And that’s another season of Staged on the books. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the expanding layers of meta at first, but ultimately, I enjoyed it just as much as series 1 and think it’s just as successful at capturing the particular stage of the pandemic in which it takes place. For the sake of society, I hope we won’t find ourselves in need of a third season, but the two seasons we have gotten have really hit the spot “in these unprecedented times.”
In the season finale, the goals and plans that David and Michael set out at the start of the season look like they might finally be about to come to pass. Not in the way they at first envisioned them, but still, it seems like something’s going to happen at last. And they’re not sure how they feel about it. Meanwhile, Georgia, Anna, and Lucy get ready to perform their charity sketch.
No guest stars this time around, just the “characters” we’ve come to know and love. As with the season 1 finale, it gets a little sweeter and more sentimental, but without sacrificing the laughs in the process. I like seeing Michael and David both feeling hesitant now that the momentum they’ve been waiting for so long finally appears to be on their doorsteps. It’s a combination of feelings that I think a lot of people have experienced now in 2021, that mix of, “Is this real? Can I trust it this time?”, “Can I still do this? Who am I after this past year?”, and, “What does ‘a return to normal’ even look like anymore?” As always, the show hits the nail on the head with the characters’ frustrations, anxieties, and existential crises – the boys admit they’ve only made it through with their sanity “intact-ish,” and that’s a very relatable sensation.
I once again enjoy the Georgia-Anna-Lucy stuff. Georgia gets the most material, since she’s balancing a Zoom call with the ladies while also trying to get David to stop dawdling with Michael and get a move on, but all three of them get in some fun lines in their scenes together. As much as all three of them have needed to lean into the “strong women helping fragile men” trope (which the episode explicitly acknowledges,) I like that this season has given them more moments that are just for them.
A very satisfying finale for David Tennant. He plays David’s swirl of conflicting feelings very well, both in the scenes where he’s trying to hide his uncertainties and in the ones where he’s being more honest and open about them. I’ve said it before, but I really admire how delicate and needy Tennant has let himself be portrayed throughout this series. The show plays constantly on David’s insecurities, but in a roundabout way, it actually takes a pretty secure person to to portray a fictionalized version of themselves in that manner. And it pays off big time – petty, fragile, not-all-that-intellectual David is really funny and at the same time oddly compelling. This is a character that’s resonated with me a lot through the pandemic, and I appreciate the honesty that goes into Tennant’s performance.
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