'This Way Up' Season 2: Aisling Bea's Mental Health Comedic Drama With Sharon Hogan Features Great Performances, But Needs More Therapeutic Time [Review]

Explorations of mental health have become increasingly common in comedy-dramas over the last few years, from Lady Dynamite to ”You’re The Worst” to ”Fleabag.” Something about the structure of a 22-minute, often short season show lends itself perfectly to the topic, allowing for an equal balance of seriousness and levity. 

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Created by and starring Irish actress and comedian Aisling Bea, Hulu’s “This Way Up” returns for a second season after a nearly two-year hiatus. The comedy-drama follows the ups and downs of Irish immigrant Áine (Bea) in London following a mental breakdown. To recap: In the show’s pilot, Áine’s sister Shona (Sharon Horgan) checks her out from a several weeks long stay at a rehab center. Much of the first season explores their close relationship while Áine struggles with recovery. The season ended with Áine returning to therapy, finally actively choosing to work on herself.

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Like the pilot, season two also begins with the two sisters together, this time spending 45 minutes in an oppressively steamy sauna discussing life and relationships. This serves as a nice call back to the pilot’s opening sequence in which they discuss the ways rehab was not like the brochure – no jacuzzis! Through their sweat-filled conversation, we get caught up with where the series’ two leads are in their respective love lives after the previous season’s cliffhangers.

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Having accepted her boyfriend’s proposal at the end of the previous season, Shona is now set to marry Vish (Aasif Mandvi) in two months. Lest we forget, however, Shona and her work partner Charlotte (Indira Varma) shared a passionate kiss at the end of the previous season – something she hasn’t shared with anyone, including her sister. This big secret weighs heavily on Shona for much of the season.

In many ways, Shona’s life in season one acted as a guidepost for Áine. Shona was in a serious relationship. Áine was on-again with a toxic-ex (Chris Geere). Shona had started a new business with her partner Charlotte. Áine was secretly flirting with Richard (Tobias Menzies), the father of one of her ESL students. But this season, we learn that Shona’s life is just as messy as her younger sister’s. The kiss with Charlotte was an indicator of a far more serious relationship than was shown. With Vish away on a business trip for much of the season, Shona is left to grapple with her feelings for both. Horgan’s comedic skills shine brightest in moments where Shona’s confidence falters in the midst of the conflicting emotions she’s been long suppressing. 

Like Shona, Áine has her sights set on starting a business as well, partnering with her boss James (Ekow Quartey) to launch their own ESL school. This exciting new opportunity is shaky, though, as Áine has embarked on a full-blown relationship with Richard. Much of Áine’s growth this season is rooted in this relationship. From her eventual realization that she truly loves her job while teaching his son to the way, she deals with the moral grey area in which she finds herself as they hide their relationship from more and more people. Bea has a knack for channeling the awkward energy of social anxiety into a veritable fountain of charm. But she also allows the audience just enough of a peek into the cracks of this veneer to know things are still not really okay, despite outward signs of professional and romantic success. 

Áine’s path towards mental health, who she shares her journey with, and how she copes is still a major theme of the series, although it seems less of a priority this season, which is a shame because some of the best moments come when Áine sees herself reflected in the eyes of others. In one scene, Shona says to her, “Sometimes you talk like you’re the only one who’s ever sad. It’s annoying.” The two sisters have created a codependent relationship based on Shona being the caretaker of Áine’s mess, but in doing so, they’ve lost the nuance of each other’s humanity. The final sequence of the season restores a balance, as it is Áine who for once has to come to Shona in her time of need. 

Another great moment comes when a vulnerable Richard tells her, “You always lift me up. You’re always so up.” Here we see Bea’s strength as an actor, the masterful way the change in her expression shows her realization that this man she’s been so intimate with doesn’t really know her at all. She hasn’t shared with him that side of herself. What Richard doesn’t see is that Áine uses humor to deflect from her sadness. When Richard takes her to meet an old friend, she overhears him say she seems like, “A messy bitch who lives for drama.” Which, while not an entirely accurate description, is probably a bit closer to her true self than she’s shown Richard up to this point. 

Along with the newfound self-awareness that others see her differently than she sees herself, Áine takes great steps toward recovery. In one episode, her flatmate Bradley (Kadiff Kirwan) finds her eating over the sink rather than using a plate. He tells her that sitting down and preparing a meal shows your soul you care. After emotionally spiraling later in the episode, she steals his bike and nearly gets hit by a car. A dazed Áine returns to their flat grateful to be alive and makes herself a meal she eats, sitting down properly at their table. Baby steps. 

The final few episodes of the season dip into the reality of COVID-19 and quarantine, hinting at an impending lockdown via snippets of Boris Johnson on the news, casual shots of people wearing masks in the background, and jokes about how weird it is that people weren’t already always washing their hands. This is handled deftly in the plot, as Shona’s bachelorette party is affected – her Irish friends cannot fly in for the festivities. It also adds a punch to the cliffhanger ending, as Vish manages to get the final flight out of NYC back to London, theoretically in time for their impending wedding. 

While the show balances its many themes and characters well, in the end, it feels a bit rushed. The number of plotlines left hanging after the final episode are ultimately unsatisfying. I love a good cliffhanger, but it would be nice to have a few more bows tied by the end of a season. Áine’s journey to land back in therapy in the last episode also feels a bit shoehorned. As a final text screen indicates, if the show aims to remind people to find a little hope, I think we can mark it as a success. These are fun characters, and I enjoy spending time with them; I just wish they’d had more time to let all the excess plot breathe a little more.  [C+]