Amazon dropped all 10 episodes ofTransparents second season on Dec. 11.
Maybe thats the whole point: It makes the Pfeffermans more relatable.
Can any of us really claim that we come from a nice, normal family?
Credit: Amazon
Remember that Josh just discovered that he was a dad in the season 1 finale.
From the look of that first scene, all the Pfeffermans relationships remain uncertain.
Theyre a conflicted bunch, these Pfeffermans.
But then, thats also why they understand each other so well.
These are your people, Josh tells Colton.
They love you no matter what.
We can see Josh, pleading for Raquels forgiveness after betraying her pregnancy to his family.
We can see Sarah, officially breaking things off with Tammy.
(More on that below.)
Are you coming back?
What a beautiful start to another great season.
The Pfeffermans might not always earn our sympathy.
But theyre our people.
We love them no matter what.
What you are looking at is the past.
Ali sits in the audience, with tears in her eyes.
The Pfeffermans own story speaks to the difficulty of reconciling the present with the past.
But the reality is much more complicated.
asks Shelly about the bubble bath.
Oh, I like this!
Maura says, remembering the scent.)
So that flicky-flicky thump thump between them in the bathtub is all the more depressing.
Maura is clearly uncomfortable.
Dont make me do this, Maura says before it even begins.
Im good, she says when its over, refusing Shellys offer to reciprocate.
It sounds like Shelly mostly needed that flicky-flicky to make her feel better about herself.
Love isnt always a window into someone elses experience on this show.
Sometimes, its just a mirror that reflects your worst self back to you.
That must be how it feels for Shelly and Maura to look at each other, too.
Or Josh and Colton.
Theyre looking at someone they care about deeply.
But like that astronomer said, what theyre really looking at is their past.
But in the Pfeffermans case, being a parent can also turn an adult into a child.
All of the Pfeffermans seem to be going through some kind of second adolescence at the same time.
When Colton asks if he can call Josh dad, Josh responds, Yeah… Or do I need to think about that?
Ill think about it.Yes.
He relates to Colton as a buddy, not a father.
Josh doesnt even realize that he needs to be Coltons legal guardian to enroll him in the school.
No wonder he cant bring himself to do the stand-up thing and propose to Raquel.
She doesnt yet realize that its rude to ask Shea if she has a vagina.
She embarrasses her friends when she tries to say, Yassss queen!
Ali seems to believe that doing the grown-up thing means correcting what Maura did to Leslie long ago.
That first kiss between Ali and Syd is so bittersweet.
For now, though, the night ends with them snuggling together in bed.
Theres a new world coming, Nina Simone sings.
This ones coming to an end.
Thats true for so many people on this show.
To be fair, though, Ritas right about A Family Affair.
Sarah wants to start a new life, but she cant avoid getting sucked back into the old one.
(I am becoming.
Its got, like, a double entendre!)
Shes so commitment phobic, she cant even agree to attend an appointment for free advice.
Meanwhile, Grandma Rose is literally caught between two worlds.
We already know that Ali is grappling with her identity, just as Maura and Gittl did before her.
But what trauma has she inherited from them?
Something tells me well soon find out.
NEXT: Episode 5
EPISODE 5: MEE-MAW
My boundary is your trigger.
Consider that Sarah shares her sexual fantasies with her sister, in full detail.
Or are we supposed to take that line as seriously as Ali does?
But its also a test of how open to other characters perspectives and experiences we can be.
For the Pfeffermans, the lack of boundaries might be the best and worst thing about their family.
Pastor Gene actually seems pretty accepting of Maura as Coltons mee-maw.
Raquel needs to set more boundaries to keep her unborn baby healthy.
Josh shares that responsibility, though hes heartbroken that inviting Colton to live with them conflicts with it.
The poor kid has had way too many boundaries on the way to becoming part of a family.
Someone just needs to open up and let him in.
NEXT: Episode 6
EPISODE 6: BULNERABLE
Selfishness is a complicated thing onTransparent.
This episode illustrates that well.
Maura tells Davina that shes focusing onmoiright now, which originally sounds like a good idea.
But too often, puttingmoifirst is an excuse for self-pity on this show.
Ali actually pretends that her most selfish desires, like trying to seduce Leslie, arent selfish at all.
(I was all alone!)
She returns his engagement ring.
Shelly on Maura: I dont need another person in my life making me feel like a complete failure.
Sarah: Can we just stop?
Because my night is completely ruined.
Shelly: Your night?
Sarahs alone, too.
Somehow, theyre alone together.
Its Yom Kippur, and everyones atoning in the wrong way.
Sarah finally apologizes to Tammy, but mostly to absolve herself of any guilt.
She even blames her parents for any wrongdoing she has committed.
Shelly claims she feels bad about causing Raquels miscarriage (Its all my fault!)
even though she should really be apologizing for turning Joshs loss into her own.
How are your parents?
Syds parents ask Josh.
The usual, he says.
The only person whos atoning in the right way is Maura.
Its okay to be sad, she says.
Those words enrage Josh, who says he doesnt need Mauras permission.
But watching that scene, I choked up.
He finally breaks down (along with his new car) on the side of the road.
Maybe the Pfeffermans have convinced themselves that theres nothing they can do for Josh.
There are no Mother Teresas in this group.
If they cant protect other people from harm, theyll focus on protecting themselves.
It deals with so many of the shows big themes in one heated conversation.
What does it take to really be a woman?
Were asked to only be the object for other peoples desire.
Theres nothing that directing is about more than desire.
Its like, I want to see this.
I want to see it with this person.
I want to change it.
I want to change it again.'
Thats howTransparentviews love, too.
Its not about belonging to someone or submitting to someone.
Desire isnt just about getting what you want.
Its about remaining, as Vicki describes it to Maura, NATO not attached to outcome.
Do you want to see me naked?
Do you want to keep your bra on or off?
And in a way, Maura is a virgin.
I dont know what to do, she tells Vicki.
Remember that shes having sex as Maura for the first time.
Josh supports Mauras transition, but that doesnt mean he cant mourn the father he lost.
That scene at the beach with Rose, Maura, Bry, and Ali is such a lovely image.
Each of them is like that wounded duck in the bathtub, awkwardly trying to stay afloat.
Whats the proper balance between loving other people and looking out for yourself?
I cant wait to keep watching the Pfeffermans explore those questions.
What a fantastic season ofTransparent.
