Amy Schumer’s Life & Beth season 2 was just released on Hulu and Disney+. It’s not just another light-hearted comedy show; it’s full of heart, humor, and humanity. It balances the heavier moments well with scenes that open pathways for important conversations on those issues.
The show is light-hearted for the most part but it does have a gravitas that shows with similar premises that don’t get within a continent of.
In short, it’s one of the best series out there.
I was able to review the movie and talk about spoilers below!
Season 2 follows Beth (Schumer) and John’s (Michael Cera) wedding, the birth of their child, John’s autism diagnosis as well as getting older with that being a chapter of its own all while Amy deals with ghosts from her past. Despite all this going on, the series is wonderfully paced. Nothing feels rushed or forced.
The friendships from Season one continue into season 2. We see a clear character development continuing from the end of the 1st season where Beth decides to put herself first even though her friends and sister often shut her down or walk away from her. We see Beth being more aware of this and while she’s not sure what to do; it is also very clear she doesn’t like the feeling. In an appointment with her doctor, Beth speaks out about something her doctor said that she didn’t like, which is something I don’t think season one Beth would have done. It also lets a vulnerable moment be a teaching moment as well, telling women it’s okay to say something if you are not comfortable with how or what your doctor says and you won’t be laughed at as her character wasn’t.
This type of consistent character development is missing from many shows. It doesn’t throw it in your face with a sudden and complete 360 but is gradually introduced. Many times this occurs, there is always this silent pause of sorts where Beth looks around as if she’s saying to herself: wow, did that just happen? But I’m not dealing with that. I’m doing me. Schumer pulls it off beautifully with a mix of humor and vulnerability.
That attitude is consistently built upon little by little. However, the tone is set right away at the beginning of the season when Beth decides she won’t be hanging the decision to get married so quickly if her sister will come or not as well as her slightly confrontational discussion about how their first day as a married couple wasn’t quite appropriate in her eyes; if my new husband of less than 24 hours decided to play basketball with others all day rather than spend the first day of our marriage with me, I’d be upset too. But instead of letting those feelings go unaddressed and build up over the season, they talk about it. This is something I don’t think is encouraged enough in series and movies. Regardless if it’s for storylines and tension, you never see couples coming out and saying what they need and what is generally expected. The latter is an important issue as John is autistic and certain aspects of his character and personality are very blunt and do some things that are not considered socially appropriate. For instance, John doesn’t understand when and why a white lie is considered socially appropriate. However, instead of
getting angry or upset, Beth talks to John about the issues.
Communication within relationships, whether it be romantic, familial, or friendship, is a consistent theme. As for Michael Cera, “In this season, it’s just trying to make a relationship work and I love watching these two doing that and playing it. That’s just very rich and very relatable and very universal and you know, just endlessly fascinating to me.”
As I mentioned, Beth becomes pregnant, and the show has a wonderful montage where it accelerates the pregnancy. Art imitates life as many things that Beth went through during her pregnancy, including going to a different house, were based on what Amy went through during her pregnancy, which can be seen in her 2020 documentary Expecting Amy. They do a great job of inserting comedy without belittling Beth’s needs or desires. It is also a great commentary on how sometimes pregnant women, especially older ones, aren’t always treated with respect. Instead of everything being a joke or a comedy bit you see Beth being vulnerable and uncomfortable with how she’s being treated, but she decides to speak out. Amy also drew inspiration from her life growing up on Long Island. There are a lot of flashbacks, with some being more poignant and powerful than others. Amy directed some of the most poignant and powerful moments.
When I asked Amy about how she decided what to include, she said, “The flashbacks were the most emotional sort of triggering for me to shoot. I wanted to show the hope, the hopeful outlook that she had and then I had, and how I was met with a lot of pain and trauma, like I think probably most of us are. And I wanted to show the anti-Semitism that I encountered growing up. Also, the sexual assault and how when we think about those things we think we know what it looks like. It’s one sort of thing, but it’s not this thing that we’re used to seeing on Law and Order. Those scenes are very powerful, and well-handled ones that I think are sure to start many discussions.”
John is diagnosed with autism. That storyline began after Amy noticed more than a few common actions and attitudes that John shared with a friend’s child who was on the spectrum. Michael Cera does a beautiful job at portraying a fiance, husband, and father-to-be while he comes to terms with being diagnosed on the autistic spectrum.
Something Life & Beth does very well is to point out that while John is on the spectrum, he isn’t just an autistic person; he is a person who has autism. They don’t let the diagnosis be John’s defining trait, sending another powerful message that a person may be autistic but they aren’t autistic; there is more to people than a diagnosis. They are individuals with their own personalities, strengths, weaknesses, and passions. That lesson can be transposed to anyone with any sort of diagnosis, including physical disabilities. We also see Beth’s father go through his struggles, as he often forgets what he’s said. There is a complex relationship that always existed that is shown both in current and flashbacks, just like there is with any parent/child relationship when there are unspoken issues. In season one, we see her father was somewhat forgetful. However, we see the same behaviors continue into the present day, making one wonder if he was suffering from neurological issues in the past as well. It makes his effort to see his children and do things for them more complicated than a forgetful or absent father. I could also be reading too much into it, but this is something the series constantly does; it presents you with a situation and then you see another scene either in a flashback or present day where you go, wait a minute, this situation isn’t that clear cut. Things aren’t sugar-coated for the most part. There are small issues with other secondary and tertiary characters that are teased and possible arcs if they have a season 3.
Another issue that the characters deal with is relationships, which Michael Cera (John) said was his favorite arc. “In this season, I think an endlessly fascinating area, for me, is just trying to make a relationship work and I love watching these two doing that and playing it, that’s just very rich and very relatable and very universal and you know, just endlessly fascinating to me.”
Meanwhile, Amy wasn’t able to choose one. “I really like all of their arcs. I think you definitely see some dynamic characters this season and just as our new season came to mind, where you know, you find yourself in these situations you never thought you’d be.”
I happen to agree with Amy that the characters have distinctive arcs and some of them are in unique situations where there are choices made that you don’t see coming. That results in not just great storylines but intriguing, realistic, and some very funny situations. Beth is basically the big sister to learn from that we need.
With the life changes the characters go through, I asked Amy and Michael what advice they would give themselves when they were 20 and when they were in their early 30s. The actors are 42 and 35, respectively. Both of them had very prolific answers:
Amy- “I just think, you know, every year we look back at the year before and we go oh, I looked so good and I looked so young. And you know, that’s kind of reflected in the show to be in your 20s Like, I feel like I’d be like, not that happy with how I look. Just appreciate, trying to appreciate the skin you’re in right now. And instead of looking back or wishing things were a different way. Yeah, in my 20s I would have just been like, you should pose nude.”
Michael- “The 20s I think are like, a rough draft of life. You’re supposed to just be a mess. And learn a lot from it. It’s just a lot of it’s like the sandbox time.”
They both agreed that people in their twenties are now generally on social media, which isn’t always a good thing.
All in all, Season 2 is a moving and thought-provoking season that tackles difficult topics while maintaining a sense of humor, heart, representation, and growth. Make no mistake, it is a lot of fun to watch with a lot of laughs. You won’t even realize you’re binge-watching it.
You can check out Life & Beth on Hulu and Disney Plus.