In season one of Your Friends & Neighbors, Andrew Cooper (Jon Hamm), known as Coop to all his friends, introduced us to the upper class. The show started out fast, with Coop waking up in a house next to a dead body, and throughout the series, we definitely learned “whodunit.” But that’s not all, as he gets fired from his job and becomes a cat burglar by partnering up with the neighborhood cleaning girl, Elena (Aimee Carrero). As Coop gets cleared of the murder charges, his life also gets back in order, and he’s offered his old job back, but instead chooses to stick with stealing from the rich.
As we open season two, it’s quickly established that Coop and his ex-wife, Mel, will remain just that—exes, although there were hints at the end of season one that they might get back together. Coop also goes right back at it with Elena and manages to hurt himself during a theft, which then forces the two to call Barney (Hoon Lee) for help, who now learns their secret and is irate to know that all the shenanigans that happened to them in season one were because of Coop’s new profession.
See Also: TV Review: A Solid Landing For the ‘Paradise’ Season Two Premiere!
Meanwhile, we discover that Sam (Olivia Munn) has now become a real estate agent, and she managed to plead down to a misdemeanor for framing Coop with the death of her husband. Coop seems to have moved on and harbors no hard feelings that she almost ruined his life. There’s also the introduction of Owen Ashe (James Marsden), a man who made his riches in shipping. After buying a house from Sam, he throws himself a lavish party and invites his new “friends” and “neighbors.” We’re finally left with Coop and Barney talking it out, when Barney tells him that he wants in.
I loved season one, and the way it ended left me very satisfied. I didn’t really think the show necessarily needed another season, but it definitely left me intrigued at how Coop could go on as a thief. And in truth, although Jon Hamm is the star of the show, the rest of the cast and their stories have also contributed well to the series and continue to do so. I thought that, at the very least, Olivia Munn and her character, Sam, might be let go from the series, since it appeared that she was going to jail. So here again, I am curious to see what happens with her character, especially now that Coop seems to, for now, have forgiven her.
James Marsden is also on a streak; he had a hilarious feature comedy drop the other week on Hulu and will be reprising his role as Cyclops in Avengers: Doomsday. The show seemed to be just fine with Coop as the good-looking alpha guy, but now you add in the mix of Owen, who’s just as charming. Seeing how those two might play off each other in this second season should be fun. The one thing that I didn’t expect was how this episode ended, with Barney wanting in. In season one, he always seemed to be the voice of reason to Coop. Now that he wants to join the shenanigans, it will be interesting to see how the dynamic between him, Coop, and Elena plays out.
Your Friends & Neighbors streams every Friday on Apple TV+.
