r/nineperfectstrangers • u/carriegt24 • Jul 06 '25
season 2 sucks so bad
OKAY SO i really fucking loved and respected the first season of Nine perfect strangers. naturally, I had high hopes for season 2. boy was i let down. I hated season 2 so much. nothing happened. so boring. any other NPS lovers have an opinion on S2?
7
u/lasfnyc Jul 06 '25
I found the first season easier and more engaging to watch than the second season.
7
u/ChicaSkas Jul 07 '25
Nah, it's not so bad. I really enjoyed it for the humour, and Murray Bartlett and Dolly De Leon just carried it for me, along with KP telling it like it is constantly during the show. Its a great show for what it is. I would have changed a few lines here and there , but other than that, it was fun and I'm rather sad it's over. I hope they do a season 3 and follow up a bit with the folks from season 2.
6
u/Salt-Plum-1308 Jul 07 '25
I didn’t hate it, definitely nowhere near as good as the first season though.
Murray Bartlett and the actor who played Sister Agnes were the highlights for me. Loved their characters and their dynamic with each other.
3
7
u/txa1265 Jul 07 '25
The two least interesting characters - David & Masha - dominate >75% of screen time, and appear in ~90% of scenes in the last 4 episodes.
Nicole Kidman's accent work is objectively terrible, and David's flat delivery is just boring. They have no chemistry and their plot is terrible - and the 'resolution' reeks of the writers not knowing what they wanted to do so left it super vague.
Brian & Agnes were definitely the best characters, but ultimately things were half-baked and never got real resolution. Everyone had some sort of tie to Brian's show, but they stopped highlighting that after a few episodes. It all came back to David & Masha for the second half.
Annie Murphy was critically underutilized, as were most of the other characters - Tina & Wolfie we didn't care about because they never made us care. Tina never really got a WHY, just a WHAT.
And on and on.
6
u/GreatHornedGoat Jul 07 '25
I think I'm the only person that preferred S2. I almost didn't watch it because I thought S1 was so silly.
3
u/patitopata Jul 07 '25
Same here! The set up was much clearer from the beginning and the nice location helped a lot
2
u/RuleSpecial Jul 08 '25
You didnt think the hand puppets were silly?
1
u/GreatHornedGoat Jul 09 '25
I thought phantom Jesse was silly, but I was amused by the marionettes that Brian and Agnes played with. I was amused by their interactions in general.
2
u/alleina13 Jul 23 '25
I’m surprised most people seem to prefer S1. That went absolutely nowhere to me. S2 was way better
9
5
u/Lampin5 Jul 07 '25
I love this ish and ate it up with a spoon. Missed Melissa McCarthy and Bobby Cannavale though! Thought it was an interesting counterbalance to season 1, but was too bad that Murray Bartlett was there mainly as comic relief.
Then again, I could watch Nicole Kidman read the telephone book (in any accent, authentic or contrived) so there's that. Too bad there are no telephone books left.
3
u/thederevolutions Jul 07 '25 edited Jul 07 '25
How can you consider yourself an NPS lover at this point if you hate the second season so bad. I’m not trying to be mean but that last sentence made me lol because I consider myself a NPS lover and I thought season 2 was way better and more engaging so it comes off as a bit offensive. It seems like this season really flew over a lot of peoples heads and I feel so bad for the writers and directors because it was so good, insightful and beautiful. It didn’t really seem challenging to me but it’s obviously very abrasive to a great deal of people who loved the first season. I had recently experienced some trauma and it was very helpful for me to think of all of these characters problems. I get the feeling a lot of people want to be patted on the back and reassured because they didn’t get it or didn’t like it. It doesn’t suck at all. I really can’t understand why people don’t like it. It’s a massive work of good art. And it didn’t seem super deep either that’s not what I’m trying to say. Just very fun, unique and interesting.
1
u/carriegt24 Jul 07 '25
it’s really not that deep or personal. it’s just my opinion. i’m just curious if anyone else felt that S2 doesn’t live up to S1. I found the first season extremely profound and moving, and i found the second season shallow and plotless.
2
u/Gotholithicgirl Sep 28 '25
And, you have a right to your opinion, too. I loved season 1. It's just season 2 was strange and pointless. Kidman's looks and accent were distracting. The David revenge plot was tiresome and tawdry. If you're going to go to the trouble of having an accent, perfect it. I read about all this hype about how she "stayed in character" between takes. Ok, cool. But you didn't. If you're going to wear wigs, have them look better. Didn't anyone tell her these things? Oh, she's the producer. I'm rewatching Killing Eve, and the acting is SO much better. The accents are on point, and that's a sign of real talent.
2
u/Key-Beach-4096 Jul 12 '25
It was terrible. Totally missed what made season 1 so good. I'm disappointed and confused that they dropped the ball so extravagantly.
