Forget about the awards.
The Paper S2
All 10 episodes premiere Wednesday, September 9, only on Peacock TV. I've seen all 10 episodes.
Picking up just two days after the conclusion of the first season, Season 2 begins with editor-in-chief Ned Sampson (Domnhall Gleeson) in a gleeful mood.
His community newspaper, Toledo Truth Teller, formerly a threadbare, throwaway rag that was barely tolerated by its manager Marv (Allan Havey), as an adjunct to its far more successful component, a paper-sales company, won three Ohio Journalism Awards.
Energized by the awards, Ned has all kinds of ideas for improving conditions at the newspaper, but his enthusiasm is quickly tamped down when a fellow employee unexpectedly dies, prompting Marv to request that the staff devote the day to writing an obituary for someone that no one really knew. Complications inevitably ensue, especially when the truth about the employee's past does not cast him in the best of lights.
The first episode's plot is typical for the show, which always introduces a throwaway idea and then stretches it upward and forward and back and sideways and upside down until it becomes risibly ridiculous and incredibly silly. That's when the LOL moments break out.
In watching all 10 episodes, which were made available in advance and will all be released together next Wednesday, September 9, even though I initially resisted the formula that creators Greg Daniels (The Office, U.S.) and Michael Koman (Nathan for You) established in Season 1, my reluctance gradually broke down (again) until I found myself smiling and then, sometimes, laughing quite a bit.
Mostly, the humor tends toward the soft and gentle side of life. While much of Season 1 revolved around the trials and tribulations of publishing a newspaper of any size in today's media age, much of Season 2 revolves around the challenges and complications that arise when people meet in the workplace and are attracted to one another.
The principal relationship started in Season 1 as sparks eventually flew between former paper company salesman, now editor-in-chief Ned and Mare (Chelsa Frei), a military veteran who returned home and was unable to find any other employment that matched her collegiate education as a journalist. Their shared idealism led to romantic attraction, which was consummated in the Season 1 finale.
Obviously, a romantic and/or sexual relationship between an editor and a reporter is suspect and may be inappropriate, even if it's consensual. In some workplaces, such a relationship is prohibited or, at minimum, the company requires that it be disclosed to Human Resources.
Obviously, this is a comedy, and so it becomes a major narrative thread that runs throughout the season.
Much of my favorable reaction can be attributed to the performances by the cast. Ned is a workaholic who is simultaneously a dreamer and a nostalgia buff, optimist about the future and melancholy about the past.
Domhnall Gleeson may not be entirely convincing as someone who has lived in the Midwestern U.S. for some years, yet his boyish charm and occasional naivete makes him a good sparring partner for Mare, whose spirits and general demeanor brightened throughout the first season, primarily because she was doing work that fit her talents and recognized her potential. Chelsea Frei is absolutely convincing as a native of Toledo, Ohio, whose ambition matches Ned's desire to report on important, consequential news stories. Their relationship sizzles or fizzles on the strength of their personalities and their combustible chemistry.
Former editor Esmeralda (Sabrina Impacciatore), who was in charge of the newspaper before Ned's arrival last season, continues to bristle as the paper changes around her. Whereas her passive-aggressive personality grated more often it amused last season, this season makes better use of Sabrina Impacciatore's talents and, for the first time, succeeds in fine-tuning her into a more understandable and sympathetic character.
As the relationship between Ned and Mare develops further, the relationship between sales rep turned reporter Detrick (Melvin Gregg) and circulation department staffer Nicole (Ramona Young) is positively frosty. They were on and off throughout Season 1, not progressing too far in their feelings for one another, before one of them called it off. Some feelings of a romantic nature are still in the picture, though it may take more time for them to figure things out.
Accountant Oscar (Oscar Nuñez) -- a holdover character from The Office who moved from Scranton, Pennsylvania to Toledo, Ohio, only to find the same documentary crew following him and his fellow employees again -- may be the brightest person in the office. He doesn't receive too many moments to shine, but when he steps up to the plate in one of the episodes, he knocks it (subtly) out of the park.
In my review of Season 1, I expressed my reservations about the faux-doc style of the show, in which cast members regularly look into the supposed documentary camera(s) and roll their eyes or stare with incredulity, which constantly irritated me.
While "terribly uneven," I acknowledged that the show could be "wildly funny" when it hits its mark. It's not unusual for sitcoms to require a number of episodes before they figure out which characters are truly working on the screen, and which are not.
In comparison with Season 1, which frequently leaned on broad stereotypes and "the characters' exasperating lack of knowledge and common sense," Season 2 shows the former all-volunteer crew of reporters slowly gaining experience. Since it starts so quickly -- in fictional show-time -- after Season 1, it would be unreasonable for the group to all suddenly blossom into seasoned journalists. Even so, much of the irritating, frankly insulting humor has been trimmed to a minimum, allowing everyone one the show to fit more comfortably together.
It's lovely to see that Season 2 enables every aspect of the show -- most notably, its characters and its storylines -- to congeal more fully and authentically, making The Paper something that's worth binging.
Now Streaming celebrates independent and international genre films and television shows that are newly available on legal streaming services.