Overall, I thought the second season was good, but some of the character sub-plots were irritating and became tiresome. I'm fine with characters being something of a cliche, but they could at least be multi-dimensional.
I was especially bothered by Benjamin having to ask "permission" to marry Midge. Even for the time, that is extreme. She's a divorced, adult woman with children of her own. The writers took that whole series of scenes too far into the absurd and annoying. On the other hand, the writers created a scenario where Midge reverts to being a teenager in some of her behavior and it does show how many women were dependent on "a man" to support them, so maybe that was the intent. I would like to have seen more interaction between Midge and her children. Obviously she is self-involved, but does she have to be so distant that it constitutes neglect? Or was that another attempt to show societal expectations of wealthier mothers?
Joel's reaction to finding out that Ethan met Benjamin at the park might have been to show the hypocrisy of the times or just to create drama and conflict, but in the 21st Century, it simply turned me off to the character. It's too bad too because the writers had given Joel some real growth in the second season, but at the end turned him back into a complete jerk. He deserved to be slapped upside the head and reminded that he moved in with Penny and had Ethan spending the night with them even before he and Midge were divorced.
About the title of this review. I want to counter other reviewers who have claimed that Lenny Bruce singing "All Alone" was out of character and something he would never do. Yes, actually he would and did. There are recordings, both audio and video, of him performing it. As well, it did bring home the theme they've been building toward: The sacrifices required to pursue a dream when few people support you.
It was a rather uneven season with some real high and low points. Good enough that I watched Season 3 to see what was next.
I was especially bothered by Benjamin having to ask "permission" to marry Midge. Even for the time, that is extreme. She's a divorced, adult woman with children of her own. The writers took that whole series of scenes too far into the absurd and annoying. On the other hand, the writers created a scenario where Midge reverts to being a teenager in some of her behavior and it does show how many women were dependent on "a man" to support them, so maybe that was the intent. I would like to have seen more interaction between Midge and her children. Obviously she is self-involved, but does she have to be so distant that it constitutes neglect? Or was that another attempt to show societal expectations of wealthier mothers?
Joel's reaction to finding out that Ethan met Benjamin at the park might have been to show the hypocrisy of the times or just to create drama and conflict, but in the 21st Century, it simply turned me off to the character. It's too bad too because the writers had given Joel some real growth in the second season, but at the end turned him back into a complete jerk. He deserved to be slapped upside the head and reminded that he moved in with Penny and had Ethan spending the night with them even before he and Midge were divorced.
About the title of this review. I want to counter other reviewers who have claimed that Lenny Bruce singing "All Alone" was out of character and something he would never do. Yes, actually he would and did. There are recordings, both audio and video, of him performing it. As well, it did bring home the theme they've been building toward: The sacrifices required to pursue a dream when few people support you.
It was a rather uneven season with some real high and low points. Good enough that I watched Season 3 to see what was next.