper performance than the other two leads. But the satire runs dry towards the end and to be honest, you'd have to hope that a third season brings a little more of the smart writing that was so prevalent in the first.

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