One Mississippi: Season 2

One of my favorite shows and probably the biggest surprise for me in 2016 was One Mississippi, a quick six-episode semi-autobiographical comedy from Tig Notaro about breast cancer, gastrointestinal disease, the sudden loss of her mother, and a rekindled relationship with her hometown and her stepfather. And yes, I said "comedy." Not just "half-hour show," but, comedy! It was hilarious and feel-good, despite all the grief and sadness and disease it had to push through. A true gem!

Six episodes was a perfect length in that it left me wanting more. And I got more! Season 2 just came out a week and a half ago, another six-episode installment. I liked it a whole lot, though maybe not quite as much as the first season. But I mean, if the first season's a 9 out of 10, this one's an 8. The biggest reason for the slight dropoff is that the first season just dug into such an emotional well and there simply wasn't as much water left to draw in the second. Which, hey, fine - the second season had time to explore plenty of things I was left hoping for after the first. Things like, "what's it like to be a mid-forties lesbian woman in the deep red state of Mississippi?" The first season was excellent, but it kind of painted this image of Biloxi as a socially liberal, happy-going southern city. In reality, of course, the Mississippi state flag still includes the Confederate Battle Flag in its upper left corner, and Biloxi celebrates "Great Americans Day" instead of Martin Luther King Day in order to pay equal homage to Robert E. Lee. Holy shit!

Luckily, in a Trump-as-President world, the show was not afraid to actually tackle some of the, uh, backward-focused tendencies of Mississippi and its inhabitants. This time around, two characters argue over whether not voting was as bad as voting for Trump, a few bigoted women discriminate against Tig for being gay, and one character has his eyes hilariously opened to the realities of Jim Crow and segreation in America. It's only six episodes and it's still a comedy, so it's not like the show really dives deep on this issues. But they're there, and I appreciated that. Marissa pointed out that this season was more "political" than the last one, and said that she liked it less - not because Marissa disagreed with the show's politics, but because she thought the show was at its best when it focused on the quirky characters' relationships with one another rather than the way they're affected by prejudice and policy. I hear what she's saying - I've already said I liked the first season a hair better, as well - but to me, this season didn't feel "political" so much as the first season felt distinctly "apolitical." This is the story of a gay woman in Mississippi, after all - let's embrace that there's all kinds of baggage that comes with that, you know?

Anyway, consider this my opportunity to double down on my stance that "everyone should watch One Mississippi because it is a warm and enjoyable and funny and moving show." Two seasons will take you six hours total - you can't beat that!