Tuca & Bertie Season 2 (2021)
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Tuca & Bertie Season 2 Review
The second season of Tuca & Bertie is an improvement upon the original, though a slight one. The show still needs more humor, but in terms of storytelling it delivers.
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“You are the prettiest doorknob“
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Bird Mechanics isn’t a particularly memorable opener, though it does establish Bertie’s future therapist sessions for the first time. Planteau is a solid and visually vibrant episode, but not as fun or as important as the rest of the season. The beginning stretch here certainly wasn’t very strong. Kyle has a silly storyline, but it’s worth it for Bertie’s for once very amusing escapades.
Nighttime Friend begins the relationship between Tuca and this female bird called Kara. She is a horrendous person, business-driven and cold, but it’s interesting that the show did not glamorize lesbian relationships, but actually portrayed that they can be just as bad and as toxic as the straight ones.
Vibe Check is one of the greatest episodes of the season as it deals with a female-centric, but realistic issue as Bertie is having sexual fantasies about the abusive Pastry Pete. It’s an interesting episode that gives us a glimpse inside Bertie’s complex mind, but the show was actually wonderful in not just acknowledging those impulses, but how to act on them in a healthy way – Speckle coming in to act tough during their sexcapades.
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The Moss has an obvious physical metaphor that I do get, but it ended up being an overly visual-driven episode that otherwise isn’t especially memorable, though the moss animation was stellar and the relationship between the two girls was very well explored once again. Sleepovers is at its funniest in the Speckle section with the bear chasing him, but otherwise it’s more important in establishing that the two women miss each other than in telling a fun story.
Corpse Week is an excellent episode that focuses on Bertie’s problematic family. It depicts her parents not dealing with her past trauma all that well, which made Bertie even more anxious in the process. It’s a very well written installment. The Dance is a terrific episode that focuses on Tuca’s changed personality due to Kara. She obviously is bad for her and the show powerfully showcases that changing for somebody, even for a special someone is never a good or healthy thing. The Flood is a solid, fun and arresting finale, but that penultimate episode is where the season excelled the most.
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This Tuca & Bertie installment has a very obvious structure that it did stick to way too often. However, it undeniably worked more often than not. Usually, Speckle is the one who has a misadventure that is comical in nature while the titular protagonists have a more meaningful arc. I liked that, but although they mixed those up a bit at times, I would like for the future seasons to mix them even more. The dialogue is still the strongest suit of this animated tale, but the humor is really in dire need to improve. The animation and score are just as lovely as before.
Overall, the second season of Tuca & Bertie still needed more humor in its approach, but in terms of dialogue and storytelling, it more than delivered. Some episodes are not all that great, but those that work were particularly striking in rich character arcs and powerful emotional engagement.
Worst Episodes: Planteau and The Moss.
Best Episodes: Vibe Check and The Dance.
