I was a huge fan of season one, that sharp, satirical humor really worked for me and I rated it pretty high, so I went into this season with high hopes. Unfortunately it let me down hard. Not only did the jokes just not land for me this time, I actually found myself checking out and bored during nearly every episode. Honestly I'm not shocked the show got cancelled after this season. Same as before, it's ten episodes, each about twenty minutes long. Same cast is back, but everything felt off somehow. Alvarez's character Mr Evans shifts from being this loveable mess who deals with life through neurotic charm into more of a grown man trying desperately to fit into some kind of Bro Code Brotherhood of America thing. We've still got Malcolm as the boyfriend, Gwen as his high energy best friend, Markie the gym teacher, plus the principal and Rick. Evan and Malcolm are officially a couple now, but things are rocky between them. Markie's still saying offensive stuff with go...
Teenager Link (white father and Mi’kmaw mother) lives with his father and half brother Travis. He father is physically abusive and Link is trying everything to hide the fact that he is two-spirit. When he can't take the abuse anymore, in his desperation to escape, he finds out that his father has been lying to him about his mother's death. She is still very much alive. Link runs away with Travis in search of his mother, who may or may not want him. They meet a stranger Pasmay, their angel in guard who a full-blooded Mi’kmaw and openly two-spirit, making a living by travelling around and performing traditional dances at social events. Link is uncomfortable about the situation at first, perhaps because of Pasmay’s obvious attraction to him, which he doesn’t know how to process until his younger brother tells him that he is obviously attracted to him. This is where the tourney of the trip start in search of Link's mother but in the process Link gradually lets his guard down with Pasmay, leading a tender romance whose inevitability Travis seems to be aware of before he is. He also meets many Mi’kmaw people on the way who want to help him as their own and he is slowly learning to let go off his white privilege.
The film comes with its pros and cons. I particularly enjoy films that talks about cultures, especially when we know so little about them. Combine those with a little queer angle, and you have me sold. This is definitely a huge win for this film. But there are events and scenes in this film which go on and on forever. I understand that the director wants us to show the the trio are enjoying rediscovering themselves living an outdoor life in search on Link's mother and are quite happy as well but they get repetitive after a while. I would have much rather preferred to see more scenes between Link and Pasmay than just the one scene of swim and love making at night. (Which by the way, is one of the most romantic, erotic and sensual at the same time scenes I have seen in recent times. It has that dreamy like sequence). The two leading actors have amazing chemistry and they act really well, especially Link who internalizes his struggle of his origins, his two-spirit and his inability to connect with either of those combined with the whole sexual realization too. It is not an easy role to play but the actor does an amazing job. We do have some other characters who come in and out taking in more of a mystic significance who show up just to help Link in his journey but somehow they al fit together.
So, having a tighter screenplay where we see a little less of Link, Pasmay and Travis swimming or road tripping and a lot more of that cute budding glances and romance between the two leading men would have made this film extra special. And also a shorter run time because at almost two hours of running time, it feels lot longer than it ended to be. This is a film which celebrates self-realisation and taking chances with two very charming leading men. (6/10)
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