The Last Man on Earth (Season 2)

By: Robert Murphy

Out with the old and in with the new. That seems to be the general idea for the second season of The Last Man on Earth as Phil "Tandy" Miller (Will Forte) tries to put the mistakes of his past behind him. Last time we saw Phil he was in a tight spot being banished from the group of survivors only to be saved by the unbelievably generous, not to mention insanely forgiving, Carol (Kristen Schaal). The two have spent their days living blissfully across the country and both having come to appreciate one another a little bit more, Phil not minding Carol's craziness and Carol becoming a little more free spirited with the law breaking enjoyment that Phil so relishes. But, the time to make amends for past since coming knocking at the door and Phil (and the show) try to change what has happened for the better.

The show begins on an extreme high point, Phil is left to fend for himself since he is believed to be the last known survivor of a global plague, he laments after living out some ridiculous fantasies and doing just about everything you can think of with no rules or restrictions to govern a person. But, the basis for the entire first season of The Last Man on Earth from then on revolved solely around Phil and how much he devolved into his basis human needs such as lusting after woman, who weren't his wife, and generally being so underhanded that he almost left someone in the desert to die. It was a bit much to handle as week after week Phil would stoop to new lows within the group in order to attempt to get what he wanted from them all. The group of survivors comprised of Melissa (January Jones), Erica (Cleopatra Coleman, Todd (Mel Rodriguez), Gail (Mary Steenburgen) and Phil #2 (Boris Kodjoe) all had their way of dealing with him until the final exploding point but even still it was Phil in the spotlight and it just got repetitive. 

Season two attempts to mend this by going back to it's roots in the first episodes, there are scenes depicting Phil and Carol's loving relationship and general havoc as they search for a place to call home. It immediately breathed new life into the story once Phil revealed a much more tender part of himself, there was much more emotion to the story in the first few moments than that which was felt in the entirety of the last season. Thankfully it doesn't go away in the first two episodes either and it would seem as though Phil is a changed man and someone who is genuinely repentant for all that he has done to those few remaining survivors of this planet. This leads him and Carol to return to their former friends in order to rejoin what little humanity there is left and slowly but surely Phil regains much of his as well. 

What follows is a series of episodes hell bent on Phil's second coming. He is determined to by any means necessary redeem himself to the group, even spending time in a stockade that plays into numerous episodes later on as a form of punishment for those who break the rules or cause any trouble among them. One way or another they all begrudgingly become use to Phil being around again, despite his affinity for making puns out of everything, but it is another sign of true emotion brought to the series as he becomes friends to them all again, well most of them, well mainly Todd. 

As for the cast, things haven't changed too much in Phil and Carol's absence outside of some new relationships and old relationships seeing a tough time. The thing that most begins to rock the boat however is not necessarily Phil's return but rather Carol's who was a true friend to them all before she ran away with Phil at the end of last season. So Carol's return leads to old flings being rekindled, a surprise character dying and many other issues that stir the pot such as Carol's constant badgering about repopulating the Earth, which is something not everyone is on board for. It's all great though because the group themselves seem to have their own story going for it with Phil really just being an onlooker to their experiences, literally in the first few episodes, and desperately trying to be a part of it. 

Perhaps the only thing that feels out of place with this new season was the biggest tease left over in the season finally last year and that is the introduction of Phil's brother, astronaut Mike Miller (Jason Sudeikis). It was interesting to find out that not only was there another survivor but he is currently thousands of miles above the Earth in a space station. If you thought Phil was lonely imagine how his brother feels with no one to talk to except for the friendship he has formed with a group of worm looking bugs. His situation is quite perilous though as he attempts to locate any signs of settlement on Earth or a way to get back without dying in a fireball of metal. The issue is that it doesn't fit well with the situation that is going on Earth, the switching back and forth for brief moments to see how he's doing feels like a pause for the main story at times. It will surely fit better if another season comes about but for the most part I'm glad that Mike's story was kept to a minimum.

When you get down to it the new season for The Last Man on Earth is a step in the right direction. Phil has finally shown signs of true genuine emotion and the story does away with all his ill gotten escapades to frankly screw or screw over everyone in the group. The comedic factor that this may have brought people before isn't sacrificed though with this new change to the dynamic. There were plenty of hilarious high notes for the show as it blended together a new Phil and a whole new set of drama for the group to tackle in order to survive the apocalypse, but hey it's been a breeze so far, right?

Good:

- The new Phil Miller

- Plays off of the better notes left over from season one

- The rest of the cast still is spot on especially Carol

Bad:

- Mike Miller's story is hit or miss

Scully Rating: 8.2 out of 10