‘Platonic’ Season 2 Review: Rise In Conflict Decreases Vibes
The sophomore outing of Platonic Season 2 is one riddled with problems, but still manages to hold on to its relaxed but increasingly hostile charm.
I loved the first season of Apple TV+’s Platonic as something to throw on the TV at the end of the day. It’s similar to Shrinking in that way, but the comedy here is a lot more situational. More than that, it is also a Seth Rogen (and Evan Goldberg) series whose humour is definitely an acquired taste. But after two years hiatus, we are back. Read our Platonic Season 2 review below
Platonic follows two lifelong friends Sylvia and Will, played by Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen respectively. In season 2, Sylvia grapples with life as a working woman, and Will grapples with his business and his sex life.
Like a real relationship, both platonic and romantic, this season evolves in a few ways. Characters become volatile along with their livelihoods, leaving the season quite messy at times. Sometimes this volatility works, but for a show that really makes for good relaxed viewing, when the hostility is dialed up past five, that relaxation evaporates for the worse. Very luckily, this hostility is quickly alleviated, but it does bring down the overall tonal consistency and viewing coherency.
Rose Byrne continues to be the highlight of the series, with her dorky inexperience with both millennial and Gen Z culture being at the forefront of the comedy of the series. She is excellent in the show and honestly is the biggest draw to my viewing. Seth Rogen too works wonders, giving strong acting chops in regards to his comedy. Rogen’s humour has always been an acquired taste, with myself having not loved his roles until quite recently, where I have begun opening up more and more to his style of comedy, and his goofy laugh.
As for the story of the series, the show takes a few steps backwards (where the first season started with the ending of a failed marriage, a plot that is repeated here). It’s frustrating at first, but the show does manage to leave that behind within the first four or five episodes, and focuses more on the relationship between Sylvia and husband Charlie (Luke Macfarlane) in the latter portion of the season. It’s something that wasn’t necessarily there in the first season but works here. If the show were to be renewed, I would expect the Sylvia’s relationship with her children would be next to be explored and I do look forward to that as I find Nicholas Stoller and Francesca Delbanco to be great showrunners.
Platonic Season 2 flounders a bit with tonal inconsistencies and retreading past plots, but in all, it’s nearly as good as the prior season, with a heavy focus on the two leads who bring a huge amount of charm to the series.
Platonic is created by Nicholas Stoller and Francesca Delbanco, and stars Rose Byrne, Seth Rogen, and Luke Macfarlane. The season featured guest roles from Beck Bennett and Bobby Cannavale. Watch the show below on Apple TV+.
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