Ginny and Georgia Season 2 Review and Episode 1 Recap – The Gilmore Girls Alternative Delivers Once Again

By Daniel Hart
Published: January 5, 2023 (Last updated: 4 weeks ago)
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Ginny and Georgia Season 2 Review and Episode 1 Recap
Ginny and Georgia Season 2 (Credit - Netflix)
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Summary

Ginny and Georgia Season 2 delivers a twisted, engaging, chemistry-filled mother-daughter tale yet again.

At the back end of 2022, I rewatched the Gilmore Girls with my partner — every single episode. The shared experience opened my eyes. When I was young, I watched Gilmore Girls casually, snoozing on a Saturday morning, finding the courage to get out of bed as a lazy teenager. Now in my 30s, it struck me how incredibly written it was, from the dialogue that never felt like it was ending, the landmark monologues, the chemistry, and the bustling town at the characters’ feet. The series is truly one of a kind. We need to be less hasty when drawing critical comparisons between Ginny and Georgia and the mentioned series, even with Season 2.

Ginny and Georgia Season 2 Review and Plot Summary

Dubbed the darker Gilmore Girls, the similarities are abundantly clear. However, I have found it more fun looking for character counterparts rather than believing it’s another rerun of the same story. Who is the new Luke? Who represents Kirk? Will there be a “Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days” episode? (I hope so). 

But let’s be honest, Ginny and Georgia is more attuned to the conventional teenage drama. That doesn’t necessarily mean comparisons can die, but it’s likely to be more fruitful if we judge the show for what it is. A standalone series that draws inspiration.

I thoroughly enjoyed Season 1, and my only complaint is how long it took to get Season 2 to our screens. Apparently, the subtitles and dubbing caused the delay, making waiting for a continuation even more frustrating.

You wouldn’t think that there’s been much of a delay. It picks up perfectly where it left off. Season 2 opens with Ginny (Antonia Gentry) taking refuge at her father’s (Zion – played by Nathan Mitchell) house, unable to process what she has learned of her mother, Georgia (Brianne Howey). Trauma plays a massive part in Ginny and Georgia Season 2, as well as other mental health issues. It certainly sounds out the right messages to our teens.

From here, we have a story of chaos, where we see Ginny try to handle life as a growing teenager while Georgia does everything in her power to mask her past and seal that golden ticket by marrying the rich town Mayor Paul (Scott Porter).

The cast is, once again, fantastic. There’s a real sense of belief in the story, filtering down from the leads to the supporting cast (special mention to the character Maxine, played by Sara Waisglass, her character is a ray of sunshine). The cast keeps the story vibrant and fun and places paper over the cracks where the story arc gets flimsy.

The writers try way too hard to fit everyone in. This is an issue when you have a story with too many characters. There are too many occasions where a character is shunned, providing a slither of a story to the audience so that we can hold on to them.

Is Ginny and Georgia Season 2 any good?

It would have been interesting to see more of Maxine’s battle with her hormones as she lusts for her ex while seeking a new love interest. It would have worked if we saw more of Joe (Raymond Ablack), the Luke of the series, secretly pining for Georgia. Instead, we get snippets of these subplots, making the experience feel rushed, which is alarming considering there are ten episodes at almost an hour each.

Putting aside the bloated story, Ginny and Georgia Season 2 delivers a twisted, engaging, chemistry-filled mother-daughter tale yet again.

Ginny and Georgia Season 2 Episode 1 Recap

Ginny and Georgia Season 2 (Credit – Netflix)

Season 2 Episode 1 opens up with Ginny narrating, explaining that it used to feel like she and her mother were against the world. However, now she senses danger. She has a nightmare where her mother tries to strangle her to death. Ginny wakes up from her nightmare, and Zion checks on her. Ginny reminds herself that her mother, Georgia, murdered someone.

It’s Thanksgiving, and Marcus isn’t in a thankful mood, so he resists his family. Marcus asks Maxine if she’s talked to Ginny because she hasn’t been at school for a week, and she took his bike. Meanwhile, Paul comforts Georgia and can sense that she misses Ginny.

Georgia tries to keep it cool, but then she gets angry; she cannot believe Ginny ran off. She’s also nervous about meeting Paul’s parents.

And so, Georgia heads to Paul’s parent’s house for Thanksgiving. Georgia fits right in with her quick wit and humor. She’s impressed by how warm the family is, but then Paul’s mother asks invasive questions about her children and their fathers.

After dinner, Paul’s parents tell Paul that Georgia comes with baggage. They think there’s something off about her. Georgia overhears and wells up with tears as she keeps hearing his parents criticizing her. Georgia interrupts the conversation and gives them a warm, ironic farewell.

Meanwhile, Ginny spends Thanksgiving with Zion and his family. Ginny is repeatedly triggered by being with this side of the family. The family disagrees with how Georgia raised Ginny and makes their feelings known to Zion. Ginny overhears the conversation.

Georgia rings Zion furious; she tells him that she is not a “bad mom.” She’s picking a fight with him because she misses her children. He tells her to be the bigger person (and talk to Ginny). Afterward, Ginny argues with Zion about her mother. Zion insists that her mother misses her.

Ginny is anxious and unable to regulate her emotions when it comes to her mother. She has a panic attack. Zion asks her to breathe through it. That was Ginny’s first panic attack. Zion tells her that her mother used to get them all the time when they were younger.

In a major breakthrough, Ginny admits to her father that she hurts herself sometimes. She shows him a lighter and explains how she burns herself. It’s an upsetting scene. It must be heartbreaking seeing your child go through this. Ginny asks Zion if she can live with him.

Zion brings up her mother again, and Ginny feels dismayed that he keeps repeatedly trying to involve Georgia. She tells him that he was not there for her when he should have been. Ginny returns to town on Marcus’s bike and meets Marcus. The pair catch up awkwardly, and Ginny apologizes for how she’s acted. She asks for forgiveness.

Trying to keep up with Thanksgiving spirits, Georgia has Fry-Yay ready (they fry different foods.) It’s a tradition she has with her children. The tension between Ginny and Georgia is rife.

Why does Ginny return home?

Georgia finally gets angry at Ginny. Zion joins the conversation and explains that Ginny wants to live with him for a while. Georgia declines. Zion tries to tell Georgia that Ginny burns herself, but Ginny panics and agrees to move back in with her mother. She doesn’t want her mother to know she self-harms, so would rather return home instead.

Ginny and Georgia Season 2 Episode 1 ending

As Season 2 Episode 1 ends, Marcus climbs through Ginny’s bedroom window. He looks at her intently, and they kiss. They’ve missed each other. Ginny tells Marcus that she had to leave because of her mother. Marcus comforts Ginny and tells her that she makes sense to him. Ginny asks Marcus to stay over.

And then, a flashback; Georgia looks worried, so she locks the front door and dances with a young Ginny. She causes as much noise as possible as a man tries to break through the front door.

The opening episode of Season 2 leaves nothing to the imagination. Keeping a darker tone, the series reminds viewers why we love this story in the first place.


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