Mae Martin’s hit comedy, Feel Good, has recently returned to our screens for a second season. After binging the first season early in lockdown, the second one was certainly long-awaited. The comedic notes littered throughout the show, amongst its fluid landscape of gender and sexuality, made me laugh out loud. The second season focuses on Mae’s earlier trauma and how this manifests itself in the present and affects their relationship with George (Charlotte Ritchie). This LGBTQ+ relationship is not the plotline of the show. It claws away at the glorification of queer relationships and exposes their normality.
Audiences were heartbroken when Channel Four failed to renew the show for a second season, but were over the moon when Netflix picked it up instead. Mae and George’s story was by no means complete by the end of the first season. It’s a show that confronts cisgender, heterosexual dominance in British sitcoms, but remains true to much loved British comedy. This season, once again looks at Mae’s relationship with both George and addiction, the latter coming to the forefront in this season more than it did in the first. This makes for really emotive viewing, especially since audiences have already connected with the characters in season one.
Every single cast member brought individuality to their role. Lisa Kudrow in her role as Mae’s mother, Linda, excelled at bringing deadpan humour, whilst Richie perfectly embodied George once again. It is such an exciting, refreshing show; and yet it is painfully underrated!
The sitcom is unafraid of confronting darker and more unsettling topics. For example, the relationship is not a typical, beautiful love story, instead, it is raw, even toxic at times. What this show does especially well is, it normalises queer relationships. This makes it such an important watch, while it maintains its comedic edge. Mae Martin is undoubtedly a powerhouse of a comedian, and I for one am so excited to see what they do next.
Three and a half stars.
Image Credit: The MovieDB