Sweet Tooth's second season has been quite distant from its first. The initial pitch was a post-apocalyptic fairy tale about a big man with a dark past becoming the reluctant guardian of a naive little kid with antlers. It's still that story, in part, but it's expanded enough to allow for a non-stop flow of new characters and new turmoil.
Oanh Ly is back after writing episode 3. The episode was directed by Robyn Grace, who previously directed the fifth episode of season one. Grace has worked as an Assistant Director on a ton of big projects, including 30 Days of Night, Guns Akimbo, and District 9.
Episodes five and six were non-stop thrill rides. Together, they form the action high-point of the series thus far. The series takes a well-deserved break after all of those peaks and valleys in "I'll Find You." Season 2 has largely been about undoing the downer ending of season one, but now that the hybrid kids are free from the clutches of General Abbot, they can focus on their personal quests. Gus is back to searching for his mom. After reuniting with Bear, he finally gains access to the tape she left behind for him. This leads to a long run of flashbacks that tell more of Birdie's story. Birdie has consistently been one of the more inscrutable characters of the series, but her personality shines through in her actions. By learning more about his mother, Gus finds himself just a little bit deeper in the throes of his angst. It's a bittersweet moment that opens the future to a new adventure with the same old goal.
While Gus deals with his family drama, Bear struggles to know how to follow up with her sister. Becky has been aware of her long-lost step-sister for a long time. Pigtail, on the other hand, thinks she's meeting Bear for the first time. The interaction is awkward for a number of reasons. Now that Bear hybrid family, her allegiance to the Animal Army becomes an asset again. The army is now the most powerful fighting force on the heroes' side, leading to an ambush against the surviving general. Unshockingly, everything goes down in flames, and the Last Men are still a substantial threat. The hybrid kids and their assembled parents are safe at Yellowstone for the moment, but the menace is still on the horizon.
As things calm down, the cast gets a chance to shine in more quiet moments. Nonso Anozie's performance as Tommy "Big Man" Jepperd remains a standout. Big Man is almost always required to keep a very mild demeanor, but there's a quiet nobility to his performance, along with occasional outbursts of rage. Christian Convery is also stellar in the title role. He's only been in the industry since 2016, but he's already a strong contender among child actors. Dania Ramirez brings a certain emotional intelligence to her role as Aimee that elevates her strange secondary role. Stefania LaVie Owen is simultaneously intimidating and charming as Bear. Neil Sandilands, of The Flash andThe 100 fame, delivers an extremely compelling performance in the role of General Abbot. He's charismatic, even as he delivers harsh insults or cutting threats. The cast is generally excellent, managing to pull several good performances from a lot of child actors.
Though the season isn't over, Sweet Tooth has clearly telegraphed its next destination. After all the open warfare and clever subterfuge, Sweet Tooth and Big Man have a new destination in mind. There's so much of this world left to explore. The United States still has so many large interesting expanses. Get this father and son back out on the open road. Touring the countryside, meeting new survivors, and seeing how they live can still be the bread and butter of this franchise. The wasteland hasn't been a major player in season two, but the character-focused storytelling has easily filled the gap. Sweet Tooth is a bizarre adventure with very little filler. It's a mysterious experience that handles its strange details with a ton of fanfare. With only one episode to go, Sweet Tooth is ready to leave on a high note.
Sweet Tooth is a charming callback to the golden era of children's entertainment. It's willing to go to dark places, it's willing to explore rare emotional low points, and it almost never dumbs down its material for the audience. There's not much currently available that captures the wide mix of tones and concepts in Sweet Tooth. Very few people are creating post-apocalypses for the whole family. Very few people are mixing sci-fi, fantasy, and family drama into what amounts to an 8-hour feature film. Sweet Tooth probably won't be a world-changing hit, but it'll change the lives of some young viewers. It's destined to be a project twenty-somethings remember fondly before it gets remade.