Feel Good season 2 review: Mae Martin’s brilliant comedy is perfect comfort TV

Mae Martin’s wonderfully absorbing sitcom returns and packs a heavier punch than its first
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Much like my first outing with Feel Good, I devoured all six episodes in one sitting. The show continues to be a cosy blanket on a lonely evening, and provides enough hearty laughs to warm your heart.

The series has moved from Channel 4 to Netflix, but has managed to keep the UK channel’s comedic charm. Continuing to explore the topics of addiction and relationships, the second outing tackles trauma with a wonderfully accurate touch.

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Season two follows on from the emotional finale of the first series. Mae (Mae Martin) and George (Charlotte Ritchie) ended their relationship, which resulted in Mae heading out on a self-destructive bender and cocaine binge with a friend from Narcotics Anonymous.

Season two follows on from the emotional finale of the first series (Photograph: Netflix)Season two follows on from the emotional finale of the first series (Photograph: Netflix)
Season two follows on from the emotional finale of the first series (Photograph: Netflix)

The new series sees Mae pull up to a rehab facility in Canada, driven there by her frosty yet utterly hilarious mother (Lisa Kudrow). The rehab clinic presents her with old demons, and Mae’s need for distraction brings in a new chaotic series of events.

The show examines Mae’s teenagehood in Canada, addressing the topic of PTSD with a complex eye. It’s at times tough to watch, but thoroughly rewarding, allowing for a discussion that is healthier than most UK morning TV segments on the topic.

The show’s ability to present every character on screen with a purpose is still as magnificent as ever. Scenes are littered with people who are keen to summarise themselves in just one phrase, but they make us think about wanting to be something different, all while we observe how truly ugly their one dimensional personalities are.

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Feel Good once again examines the loneliness of being idle. When we search for identity, we search for safety. After a year of being locked away in our homes, with social lives no longer playing a distractionary role, we instead re-examined ourselves. We all searched for meaning in isolation. Feel Good touches upon the search for wanting to be loved, and to find love from others - to be seen and held.

The new series sees Mae pull up to a rehab facility in Canada (Photograph: Netflix)The new series sees Mae pull up to a rehab facility in Canada (Photograph: Netflix)
The new series sees Mae pull up to a rehab facility in Canada (Photograph: Netflix)

The show is filled with sweet and, dare I say, feel good moments, but season two packs a heavier punch than its first.

On topics that should be treated with respect, Mae Martin and her writing partner Joe Hampson deliver a show with the ambition to discuss the issues head first, and confidently. It’s bold, provocative and delicate too.

Thanks to Martin and Ritchie’s comic abilities the show has enough laughs (although less than the first season) to make it an addictive and comforting watch.

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Special shoutout to Martin expressing all our wants when she said “I’ve always wanted to be John Wick”.

The second season does what Feel Good does best - it lays its hands on your shoulders and tells you everything’s gonna be okay.

Rating: ★★★★

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