Apple TV+ musical Schmigadoon! is whistling a brand-new tune. Our heroes discover themselves not within the Fifties musical world of Schmigadoon, however within the bleaker, ’70s-style Schmicago.
The whimsy of the present’s first season is changed with a sarcastic darkness in its second season, which debuts at present. The songs get racier, however the present stays a lot the identical. Schmigadoon! continues to be one of many higher reveals on Apple’s streaming service.
Schmigadoon! season 2 opener recap
Season 2, Episodes 1 and a pair of: Josh (performed by Keegan-Michael Key) and Melissa (Cecily Robust) have returned from their journey within the magical land of Schmigadoon, a spot completely caught up to now the place everybody sings and dances on a regular basis. The couple have discovered themselves. They’re in love once more, they’ve ardour for his or her work, and so they’re attempting to have a child.
After all … their bliss doesn’t final. The roles turn into monotonous, their love doesn’t assist them take care of it, and their efforts to have a child come to naught. They’re not joyful — and it’s sporting on them. So that they determine to do one thing loopy: They gown of their dandiest outfits, pack a couple of weeks’ price of garments, and head again to the woods to seek for Schmigadoon once more.
Their efforts lead to a dismal failure. They wander round within the woods for hours. Then, after they lastly surrender and drive dwelling, they get a flat tire. As they’re panicking about what to do they hear one thing … organ music. They’ve discovered themselves in Schmicago, a spot far more in keeping with late Sixties and early ’70s musicals, full with a narrator (Titus Burgess) who talks on to them.
On this new surreal world, there’s intercourse and dying and “imperfect rhymes,” which maybe freak out Melissa essentially the most. She isn’t positive she needs to remain. It’s not the brightly coloured fantasy of Schmigadoon, in spite of everything. Nevertheless, Josh likes Schmicago quite a bit higher.
Similar Schmigadoon faces, new Schmicago characters
They discover different variations, too. Folks they acknowledge from Schmigadoon — just like the mayor (Alan Cumming) and his spouse (Ann Harada) — are in Schmicago, however they’re enjoying new characters. The taboo-breaking that defines the city can be distinctly antiquated. As a refrain line unintentionally explains within the second massive musical quantity, the stuff that shocked folks within the ’70s isn’t all that surprising anymore.
The city is beneath the thumb of Octavius Kratt (Patrick Web page), who takes a shine to Melissa and thus may be very doubtless behind what occurs to Josh simply 10 seconds after assembly him. He goes on the lookout for the toilet and finds a lifeless showgirl. The police haul Josh away, and Melissa should discover him a lawyer.
The one recreation on the town is Bobbie Flanagan (Jane Krakowski), who means that Melissa ought to do some snooping. The first step: Get a job on the membership the place the lady was killed and begin asking questions of the individuals who work there. Melissa hasn’t danced in years, and virtually blows the audition. However Kratt insists that she get the job anyway. In the meantime, Josh makes mates together with his hippie cellmate (Aaron Tveit), an everlasting idealist who needs to assist him escape.
Good day, boys!
Picture: Apple TV+
The identical hassle Schmigadoon! suffered from final season stays in proof in season two’s opening episodes. The dominant joke construction within the sequence, which was created by Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul, continues to be just about this: folks begin singing, Josh and Melissa are overwhelmed by it and have a wry, sarcastic response to it. It’s humorous possibly 30% of the time.
The songs are given far more prominence right here, and so they don’t all should do with the plot, which signifies that typically you’re simply watching simple parodies of songs from Cabaret. Which isn’t all dangerous, in fact. I like Cabaret, and the performances listed here are charismatic, however I like Schmigadoon! higher when it’s transferring ahead.
Alternatively, the press convention Bobbie throws for Josh is an effective instance of what the present does very well. Bobbie insists that he ought to blame the showgirl’s dying on Jazz. The second he says it, there’s a reduce to a beforehand unseen saxophone participant holding a cigarette and sporting sun shades. “Aw man!” the sax participant cries.
Somebody asks Josh if he’s sorry for what he did. “No, in fact not, as a result of I didn’t do it,” he says.
Simply then somewhat newsie holds up a newspaper with the headline: “Killer says he’s not sorry.”
“How is there a paper already?” Josh asks, incredulously.
Preserve these jokes coming
Picture: Apple TV+
The sooner the jokes come flying, the higher form we’re in with Schmigadoon!. Having Titus Burgess’ narrator randomly popping as much as touch upon the motion stuffs sure scenes with much more incident, which I like. As an illustration, Josh and Melissa are speaking in jail about the truth that he could be executed. Instantly, Burgess is there with popcorn.
“That’s why it’s so entertaining!” Burgess says.
Melissa tells Josh to disregard the narrator and he’ll go away.
“You don’t know me,” Burgess says, throwing popcorn in his mouth.
Patrick Web page’s humorlessness pays wealthy dividends in his portrayal of Kratt. And I like Aaron Tveit’s spin on George from Hair. Plus, the concept of musicals like Cabaret, Chicago, Hair and Sweeney Todd joined like slash fiction is an interesting one if you happen to’re a fan of these. (I’m, however then I like quite a lot of musicals, which makes me a member of the Schmigadoon! audience.)
★★★☆☆
Watch Schmigadoon! on Apple TV+
New episodes of Schmigadoon! season two arrive each Wednesday on Apple TV+.
Rated: TV-14
Watch on: Apple TV+
Scout Tafoya is a movie and TV critic, director and creator of the long-running video essay sequence The Unloved for RogerEbert.com. He has written for The Village Voice, Movie Remark, The Los Angeles Evaluation of Books and Nylon Journal. He’s the creator of Cinemaphagy: On the Psychedelic Classical Type of Tobe Hooper and However God Made Him A Poet: Watching John Ford within the twenty first Century, the director of 30 characteristic movies, and the director and editor of greater than 300 video essays, which will be discovered at Patreon.com/honorszombie.
