Netflix Original Series Returns with a Comedic Vengeance

By Lucia Rossi

Source: Netflix.com

The fast-paced, sharp tongued, binge-watch worthy, 30 Rock-like sitcom, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”, is back and better than ever.

The long-awaited second season returned on April 15 and brought just as many, if not more, laughs than its first arrival.

The show had all that was originally loved from the first season like the diversity in characters, an unaccountable amount of hilarious one liners, jabs at pop culture, surprise guest stars as well as the innocent yet empowering emotional moments that warm our hearts.

This season showed progression within the characters and built upon who they were from season one. It returned to the first season’s storyline and analyzed the characters and questions that were there previously, which made it all the more sweeter to see some change.

Ellie Kemper did not disappoint as Kimmy Schmidt once again. In this season, she got to explore her deep rooted issues and trauma from her kidnapping and being in the bunker. Her need to deal with her bottled-up emotions manifested itself through horrible smelling burps throughout the season until

Kimmy finally started talking to an alcoholic therapist, played by Tina Fey. The audience finally learned why she’s afraid of Velcro, and are also introduced to Kimmy’s mother played by Lisa Kudrow.

Kimmy attempts to deal with her love interest, Dong, played by Ki Hong Lee, being married to Sonja to avoid getting deported back to Vietnam, while still having feelings for him.

Because of Jacqueline White’s needy friendship with her, Kimmy couldn’t hold up her dream job of working in a Christmas shop and instead became an Uber driver, which of course led to many zany and exhilarating adventures.

The show wouldn’t be complete without the musical, flamboyant, and sassy Titus Andromedon played by Tituss Burgess. Although there was no “Pino Noir” this season, he sang many hilariously lyrical show tunes. He also found love this season with an “in-the-closet” Italian construction worker.

Titus showed major development this season by learning to not be so self-centered, to be unafraid of commitment and taking chances, to face the haters and be confident in his performances, as well as “come out” officially himself.

Lillian Kaushtupper played by Carol Kane is just as eccentric but loving as ever. This season she and Titus try to fight against gentrification in their neighborhood. Be prepared for many hipster jokes.

Jacqueline White played by Jane Krakowski, does some serious soul searching after not exactly fitting in with her Native American community. She fights to gain the life she once had, being rich and glamorous, all while taking the time to be a mother to her son Buckley, trying to unselfishly save her Native American heritage, and learning to treat Kimmy as a friend and not as a slave. She surprisingly finds comfort and strength in a very unlikely love-interest, a lawyer, played by David Cross.

The other bunker babes, Cyndee Pokorny and Gretchen Chalker, return with having to face how their lives have changed since they were released into the world.

With the help of Kimmy and a lot of quirks, they realize how their experience has affected them and how to find purpose in their new lives.

Although this season doesn’t have as many inspirational phrases and positive vibes, it digs deeply into each character and plays with how they approach their new struggles, as well as throws in jokes you have to watch twice to catch. One of the best jokes by far is the “Bunny and Kitty” TV series, who solve mysteries, one hug at a time.

This new season comes packed with longer running episodes as well as many guest stars like Kenan Thompson, Joshua Jackson, Jeff Goldblum, and Ice-T.

There are so many strange things to love about this show, like how Kimmy’s “happy place” in her mind is in complete animation, how Titus knows about his past lives and creates a one-man show based on one of them as a geisha, or how one character is actually a puppet. The shows just throws in these unpredictable factors that make it different from anything else you see on television.

My favorite line this season has to be, “I’m like a biscotti,” says Kimmy. “People act like I’m this sweet cookie, but I’m really this super hard thing, that nobody knows what I am or why I am.” I think this perfectly embodies Kimmy because she is so strong and “unbreakable”, but yet naive and innocent.

In a way Kimmy is teaching us that we should all be like biscotti’s, we should look sweet but ultimately be tough cookies.