In terms of the storyline, what developed seemed to be a focused attempt to recapture the lightning that was evident in the show’s first season, an effort that missed the mark more often than not. I wished that I had not gorged myself on the season one DVDs to the point that I was asked by my fiancée to “refrain for no less than one year.” Ironically, it is the availability of Conchords on DVD that could have allowed the producers to feel free to have the characters do things in the story instead of parading them in front of us for a re-introduction. It was good to see that Conchord-stalking Mel (Kristen Schaal), as well as indifferent friend-of-the-band Dave (Arj Barker), are back, but they seemed more like cameo performers than the integral characters on which the previous season relied. At times it felt as though I was watching a Flight of the Conchords reunion special, such was the stiffness of the story and dialogue.
Whether the Conchords needed more downtime or less downtime is probably known only to the creative team behind the show. Perhaps, too, my expectations were made higher by the length of separation, but I do not think I will stand out from other viewers in that regard.
Despite the shaky departure, I still have a strong feeling that the team behind Conchords will level off and get back to delivering the kind of material that hooked millions on first view. A quick scan of future episodes offers a lot of territory for the New Zealand duo to get back in the groove best suited to them.
With the immense talent shared by the show’s brains - McKenzie, Clement, and Bobin - it is a safe bet that continued viewing will be rewarded with more original comedy of the sort that made the show a viral hit. I sincerely hope so. I look forward to seeing the show achieve its former shine and reach its full potential. Then I can write a review of the Flight of the Conchords season two DVD set proclaiming it both side-splitting and Emmy-winning.
Article comments
1 - kkaiba
Yep, I agree with this review of the first episode of season 2. It's so often the case that a show decreases in quality after a long break. Futurama and Family Guy come to mind! The makers of these shows need to really get to the essence of what made the show a success in the first place and completly break it down.
2 - mikeyb
yes i also agree. but we should remember that maybe 80-90% of the songs in season one had been honed over years of the conchords doing their brilliant stage-show. and these high quality and hilarious numbers were then written into each of the episodes.
so for series two i suspect they had to pretty quickly write 24 new tunes. and this will inevitably lead to lower quality.
fingers crossed they get better than episode 1
3 - JRO
I think that this episode was more like a buffer episode to completely get rid of the cliff hanger from the season 1 finale. After this they will definitely get back to their regular hilariousness.