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 

The Last Man on Earth

By: Robert Murphy

Often times Hollywood and television shows depict the world being ended by a global catastrophe or some sort of plague to be a bad thing and why shouldn't they? It's a terrible thing and fighting for survival gets people's attention but The Last Man on Earth goes a different route. Most of humanity has been whipped out due to some unspecified global plague and Phil Miller (Will Forte) is one of the only survivors left and perhaps the only one left in America as the show reveals how he has traveled across the country in the search of other survivors but has met with failure. He then decides to hold up in his own home city of Tuscon and have people come to him if they're alive, plastering "Alive Tuscon" signs all over the place, smart thinking. What follows is a ridiculous series of events that most people would dream to do such as burning wigs with a flamethrower and bowling a mustang into other cars creating a giant explosion. It's easy living and anything goes and definitely makes the prospect of being all alone in the world seem appealing but is Phil really the last one left and how long will this party last?

The first few episodes of The Last Man on Earth start off on brilliant footing for me as Phil has gone across the country with no success in finding someone else around and when he gives up on this he proceeds to live out the easy life with no strings, laws or regulations to follow. Phil is an average guy of average wants and needs so his mountains of girlie magazines and margarita pool are musts for this guy. He is not a scientist or a brilliant man so the reasons behind why he survived this global apocalypse are a bit of a mystery but that really doesn't matter here. A brilliant man wouldn't have gone around the country stealing priceless paintings, artifacts and memorabilia to create the most epic home that anyone has ever seen. After the first two episodes (marketed as an hour long premiere) Phil has been alone for two years and has grown into a gruff mountain man style persona who does whatever he wants, when he wants, but I soon feared that the list of debaucherous things he could do with no one around would come to an end but that's when Phil meets his first survivor.

The one thing Phil wants most in this world and the one thing that he has actually prayed to receive is a woman and when that prospect seems impossible and the fate of being stuck alone talking to balls with faces on them (a little Cast Away humor), he decides to end it all. Then enters Carol (Kristen Schaal) who may not be the bomb shell beauty Phil was expecting, she is still a woman and he is happy to see another human face. That is until she opens her mouth because Carol is a polar opposite to Phil in every way, she corrects his grammar, requires him to wear a seat belt even though their is no one else driving, and basically throws a wrench into all of his scummy ways of living. It's actually a good "opposites attract" sort of scenario but in this case you just know that no matter what, a guys going to do anything to get with the girl. Admittedly, Phil puts up a good fight for an episode before caving into marriage which is the only way Carol will allow them to be together and start re-population and right when Phil starts to think he can handle the whole thing, bang, epiphany. Well okay, it wasn't an epiphany it was limo plowing into his truck with another survivor in it. 

The kind of girl that Phil was expecting comes a knocking when Melissa (January Jones) slams into his truck in a limo. In fact this is the start of all the groups survivors coming into play and also the decent of the main character. After the initial fun and splendor of the first few episodes, Phil begins to turn into a lack luster character especially when another man by the name of Todd (Mel Rodriguez) shows up. He becomes insanely jealous and cruel as he tries to belittle Todd for being a larger guy and that's basically all Phil becomes, a cruel and demented fester on the group that begins to form. I think maybe this is why he survived the apocalypse because he's such a cockroach. His character basically becomes useless once all the others join the party especially when another Phil Miller (Boris Kodjoe) joins the group and completely eclipses the original Phil who starts to be referred to as Tandy (his middle name) to limit confusion. It became increasingly hard to watch the show as Phil destroys the trust of everyone around him, some of his antics were still a little funny like when he tries to erase all the "Alive in Tuscon" signs to ensure no other guy shows up before he can have sex with another survivor, Gail (Mary Steenburgen).

Where I did see potential for the series again was in the season finale, to avoid spoiling too much, Phil ends up being shunned and told never to return to Tuscon and just when things look there bleakest, Carol arrives. The two end up having more in common than they once thought and they drive off together trying to become reacquainted with each other and then we see the teaser for the next season. The idea that maybe Phil's character could change some and not constantly be trying to attack everything with a heart beat makes me interested for a new season as well as the thought that Carol will still be a part of the show. Kristen Schaal continues to be brilliant with her zany and fun role as the character and her antics became the only real reason I continued to watch the rest of the season. 

In the end, The Last Man on Earth started off with quite a decent formula. Things were interesting as I watch Phil destroy fish tanks with bowling balls and lay in a margarita pool drinking the day away. Once more and more survivors began to show up though I found his character to be insufferable to watch. If it weren't for Carol played by the exceptional Kristen Schaal and other wonderful performances by Mary Steenburgen then I wouldn't have continued on watching. I do hope that the potential I saw in the season finale brings a better follow up to the series but only time will tell. 

Good:

- The first half of the show was quite funny

- Kristen Schaal as Carol

Bad:

- The second half of the show loses it's footing

- The insufferable antics of Phil later on in the series

Scully Rating: 6.0 out of 10