Flight of the Conchords' first season was a quirky mix of comedy, songs and just general fun tomfoolery on the small screen. It was very well received all round and I enjoyed watching it myself, it felt like a less wacky - but still offbeat - and funny Mighty Boosh. The second season brings us another ten episodes of"Formerly New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo" and continues their quest for fame, fortune and recognition in the Big Apple.
Just like the previous series this takes place in tight episodes which chart the misery, discomfort and humiliation which represents Jermaine and Bret's lives. The pair are still broke, desperate and managed by the ever optimistic Murray. Attendance at their gigs is low and it looks like things couldn't get worse, or could they?
The second season raises the stakes somewhat in the guest star roster, present this season is a wide range of fantastic actors and actresses. Including Greg Proops (Who's line is it anyway?), Alan Dale (24, Neighbours, Ugly Betty), the fantastic Sarah Wynter (Who I've rated since watching her in The Dead Zone), Kristen Wiig (SNL), the brilliant Patton Oswalt (King of Queens), Lucy Lawless and even Michael Potts (Brother Mouzone - The Wire). It seems the second season has been kind to the guys.
As for the main cast; both Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie continue to be great as their hapless fictional counterparts, but it's Rhys Darby as Murray who really steals the show repeatedly with his misguided attempts to manage the boys. Kristen Schaal remains fantastically annoying and creepy as Mel and Arj Barker doesn't skip a beat with his performance as man's man Dave. All in all the cast remain as good as ever.
The songs on the other hand vary a lot in quality, the first season had nothing but pure dynamite in the tune department. But the second season is a bit more of a mixed bag, some of the songs are marvelous to listen to and have hilarious lyrics, but some of the others fall a little flat. It's a bit of a shame that the show is let down in this department.
Ultimately the second season of Flight of the Conchords is very watchable and funny. But it's not as good as the first season was, the cracks are beginning to show a little and as such it falls down at times. When it's funny, it's incredibly funny, but when it's not - it's really off the mark. Fortunately Rhys' performance as Murray is always on target, but he can't carry everything by himself. Jermaine and Bret on the other hand are a little uneven, and some of the stories are as well. Oh and Mel really begins to grate on my nerves after a while, I realise she's meant to be annoying, but when you find yourself wishing a character in a sitcom would get killed off in a horrible fashion, maybe they've gone a little too far with her.
It's fun to watch and a pleasant way to spend a few evenings, but not an instant classic comedy.
Extras:
Flight of the Conchords on Air Documentary Feature
Dave's Pawn Shop Commercials
New Zealand Consulate Meetings with Murray and Greg
Deleted Scenes
Outtakes
Details:
Audio: 5.1 Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Full Frame
Run time: 269 Mins Approx
Languages: English
Subtitles: English, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
Rating: 15
Region: 2
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