F is for Family – Season 2 Review

F is for Family

Season 1 had a scene where young Bill caught an unfortunate glimpse of his father’s ball sack. It was gross, sure, but it helped build up Bill’s childhood trauma in hilarious ways. In Season 2, however, the character they’re trying to traumatize is you, the viewer. They really doubled down on the crassness and vulgarity, because we get a full-on view of Vic’s penis this time around, a fat prostitute with saggy breasts that won’t stay in her blouse, an exploding guy who sprays blood on everyone, and a statutory rape scene. It’s all cartoonish and played for laughs, of course, but it is a bit much, particularly for a show that worked so well when it stayed grounded.

I’m still a little bothered by the statutory rape episode. I’m not saying 14-year old Kevin wouldn’t have done what he did in that situation, but I find it hard to believe that the older woman involved mistook him as “short for his age.” Yep, that was the jokey pay-off there. Might as well have been a Family Guy cutaway gag… Every secondary character on this show is a joke, really, and not in a good way. Their voices are grating, and their personalities are pretty one-note. This is in stark contrast to the Murphy family members, who so expertly come across as real people with real problems.

Sadly, F is for Family has started to channel Family Guy more and more. Season 2 drags the Murphys down a little too far into depravity to the point where it’s hard to even root for them anymore. And yet, like Peter’s frequent, end-of-episode “ah jeez, I’m sorry Lois” speeches, we’re to believe everyone has learned their lesson and forgiven each other in much the same way. The show has too quickly embraced being a cartoon—an adult cartoon, no less—but doesn’t know how to balance the silly with the serious like BoJack Horseman has been able to. Not that the world needs two BoJack Horsemen, but there’s a reason why that one is Netflix’s cartoon jewel, and this one isn’t.

Reviewer

Clark
I love gaming so much, I wrote a book about it.

Published by

Clark

I love gaming so much, I wrote a book about it.