Critic’s Rating: 3.8 / 5.0
3.8
Gen Z may not be tuning into sitcoms like Friends anymore, but Adults Season 2 carries on the spirit of classic New York City friendship TV shows into the present.
The eight-episode sophomore season of this FX series is a bite-sized fun time. And now that you’ve had time to watch for yourself, let’s discuss!
After the massive success of its first season, I expected FX to increase the episode count, but the writers still squeeze a lot into the short runtime.
Each episode is relatively self-contained and packed with self-deprecating but hilariously relatable moments (at least to a specific audience).
Still, Adults Season 2 would have benefited greatly from a longer run.
The season also threads cohesive character arcs together, but some of the slow-burn relationship teases, particularly for Paul Baker and Anton, deserved more breathing space and build-up.
Adults Season 2 has proven it’s an iconic Gen Z sitcom.
With tons of quotable moments and shocking reveals, the show has shown its undeniable staying power.
The Issa-Paul Baker-Anton Love Triangle
The new season of Adults picks up right where the last one left off: with Paul Baker, Issa, and Anton caught in an unspoken love triangle.
Paul Baker may be both Anton’s legal husband and Issa’s official boyfriend, but this season, Issa bears the brunt of the conflict.
Out of the five main characters, I thought Issa stood out the most this season. She has an unhinged, chaotic energy that shows up in every episode.
Highlights include Adults Season 2 Episode 3, “Talia,” when Samir has to literally tackle her to give her a shot while she’s getting ready to freeze her eggs, and Adults Season 2 Episode 4, “Raccoon,” when she goes full Challengers with Paul Baker and Anton.
“Raccoon” is the turning point of the season, as Paul Baker and Issa finally have to confront the fact that their relationship isn’t working out anymore.
Friend group breakups can be messy, so I was surprised when Paul Baker and Issa’s split didn’t have as intense consequences as I expected.
Paul Baker mostly exits the relationship unscathed, with his biggest problem being his inability to relieve his sexual frustration because of sharing a bed with Samir.
Meanwhile, on Adults Season 2 Episode 5, “Room Swap,” Issa puts on her “weird little guy” act when she and Billie go out together, intentionally sabotaging any chance at a rebound.
Surprisingly, after that episode, the show doesn’t really address the breakup, as the friend group continues to operate as normal.
But the final episode, Adults Season 2 Episode 8, “Vote For Paul Baker,” dives back into the love triangle when Issa encourages Anton to confess his feelings.
Her speech about putting friendship before romantic relationships was unexpectedly mature for someone in their mid-20s.
While the believability of Issa’s pivot from broken heart to Anton and Paul Baker’s biggest fan is debatable, I can’t deny that the final shot of Anton and Paul kissing made me smile.
Another great Anton and Paul Baker moment this season was their dinner with Anton’s sister, Talia, on the third episode.
That episode gave a ton of insight into Anton’s character, revealing how he’s grown as a person and more about his life outside of the friend group.
I’m excited to see where Season 3 takes this new couple, and I hope Issa can find some joy in her life, too.
To Be Employed or Not to Be Employed?
A key plot point of Adults Season 2 is how difficult it is for young adults to find work.
There’s even a whole episode — Adults Season 2 Episode 7, “C Alert” — dedicated to exploring generational differences in workplace language and etiquette.
But for the most part, employment anxieties infect the narrative through Billie’s struggles to find a job.
It isn’t surprising that Adults would tackle the job crisis, as most people agree the job market is especially difficult for young people seeking entry-level jobs.
What’s impressive is that the show balances the depressing reality with the humor of what Billie is willing to do to get a job.
For example, Episode 3 finds Billie attempting to recreate workplace camaraderie with her fellow jurors, while Adults Season 2 Episode 6, “Pop Girlie,” finds Billie hooking up with older men in hopes of getting a job referral for any position.
While Billie’s storyline might sound dark on the surface, the show avoids making fun of unemployment and instead finds its jokes in Billie’s awkward, bumbling personality.
I expected that by the end of Season 2, Billie would find a full-time job (though maybe campaign manager counts?).
Sure, the lack of a satisfying conclusion to her job search is somewhat realistic, but it leaves viewers wondering why the show spent so much time on her unemployment struggles.
The last half of the season also introduces Billie’s desire for love, which, shockingly, is answered by Samir’s breakup with Carly.
Like Paul and Issa, Samir and Carly’s developing romance is established throughout the season, so the final reveal of Carly’s decision to break up with Samir wasn’t too surprising.
But since Samir’s whole storyline revolved around his relationship, I’m curious where this leaves him in Season 3 and how Samir and Billie’s hook-up will affect the friend group’s dynamics.
After maintaining the status quo for so long, the Season 2 finale finally disrupts it, leaving the series on an exciting cliffhanger that will have Gen Z wondering what the future holds for this beloved friend group.
Guest Star Shoutout Corner
- Rachel Marsh crushed it as Carly. Her “K-Pop” song is so hilariously bad, but also similar in spirit to “A Little Bit Alexis” from Schitt’s Creek. I think the masses will eat it up.
- Stranger Things‘ star Gaten Matarazzo’s casting as a “young” Samir was genius. He has a striking resemblance to Malik Elassal that I never realized until I saw them in the same room.
- Paul Sun-Hyung Lee’s feature in the season finale was a delight. I miss his Kim’s Convenience days and hope this guest-star role means he’s returning to comedy.
- Julia Fox must really love the show. There really wasn’t a reason for her to return, but she did it anyway. Good for her.
Over to you now, TV Fanatics! Did you enjoy Adults Season 2?
Make sure to vote in the poll above and leave your thoughts in the comments!
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Full of messy relationship drama and quarter-life crises, Adult Season 2 is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser for Gen Z.
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The Adults Prequel episode is a short but fun look into how the main characters meet Paul Baker and gives us some hints at Season 2.
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