Season Two Review: The Awesomes

Still awesome…

Spoilers Below:

When I initially watched the first season of Hulu’s The Awesomes, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. The show was humorous, definitely had its moments, and was filled with likeable characters. Everything worked, but the real question was: how long could it last?

As is typical for many series, the first season was a trial run. (Well, technically, the first episode was a trial run, but assuming that works out, the rest of the season turns into an extended audition.) When networks believe the show has staying power, or is at least willing to gamble on it, a sophomore season is granted. This is an opportunity to further develop the characters and help them, and the show itself, find a niche. For The Awesomes, this was executed perfectly.

Almost every one of the ten installments in season two had a two-fold character focus. First, an existing character was given the spotlight so fans could learn a little bit more about their background, personality, and role. Perfect Man and Muscle Man each had an episode, Tim had one, and Frantic, Impresario, Jaclyn, and Maloccio Jr. had at least an installment each. In fact, the only character without an obvious starring role was Gadget Gal. On top of all that, at the very end of each week’s show, a new character from the episode would join the PRICKS, an anti-Awesomes supervillain team.

That was essentially the plot all year. After Prock inadvertently gave Malocchio Jr. the idea to turn evil (because he wasn’t living up to his family name), the newest antagonist began following the Awesomes around to pick up a new PRICK each time. The fresh face might have come from someone who helped Malocchio Jr. attempt to take down Prock & co., or they might have been part of an already existing team and Junior just saw potential in them in particular. At the end, the two super-teams squared off, and of course the good guys were victorious.

In the sub-plot, Mr. Awesome tried a number of different ways to turn Dr. Malocchio good again, but only succeeded at the very end of the season. Unfortunately, the technique Mr. Awesome used to take the evil out of Dr. Malocchio ended up putting it into himself, leaving quite the cliffhanger.

Season Notes:

1) I really wish the name “Purse Man” would have stuck for Malocchio Jr. I feel like that was a joke that didn’t reach its full potential.

2) Perfect Man went from one of my least favorite characters last season (which is how we were supposed to feel, right?) to one of the best on the show. Those last couple episodes, with Spaldetta, really sealed the deal. If I had my way, he’d be under house arrest for the whole series.

3) I can’t believe Teleportation Larry didn’t even have a cameo this season. I mean, Bobby Moynihan did at least one voice per episode, so it’s not like he wasn’t around.

4) Don’t ever send Hotwire undercover, she was THE WORST at pretending to be somebody else.

5) “The Pharmacy Zone” is way scarier than Hell could ever be.

6) I really thought Prock’s love triangle with Hotwire and Jaclyn would become more of a focus throughout the season. It was definitely necessary to the plot and the resolution of the season’s conflict, but thankfully wasn’t crammed down our throats. That could have gotten annoying.

7) I feel like the show is set a bit in the future, yet all the references come from present day or before. However, it totally worked.

8) Interesting how they handled Frantic being gay. It was revealed in the fifth episode, but (as far as I could see) it was never brought up again. And it really didn’t need to be.

9) Somebody please tell me how many times Prock broke his arm this year. And his action figure saying, “Ow, I broke my arm again” doesn’t count. (It also said: “Sounds like a bad idea to me.”)

10) Don’t forget to re-watch the “Secret Santa” episode around Christmas. Tis the season, right?

11) Did anyone notice that Impresario would let people walk on his conjurings, but his evil double wouldn’t? Where did that come from?

12) What’s the meaning of the “44” in all of Prock’s passwords?

All in all, there wasn’t much more I could ask for in a show. Sure, it could always be funnier, and ALL the characters haven’t hit that loveable level yet, but there were tons of jokes AND tons of characters, so I really can’t complain.

The talent behind these characters was stellar once again – be it returning actors like Seth Meyers, Ike Barinholtz, Bill Hader, Kenan Thompson, and Bobby Moynihan – or newcomers Will Forte, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, and Colin Quinn. The Forte/Rudolph combination was especially hilarious, in my humble opinion.

So where does this leave us for next season? The Awesomes will have to figure out a way to cure Mr. Awesome (or battle against him), and hopefully get the attention and recognition they once again deserve. On the dark side, the PRICKS will hopefully make a comeback, perhaps with some new members?

Either way, I’m sure there will be new heroes, new villains, and new situations – both super and ordinary – along with tons of funny dialogue and references to keep us entertained for another season. Season Three has already been promised by Hulu, so let’s see how they deliver.