If you came to “UnREAL” well after its first season aired, you’d be forgiven. Lifetime wasn’t exactly known for prestige television, and a scripted look behind the scenes at a “The Bachelor”-type show didn’t seem to have the pedigree required to distract people from whatever series led by another white male antihero they were obsessed with at the time. Co-created by Marti Noxon and Sarah Gertrude Shapiro, the first year of the show built buzz week after week and in the months since it aired with a combo of juicy drama, cutting dialogue and insightful satire. While the first season largely focused on feminist issues, power dynamics and the myths of reality TV, the second season expands its commentary to discuss race. Just like its first year, “UnREAL” is not here to make friends, so expect to gasp at least a few times per episode. This is sharp, biting TV, peopled by unlikable characters doing cruel things to each other for the sake of ratings. And it’s a ton of fun.
In the two episodes available to press, the reality show-within-a-show “Everlasting” casts its first black suitor in 14 seasons with pro football player Darius Hill (B.J. Britt). Producers Quinn King (Constance Zimmer) and Rachel Goldberg (Shiri Appleby) don’t let the network brass forget the implications of this. I don’t recommend playing a drinking game where you do a shot every time they mention how historic the casting is. Given that both “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette,” the real-life equivalents of “Everlasting,” still haven’t featured a black person at their center, I’m willing to forgive Quinn and Rachel for harping on this. This is a big deal, even though it shouldn’t be in 2016. As with everything else on “UnREAL,” their motives for casting Darius aren’t pure. They see the drama and the ratings inherent in their choice, particularly when they invite a Southern belle famous for posing in a Confederate flag bikini to the mansion.
Meanwhile, after being ousted for his antics in the first season finale, showrunner Chet (Craig Bierko) has shed a love for carbs and drugs — and about 50 pounds — while on a paleo retreat in Patagonia. He takes the caveman philosophy beyond his diet, and he returns to “Everlasting” determined to take control of his show, unseating Quinn from the top spot. Quinn and Rachel had deepened their bond after the season one finale’s on-air shitshow and resulting mutual lovefest, even going so far to get matching tattoos: “Money Dick Power.” But Chet’s return upsets their balance and sends Rachel back to the trenches. As presented in the first two episodes “War” and “Insurgent,” this plotline feels like it will be the central conflict driving the second season, which is unfortunate. Chet’s MRA-influenced version of the show will have zero appeal for the audience he and Quinn have built over the years, and as good as Bierko usually is, the show plods to a halt every time he appears here. There’s a lack of logic to his decisions on “Everlasting” and off. He’s over the top and moronic even for Chet, which is saying something for a guy who spent last season as a coke-snorting, on-set-blowjob-receiving idiot.
While Quinn and Rachel are jockeying for position on the show, they’re each at the top of the list of greatest characters currently on TV. They’re antiheroes who display a naked ambition that feels fresh for women on television, and they’re each believably monstrous in their own way as they seek to create the best show possible, not caring who gets hurt in the process–as long as they get it on camera. Rachel seems more put together this season, trading a black hoodie for a Helmut Lang blazer and ignoring calls from last season’s suitor Adam. But her mental health issues still are a challenge, and ex-love and current DP Jeremy (Josh Kelly) isn’t making things easier. She’s a fascinating combination of self-destruction and drive, and she’s simultaneously at her best and worst when she’s running the show at “Everlasting.” Her quick succession of promotion and demotion in the battle between Quinn and Chet threatens to feel repetitive as she’s back doing the dirty work on “UnREAL.” Quinn is a different kind of monster, played with great energy and wit by Zimmer. She and Rachel are both hard-working women who crave winning, but they remain entirely distinct in how their desires manifest. Zimmer is best with the zingiest of the show’s lines, relishing dialogue like “Wifeys, bitches and sluts, oh my!” They’re often at odds in these two episodes, but I’m happiest when they’re more friends than rivals, united against an outside foe.
Some of depictions of black characters on “UnREAL” are still problematic, but it’s great to see this many people of color interacting with each other on a show outside of Shondaland. Blackness isn’t represented by a single type or experience here, even if Quinn and Rachel still often adhere to character stereotypes to help market “Everlasting.” With the current conversation about race in the real world, the timing of this season is smart. If it helps push ABC into finally casting a black Bachelor or Bachelorette, all the better, but at the very least, it will hopefully spur discussions for change beyond reality TV.
“UnREAL” displays equal talent in soapy drama, incisive satire and bitchy dialogue. It’s not “All About Eve,” but there’s a sense of fun in the malice. Fasten your seat belts, viewers. It’s going to be a bumpy night — and you’re going to love it. If the season can move beyond or better explain Chet’s return and thinking, it has the opportunity to best a stellar first year. [B+]
“unREAL” airs Mondays at 10 PM on Lifetime.