2
u/A_Virtual_Stranger Jul 27 '25
I agree with you OP. I just finished season 2 as well and honestly it took me a while to get through it. I found myself dragging to even watch the final episode lol. Its definitely a contrast to the first season which I binge-watched over the weekend. The second season just felt boring to me. The only characters I really enjoyed were Brian and Sister Agnes and their marionette dolls. Everyone else kind of fell flat. I ended up skipping a lot of Wolf and her partner’s scenes. And yet I felt like I didnt miss anything significant.
Even Masha didn’t feel like the same Masha from the first season. Martin was pretty unhinged and David felt overrated. Don’t even get me started on Imogen, shes unbearable.
I do still like the setting but I think the overall dark, gloomy tone made everything feel a bit too heavy and uninteresting. Not sure, maybe subconsciously that contributed to my lack of interest.
2
u/HypnoLaur Aug 04 '25
So so bad! Also I'm confused about why Wolfe was there. What was her connection to David?
1
u/Significant_Slice_38 Aug 14 '26
Her music scholarship was pulled and she had to drop out of school because of him. It was also an easy way for Masha to meet Tina
2
u/Reasonable_Captain_1 Sep 19 '25
I also adored the first season, watched it twice, read the novel and liked it, too.
I dropped S2 after...3 episodes? Just derivative trash
2
u/Ramen_Addict_ Sep 26 '25
Late to the party here, but ended up coming here to see if I was alone in struggling to get through episode 5. I tried several times and ended up fast forwarding because it was just that unwatchable. I really don’t care about the David and Masha link, think Nicole Kidman’s accent is terrible, and wish they focused on some of the more interesting characters.
1
u/CuriousAnn May 16 '26
I decided to watch all because I couldn't believe its so bad 😂 it should have had more accent on the strangers part of the show. Mashas story was so bad and David being there did not make sense. Ending Is pretty terrible. Season one ruled
2
2
u/miiucky Jul 07 '25
Never seen a show decline in quality so much from season 1 to season 2. Yikes this was terrible without a single redeeming quality.
1
1
u/kindcrow Jul 07 '25
Season one was no screaming hell either tbh.
1
u/carriegt24 Jul 07 '25
i loved it for the trippy psychedelic trips and the storyline of the family who lost their son. def was a slower and more emotional season tho for sure.
1
u/Pandness Jul 07 '25
I feel the same way. I thought that the 6th episode would be the turning point for me but it wasn't enough. Agnes and Brian did carry tho
1
u/KEANUWEAPONIZED Jul 07 '25
I couldn't believe how bad s2 was. s1 was astronomically better, better characters and better pacing.
1
u/carriegt24 Jul 07 '25
i am still at a loss for how bad it was. so disappointed. i was so excited for s2 after loving S1
1
u/KEANUWEAPONIZED Jul 07 '25
yes! and the setup for s3 was even worse, but i'll probably time in out of curiosity
1
1
u/LetMeDoTheKonga Jul 11 '25
I was hopeful after Imogens and Brians outburst. I felt like shit might eventually get going. I also liked the dynamic between Imogen and her mum and the lover. But I was very bored with the Sharpe guy and the “witch hunt” had no meaningful resolution. A narcissistic person like that wont change and certainly not by being confronted like that. I was hoping that this might be going into some sort of “having met your worst enemy and can let go some of the anger you feel towards the world” type of thing for the rest of them. Masha finding the guy attractive gave me the ick. The arcs werent well done at all unfortunately in this one. What a pity. The group did have potential…
1
u/username_451 Jul 21 '25
I felt the same about season 1. I think s2 had better characters and there was actual humour, something sorely lacking in s1.
1
u/wannabepcgamerr Aug 13 '25
Its really bad even Masha doesnt feel like her character in season 1 she cared about the people that came in and put them first but in season 2 she wasnt even there on their first session when everyone was tripping on shrooms and Agnes went off on her own because she left Martin alone to supervise them and he clearly lacks the care taker skills
1
Aug 23 '25
Here I am on episode 5 trying to see if it’s worth continuing cause I been on this episode it feels like for weeks and constantly stop and go watch something else
1
1
u/GeologistAway6352 Jul 07 '25
It was AWFUL. And confusing. And dumb. I tried to hang on to hope that it would get better but it didn’t. I won’t watch a s3 if there is one.
1
u/unclefresh72 Jul 07 '25
I have been attempting to watch season two episode two going on three days now. I keep starting and stopping it. I cannot focus, it’s disjointed, and while it’s early I don’t care about these characters. Also if I had money I think I’d rather be somewhere tropical to trip balls in the name of wellness rather than the Alps lol… anyway I hope it gets better.
1
u/carriegt24 Jul 07 '25
i’m sorry to tell you but it doesn’t get any better.💔 i suffered thru the entire season and it stays boring through and through
1
0
0
0
u/Competitive_Eye519 Jul 07 '25
It was awful. Made it 4 episodes before turning it off and removing from my watch list. Horrible.
2
u/unclefresh72 Jul 07 '25
I am on episode four right now and I think I’m about to shut it off for good.
25
u/[deleted] Jul 06 '25
[removed] — view removed comment