Summary
The Netflix series is a hit again, with The Letdown Season 2 continuing to show a realistic, yet humorous view of parenting and finding your purpose again.
The Letdown’s most prominent strength is its honesty. The Netflix series knows the truth. Bringing a child into this world sucks. The keywords are depression, sleep deprivation, hunger, unhygienic, helpless, emotional, energy-sapping, socially inept, but worst of all, it’s scary all wrapped up into at least two years.
When your one mission is to ensure that a helpless human survives until they can look after themselves in this world, which involves staring at the cot all night, ensuring they are breathing rather than getting 2 hours broken sleep, your soul is almost finished.
Importantly, the parts we cling to are the smiles, the first steps, the first time they taste something good, and that beautiful first word. That’s what we sell to potential parents, but The Letdown Season 2 doesn’t; it sells reality.
And then there’s that moment where you pretend you are invincible; of course, you can go out for a coffee in a 2-hour window with your baby napping in the pram? That seems reasonable, right? Then, when you reach the barista, you find yourself asking for a takeaway cup as your little angel (demon) will not stop screaming to the delight of irritable customers, and you spill a perfectly warm latte on your white shirt as the pram vibrations get a bit too much for you. Why the hell did you wear a white shirt?
And that’s where Season 2 comes in, which picks up immediately after its predecessor. Audrey’s story opens up with her planning a first Birthday party, which is a party no one should ever plan. However, she’s convinced she needs to make it into a big event; she gets her hair done, buys the best decorations, bakes all the food, and tries to set up this scenario where she and her husband can be the cornerstone of hospitality.
While season 1 was about the trials and tribulations of becoming a new mother, Season 2 tells the story of mothers trying to find their purpose in the world again. The crux of the genre is a comedy, but The Letdown is a series of case studies of parental issues. It almost feels anthological.
Season 2 tackles family planning, stigma, depleting sex lives, and almost diminished social lives. The cast pulls it out of the bag again with a range of on-point performances that add emotional depth to the comedy. I believe the Netflix series can survive four seasons, showing the cycle of motherhood up to their child’s teenage years. There’s longevity in this story.
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