[SERIES] Why Women Kill (2019-) Season 2 Review (Paramount+) Is It Better Than The First?

 

While Why Women Kill's change in cast and story was to be expected, the overall feel of the show was also quite different in comparison to its debut season.

Through spellbinding tales of deception, infidelity, and most importantly, murder...

The popular Paramount+ original series, "Why Women Kill" returned in June with its second season and explored the unbelievable lengths one lonely housewife would go to in order to finally feel seen by those around her, and the result is a little bit scary, to say the least.

From Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry, season two of the darkly comedic drama, "Why Women Kill" takes place in Los Angeles, California, during the 1940s and follows Alma Filcott, a lonely veterinarian's wife who dreams of being accepted into the prestigious Elysian Park Garden Club, lead by the beautiful and wealthy, Rita Castillo.

But as Alma is faced with unforeseen challenges in her marriage with her husband Bertram, she finds herself tangled within the most shocking of circumstances that could threaten her chances of potentially becoming the club's latest member.

With this new season, we are introduced to a brand ensemble, as the show's formula focuses on bringing about new characters and new stories with each season; the cast features Allison Tolman, well known for her work in shows such as Fargo, and Emergence amongst a plethora of other pieces, as well as Once Upon a Time star, Lana Parrilla, also known as the fabulously vicious, Evil Queen, Regina Mills.

While its change in cast and story was to be expected, the overall feel of the show was also quite different in comparison to its debut season; the first season of Why Women Kill focused on three different women, all with one thing in common, each of them were living in the same house during separate decades as unbelievable events in their lives began to unfold.

The decision to restrict this season to only one time period was disappointing to me as I was really looking forward to seeing this concept further explored; I adore the idea of seeing three different decades, all being connected through one common thread, and the possibilities were endless in terms of what could link each story to one another.

But despite my frustration over creators ditching such a creative concept of storytelling, it has to be said that I enjoyed this season so much more than I did the first, and that's for a number of various reasons, starting with the fact that the show is a bit toned down when it comes to its use of language, and in my own humble opinion, uninteresting adult themes.

That's not to say that these things no longer exist within the show, but they are used much more sparingly, which was refreshing. While I personally don't have a problem with language, I do have a major problem with the use of certain words becoming too repetitive, and the use of language was so apparent in the present-day storyline during season one, that it became exhausting, and I couldn't take them seriously, wherein this season, it packed a punch.

With that said, I've been honest about my dislike of more sexual scenes, they just aren't my thing and I tend to skip them, but as far as this season goes, each scene was fairly brief and used as a tool to somehow progress certain plot points further which felt more, "appropriate" for lack of a better word, so at least there was some sort of purpose behind them.

But it's the character of Alma Filcott, and her steady descent into madness that makes this season so utterly fascinating; as her desperation to join the Garden Club begins to increase, the line between morality and immorality suddenly blurs as Rita Castillo throws a wrench into Alma's plans of becoming the club's latest member.

And it's that same desperation that allows for an interesting shift in dynamic between the two characters, as we see Alma go through quite a drastic transformation from quiet housewife to a much more stylish and sophisticated version of herself who knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to get the upper hand over Rita.

The changes that occur in Alma appear to be small on the surface, and yet, they represent so much more than what meets the eye. Through a fashionable new wardrobe, a more eloquent way of speaking, and newfound confidence, Alma develops narcissistic tendencies, which fuel her desire to deceive others for her own personal gain.

Alma goes from someone you feel for, to someone you should fear, and that's thanks in part to Tolman's absolutely bone-chilling portrayal. In fact, the show's casting, in general, has to be one of its greatest assets; the entire cast delivers performances that I would consider nothing short of outstanding this season.

In addition to those previously mentioned, season two features names such as Nick Frost as Alma's veterinarian husband, Bertram, and B.K. Cannon as their daughter Dee, who has her own unique and enjoyable storyline; Why Women Kill has a large cast, but Matthew Daddario, Jordane Christie, Eileen Galindo, and Veronica Falcón are only a few names that are more than deserving of praise for their efforts in bringing such colorful characters to life.

But despite the show's best efforts, I must say that the "grand" finale this season, was unable to top the creative genius that was displayed at the end of season one during the climax, and considering how big the expectations I had were, this finale was, unfortunately, only average in comparison to that first season.

I do think the story was wrapped up rather nicely, but the episode overall was a little too slow-paced for my liking, and not nearly as suspenseful as it could have been. In fact, if it wouldn't have been for some storylines coming to a somewhat obvious end, it would have been difficult to tell the finale from all of the other episodes.

The ending was acceptable, and I was ultimately satisfied, but I wish we had been given a little bit more intensity in the finale. I wanted an explosive, and wildly dramatic sequence that would keep us guessing the same way that season one did, but it just missed the mark, and writers were unable to recreate that same type of magic.

Just as the first, season two of Why Women Kill had quite a lot to unpack throughout its ten episodes and featured some of the most jaw-dropping twists and turns, along with complex characters portrayed by some of the finest actors in the industry today, and even though its grand finale wasn't on the same level as the first one for me, it was still very satisfying.

If you're interested in watching Why Women Kill, you can check out both seasons which are now streaming in their entirety on Paramount+, and you can watch Alma's story first if you so desire, since the two seasons are not connected! Happy binging!

What were your thoughts on this season of Why Women Kill? I'd love to know, so please be sure to leave me a comment below, and follow me on Twitter @RR_Everything, where I talk about all of the shows and movies that I watch and also provide updates on future content!