The Other Two season 2 review: trying to be famous doesn’t seem worth it anymore

Becoming famous is supposedly easier than ever. Any kid with a smartphone can do it, right? It just takes charm, courage, and maybe the right hashtag. Maybe enough money to quit your day job and post every day. Also, and this is optional I suppose, pass to a collaboration house? But again: it’s so easy that someone who doesn’t try too hard can seemingly become a success overnight, wowing their friends and family in the process. So why is it so hard for The other twoBrooke and Cary Dubak, adult siblings of teenage pop star brother Chase Dreams, will they come close to that fame? Like many people who feel entitled to elusive success, the most obvious answer is also the one they refuse to consider: Maybe it’s because they suck.

Fortunately, arrogance is an excellent comedy, and it takes a very special kind of arrogance to chase fame in the 2020s, where it seems tantalizingly close and maddeningly distant at the same time. Through the increasingly desperate tribulations of Brooke (Heléne Yorke) and Cary (Drew Tarver), the HBO series Max The other two examines the ways in which modern fame is persecuted and denied. His target audience is anyone who has gasped or laughed at a TMZ headline, who follows celebrities on Instagram, or who wonders, even briefly, if it is possible to withdraw from TikTok money.

The show enjoys both the broad embarrassing comedy stemming from Brooke or Cary’s stance as well as bigger offerings than they actually are: the former assumes a quick portrait photo is actually a multi-hour fashion shoot, the latter opens a Cameo account and it quickly becomes too friendly with fans who aren’t actually that into it, and very specific jokes that require a bit more celebrity gossip literacy. The episodes include jokes about a revelation party for a new brother Hadid, highlight a character who is clearly an analog of Justin Bieber’s former celebrity pastor Carl Lentz, and feature a meeting with ChristSong, a ridiculously modern church where it is possible to meet the producer of a Riverdale spin-off about Goldilocks. (Yes, the fairy tale who met the three bears.)

Photo: HBO Max

Created by ex Saturday night live writers Chris Kelly and Sarah Schnieder, The other twoThe 10-episode first season aired on Comedy Central in late 2018, a little-seen cult classic that bolstered the sharp banter with excellent twists from actors like Ken Marino (Party Down, Agent Carter) as space manager Streeter Peters, and Molly Shannon (The white lotus, promising young woman) as sweet theater mom Pat Dubak. Almost three years later, the series has been revived as an HBO Max original, the only real differences being the post-pubescence of Chase Dreams and the amount of profanity per episode.

In its new season, The other two He doesn’t just lash out at celebrity culture. In essence, it is primarily a family comedy about desperate social climbers who could be happy if you learned to be happy for others. Cary, whose dating weaknesses characterized much of season 1, is now in a relationship that terrifies him. Brooke, whose goallessness marked her arc last season, now has a potential career as a manager in front of her, but she refuses to hug her because she worries about being pigeonholed. The Dubak brothers’ constant struggle for attention contrasts with the sweetness of their really famous brother, who just wants to make music, despite the mania that naturally follows him as a teenage pop star. Similarly, her mother Pat has been nothing more than supportive to her children, and it is unlikely that she was rewarded with a daytime talk show where she is becoming famous just for providing support on national television.

Cary and Brooke refuse to internalize this, of course; if they didn’t, The other two it wouldn’t be a great comedy. Some things about chasing fame always remain the same, after all, like the fine line between determination and the self-deception that comes with ambition. Cary and Brooke fall firmly at the bottom end of that continuum, but in 2021, it’s not impossible to empathize with them.

Photo: HBO Max

Wanting to be famous in the age of influencers doesn’t have to be a pure ego. It is also the only conceivable way to gain the generosity that some members of the older generation were able to enjoy without much thought. In the ashes of the present and the future of the current generation, the bill for past excesses is about to expire, and every smartphone seems to have a way out. Beneath the self-absorbed despair of Cary and Brooke’s quest for fame is something extremely recognizable: the fear that if this doesn’t work, there may be nothing else for them, no other way to find meaning, purpose, or security.

In the warmer moments of the show, the Dubaks are pushed beyond their superficial urges toward more meaningful connections with each other and with their work. At their darkest, fame and wealth are golden parachutes to save you from an otherwise miserable life down here with the rest of the people. After all, getting famous is so easy your little brother could do it. There’s no way you can suck Right?

The other two now airs on HBO Max, with new episodes on Thursdays.