The Kominsky Method Season 2: There's Plenty of Life Left In the Netflix Engaging Comedy
Carissa Pavlica
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It's hard not to suggest that The Kominsky Method wasn't Chuck Lorre's answer to its popular female equivalent, Grace and Frankie.
But by the time The Kominsky Method Season 2 begins, the characters are established, and with their more distinct personalities, it's not so much a comparison as it is a story about two genuine characters in their own right.
Still, much like its successful predecessor, The Komnisky Method Season 2 doubles down on its examination of aging, and it hits the mark.
The more people you have in your life struggling with the same issues, the more likely you'll be to get the same kick out of it, but the humor is so on point that it reaches across the ages.
What's most interesting about this new season is the decision to separate Michael Douglas' Sandy Kominsky and Alan Arkin's Norman Newlander to widen the scope a bit.
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They're still reliant on each other when they need advice, emotional support, and just to enjoy a meal together at their favorite haunt, but they're also spending time with the new faces on the scene.
Sandy's acting coach business with his daughter, Mindy (Sarah Baker), remains his focal point outside of Norman's friendship, offering him moments of reflection and to better connect with his inner turmoil.
Mindy's story is still, unfortunately, reliant on a man. But this time, she's found a new beau, and it prompts Sandy, even momentarily, to wonder if she has "daddy issues" in a very quick scene that plays as awkward as it seems.
Sandy's reasoning, though, is justified when Mindy reveals she's seeing a fellow closer to his age than hers. His immediate reaction is to lash out at the idea with the daddy issues comment and to wonder aloud what they might have in common, "We both dodged polio! He did, didn't he?"
It's only after Sandy's introduction to Martin (an almost unrecognizable Paul Reiser) that Mindy begins to question why she introduced them in the first place.
Sandy hits it off with Martin in a way much differently than he gels with Norman, and a new friendship is born. Douglas and Reiser have a different chemistry than Douglas shares with Arkin, and while Norman isn't exactly threatened, he can't understand what Sandy sees in Martin.
At the same time, Norman finds himself engaged in a new friendship, as well. Beginning just months since The Kominsky Method Season 1 opened, Season 2 begins on familiar territory.
Instead of burying his wife, Norman Newlander (Alan Arkin) is saying goodbye again when he packs up her belongings and give them to charity. His desire to manifest his existential despair is short-lived as a chance meeting with an old flame (Jane Seymour) opens an entirely new chapter in his life.
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Men who have spent the better part of a lifetime well into their golden years with the same woman have as many insecurities when they begin dating again as women, but the avenue rarely gets explored.
Norman faces not only guilt at surviving his wife and potentially moving on with a woman he knew before his marriage, but concerns about his physicality and his steadfast ways.
Additionally, Norman's daughter, Phoebe (Lisa Edelstein) resurfaces with a fresh start of her own, and Norman is forced to rethink a lot about the man he has always been and the one who can find happiness within his new life.
The season doesn't steer away from some other issues, either. Sandy suffers a health scare that he might not take as seriously as he should, and he revisits his relationship with Lisa (Nancy Travis) with a caveat that doesn't sit very well with him in the beginning.
Aging offers such a wealth of material that the series can and should live on well into the future, especially if they continue with only eight episodes per season.
Much like the first season, the second ends rather abruptly, and it's not until the box at the bottom right of your screen fails to offer another installment that the reality sets in.
With the new relationships Sandy and Norman get into, there is almost a sense of loss for more interaction between them. If the season had been a more traditional 13 episodes, there would have been a lot of time for more exploration.
The laughs are plentiful and poignancy never out of reach. There are more outright attempts at humor for humor's sake in the second season, but a lot of the topic covered call for it.
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The Kominsky Method Season 2 Episode 1 pokes fun at the memory loss many fear with aging. If there's one thing that I know, it's that memory loss is always a target for comical treatment.
It's comedic fodder in my family almost daily, and the punchlines land so fabulously well that whether or not you're struggling with recognition, there is no way you'll forget The Komisky Method's treatment of it.
The Kominsky Method Season 2 drops on Netflix Friday, October 25.
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Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
