The Dramatic Arc Of ‘The Other Two’ Season 2 Finale Delivered An Emotional Payoff Rarely Seen Outside Of Prestige Dramas

Being famous isn’t what it’s cracked up to be, even if we don’t want to believe that. HBO Max’s comedy series The Other Two pokes a hole in the fantasy of the entertainment industry all while poking fun at it as well. The jokes aren’t just for those inside the industry, though. Anyone who watches TV, listens to music, or stalks celebrity Instagram profiles can appreciate the parodies and relatable character arcs of The Other Two’s second season. 

For the uninitiated, here’s the deal: Chase aka ChaseDreams (Case Walker) is a Justin Bieber-like teen who blew up on YouTube after filming a music video about his crush. He becomes an instant sensation and plummets into the whirlwind world of publicity stunts with his manager Streeter (Ken Marino) and mom Pat (Molly Shannon). Meanwhile, his older siblings Cary (Drew Tarver) and Brooke (Heléne Yorke) are struggling twentysomethings in New York more than happy to ride Chase’s coattails into their own fame. Problem is, Cary lacks the acting career he wants and Brooke doesn’t exactly have any talents or skills. 

In this second season, creators Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider worked to make Cary and Brooke more integrated in the entertainment industry. Cary has gone from waiting tables between auditions to hosting an online news show The Gay Minute. Brooke now manages her mother Pat as she becomes the next nicer and more midwestern version of Ellen. 

Despite their glimpses at success, Cary and Brooke are still the outsiders in the industry. As viewer surrogates, their perspective helps us learn the ins and outs of the ridiculous charade celebrities create to maintain relevance. There is a jaded aspect to their outsider status as well, which allows them to make fun of everything entertainers accept as the norm. Nothing is off limits from becoming a punchline, which is exactly what you need from a comedy about pop culture. No other show on television is willing to laugh at Scientology, the Hadid family, 30 Under 30 lists, and HGTV in the same season, often within the same episode. Only in that fearlessness to joke about everything does The Other Two accurately portray just how vast show business has become in this day and age. 

The second season does a phenomenal job of making fun of pop culture behind its back, but in the same breath, it includes guest appearances that make those jokes even better. Cameos from The Bachelorette contestant Derek Peth, writer and actress Tavi Gevinson, pop star Alessia Cara, and actor Ian Ziering are just a few of the moments when The Other Two lets the subject of its jokes in on the skit, endearing the entertainers we may not have thought could laugh at themselves. 

Alongside the comedy of The Other Two are earnest storylines about family, purpose, and sexuality. Cary becoming more confident in outwardly expressing his sexuality is a huge part of this latest season. Sure, there’s comedy in his leaked nude catastrophe and several other disasters for Cary, but he goes through a good amount of growth since he was pining over his straight roommate in the beginning of the show. 

In his first long-term relationship with a man, Cary learns what he wants out of love and what he doesn’t. He begins to believe he really is as hot and sexy as other gay men. Probably the most realistic aspect of Cary’s arc throughout this season, is that it’s not a linear line of growth. Cary is still human, still figuring himself out, and like the show’s perspective on show business, reality is far less perfect than what we are made to expect. 

Similarly, Brooke goes through exponential growth as well this season. She finally has a career she feels passionate about. However, being a manager is less glamorous than what she imagined. Managing her brother, who has been forced to pivot away from singing, and her talk show host mother, Brooke overlooks the toll that success is taking on her family. She may feel like she has a purpose now, but is career success worth it when you have to sacrifice your family? Is it worth remaining lonely and without romantic love? 

Her relationship with Lance, who is a human embodiment of a golden retriever, has been an on and off arc throughout both seasons. While it’s impossible not to love Lance, the show does a powerful job of constructing scenes that make us question what it means to be good for someone else, love aside. This aspect of Brooke’s storyline can be relatable to everyone watching the show, making it deeply moving and impressive.

The Other Two balances very specific current pop cultural insights with broader, more universal serious moments better than most comedies on television. Comedy without emotion or a sense of heart doesn’t always pay off at the end of a season, but The Other Two‘s constant build towards the emotional season finale paid off in a way that rivals (even exceeds!) most prestige dramas.

Emily Kubincanek (@emilykub_) is a freelance writer most often appearing on Film School Rejects with her column Beyond the Classics. When she’s not writing about television and film, she works as a librarian in Pittsburgh, PA.

Watch The Other Two on HBO Max