Caution: This is a spoiler-filled review of "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" Season Two. Read at your own discretion.
On Friday, April 15th, Season Two of "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" was released for streaming on Netflix. As someone who binge-watched the first season last summer (I had read nothing but praises for it) I started Season Two as soon as soon it was made available. I had high hopes going into the second season, and, although I believe that there were some storylines that were not necessarily needed, Season Two definitely lived up to its predecessor.
The original cast returned for Season Two: Ellie Kemper as Kimmy Schmidt, Titus Burgess as Titus Andromedon, Carol Kane as Lillian Kaushtupper and Jane Krakowski as Jacqueline White. The show also brings in some notable guest appearances: Ice-T, Jeff Goldblum and Anna Camp, to name a few.
With Reverend Wayne finally locked behind bars for holding Kimmy Schmidt and the other Mole Women hostage for fifteen years, Schmidt is able to not worry as much about what happened to her and can finally try to focus on finding her place in New York City.
What really makes "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" stand out from most sitcoms is the fact that each character has something that they all work on together to figure out. In Season Two, Schmidt still shows struggles with coping with her past and begins to see a therapist. Although her therapist seems to have just as many problems as Schmidt, they begin to try and work together to help each other out. Schmidt’s roommate, Titus Andromedon, struggles with a new relationship. He almost ruins it by being scared of the unknown. Jacqueline got a divorce from her husband and is now Jacqueline White instead of Mrs. Voorhees. She starts the season by trying to find her real identity and chases after men so she does not have to admit to being in a unsatisfying relationship with her bank account.
When I first finished Season One, I did not really care for Schmidt’s and Andromedon’s landlord, Lillian Kaushtupper. I found her to be more annoying than anything else and didn't really understand her character. Immediately into the second season, that all changed--and quickly, I might add! She is shown fighting and standing up for what she believes in (most specifically, gentrification), but she is also shown helping her friends with whatever they need. My favorite example of Lillian's generosity is in the fourth episode, “Kimmy Kidnaps Gretchen!” when Titus is being stubborn towards a blossoming relationship. During Titus' inner turmoil regarding his love interest, Lillian helps me realize the beauty in being confident in going forward.
As to not give too much away in this review, I will conclude by saying that Season Two was able to deliver on the never-ending, but never overdone, jokes and bright optimism that Season One gave. While it is nice having all thirteen episodes available on Netflix right away, it will be hard to sit patiently in my show hole and wait another year for the release of Season Three.
