Catastrophe intriguingly continues the saga of Rob and Sharon several years into their growing family
Imagine that every comedy on television was as honest and funny as Amazon’s Catastrophe. The streaming show flew under the radar last year, but received stellar reviews for its first six episodes. The only complaint that I have after watching the first two episodes of the second season is that each season is too short. Creators and stars Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney have some of the most effortless chemistry on any comedy currently airing. One might write off Catastrophe as a television version of Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up, but the second season delves into something more adult and serious without abandoning its sharp comedic tone.
When we last left Rob and Sharon, her water broke after the beginning of a vicious fight. Instead of picking up immediately in a hospital room or extending the birthing sequence, the second season opens a few years later when Rob and Sharon have their second child. Now living in a house with two children, a dog, and Rob’s mother (whose departure isn’t clear), our sarcastic couple is definitely feeling the pangs of parenthood and trying to keep everything together.
When a friend comments about Sharon’s new situation, she replies, “Yeah, it’s what I’ve always wanted. Apparently.”
There is a noticeable darkness around the beginning of Catastrophe‘s second season, but that’s a part of being an adult after abandoning your single life. Sharon is beginning to feel a post-natal depression while Rob is stuck in a job he hates to support his family. It appears that Sharon’s father is beginning to show signs of dementia. There’s even a death in the first episode. Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s not all doom and gloom. The writing had me laughing out loud in the first two episodes.
Sharon and Rob remind me of the type of couple who fit perfectly together, but if they were apart people might stare at them because of the things that they say. Horgan and Delaney flow between flirtation, anger, and sweetness in a relaxed and loving way. When these two fight, they hurl insults at each other to hurt, and some of the barbs actually sting. If they need to stand by each other, however, it’s very sweet (the end of the second episode is great).
Amazon has a slew of streaming shows, but Catastrophe doesn’t seem to garner the same amount of attention as any Netflix counterpart. It’s is an example of a show that you’re not watching. It may only be six episodes, but it is one of the only shows out there that I would immediately watch all over again.
Catastrophe season two streams on Amazon Prime beginning April 8.
