Sweet Tooth is back for a second season on Netflix and is still full of the charms that made the first season so endearing.
When last we saw Gus/Sweet Tooth (Christian Convery), he had been captured by the Last Men and taken to their newly captured zoo. Tommy “Big Man” Jepperd (Nonso Anozie) had been shot, but someone had rescued him. And Becky/Bear (Stefania LaVie Owen) had found Gus’ “mom’s” house and a way to contact her.
Season 2 picks up in the hours, if not minutes, of the aftermath of season 1. It definitely would not be the worst idea to watch the finale of the previous season before jumping back into this world. It is not, however, essential.
Based on a Vertigo comic of the same name, Sweet Tooth occupies a fully realized world that, perhaps, rings a bit too close to our own at times. Once a plague broke out across the planet, an odd coincidence sees the birth of hybrid children with a mixture of human and various animal breeds.
One of the delights of season 2 is we meet far more hybrid children this year. Some are fairly minute hybrid situations such as Wendy (Naledi Murray) – returning from season 1 – to a turtle hybrid whose shell is almost comically large. But all of them prove to be endearing characters that you get to know throughout the season.
The strengths and weaknesses
While season 1 took us on a journey through this new world, season 2 feels very stagnant in comparison. Gus and Big Man spend a lot of time separated this year with the main drive being to break the hybrids out of the zoo. While a necessary evolution of the story, the length of time it takes leads to what feels like the story equivalent of kicking dirt as you wait for something to happen.
As with season 1, the high point is the acting. Convery continues to be a marvel for such a young performer, and he is followed closely by Murray. They have a lot of lifting to do this season as not all of the hybrids can talk, so not only do they carry their own roles, but at times they must help convey the feelings of their growing little band of hybrids as well.
Anozie spends most of his season with Dania Ramirez’s Aimee as they work together to retrieve the children. Their chemistry as concerned adoptive parents is palpable and believable. You completely buy them as parents who simply want their children back.
Beyond the aforementioned pacing, one of the highlights of season 1 was the general look of the world. From lighting to general landscapes, season 1 stood out with a unique look that gave it an almost surrealist quality at times. This year, we spend so much time in the grayness and shadows of the zoo that a lot of that is lost.
Sweet Tooth review – It’s worth the journey
While not as strong as season 1, season 2 still proved to be engaging, and most importantly, entertaining. Should season 3 be given a green light – and there is certainly a reason for it storywise – I would be right there and ready to go on a journey with these characters once again.
Disclaimer: Netflix provided Batman-News with all eight episodes of Sweet Tooth season 2. We watched them to completion before beginning this review.
