In its final hour, Sweet Tooth reveals its heartwarming thesis statement. Even when the world is dark, it's not enough to survive. It's a show about people striving to live a full life under impossible circumstances. It delivers that message while also featuring the series' best action. It's a fitting sendoff for a great season of TV and a wonderful note to leave audiences with before its hiatus.
The season two finale's script comes from the series showrunner Jim Mickle and returning writers Bo Yeon Kim and Erika Lippoldt. Carol Banker, the director of this season's third episode, returns to the series to direct the finale. The crew behind the show has included a wide variety of top-shelf talent delivering excellent work.
After the sudden revelation of the penultimate episode, Gus, Aimee, Big Man, and the rest of the Hybrids are forced to prepare for the Last Men to attack again. While the previous conflict between heroes and villains took the form of a cocktail of real war and slapstick comedy, this one is much different. The turf has changed, but Gus knows every rock and tree on it. With the mastery of his old home, Gus, Aimee, and Big Man set up a Home Alone-esque series of traps and hazards. It's like watching a modern army attempt to fight the Ewoks from Star Wars. It's the perfect final battle for this series. It's nature against the humans that seek to ruin it, it's a native fighting for his home, and it's the perfect way to let an underdog best a better-armed force. Gus even draws the Last Men in by lighting a fire, drawing an explicit parallel to the mistake that drew them to him in the first place. It's the perfect way to wrap things up.
While the heroes prepare for General Abbot's invasion, his younger brother finally reaches the end of his rope. Johnny has been a strange character throughout this season. When he's introduced, he's selling himself as the de facto leader of the Last Men. A couple of episodes later, he's letting Gus escape his brother's wrath. His narrative growth has barely followed an arc, but he's reached the end of it at last. Johnny offers the otherwise horrific General Abbot a tiny bit of humanity, but his disapproval also lays bare the General's evil. When Johnny finally rebels against his brother, General Abbot finally lays down all of his excuses. He isn't interested in curing the world or stopping the virus. He just wants to win. That grim reminder of the character's inner darkness fits well with the heroes' reckless self-sacrifice.
Without wishing to spoil, there are a lot of fascinating new details introduced in "The Ballad of the Last Men." It's a stellar finale on all fronts. All the necessary plot threads are tied up, and the new direction is perfect. After an episode of silence, Dr. Singh returns to announce his continued presence in the narrative. He's still out there, trying to find a cure. The idea of a cure not existing has been floated at this point. It's entirely possible that he's wasting his efforts on an even sadder gesture. The villains of this series are consistently people who set themselves on a path and refuse to change course. They're always looking for something, regardless of who gets hurt along the way. The heroes are consistently people who find their homes and their families and hold onto them at all costs. It's a message of sympathy. The heroes aren't just blindly pursuing a utilitarian good. They're trying to create a happy world for the new generation that's growing up in it.
Narratively, Sweet Tooth is ready for at least one more season. Whether Netflix will deign to grant them the time they need to finish their story remains up in the air. Sweet Tooth isn't perfect, but it is so strange and special that its imperfections feel like they belong there. The series is releasing into a world that's getting sick of the post-apocalypse. Frankly, they're probably getting sick of pandemic-based social commentary. Though this series is awash with both slightly overused elements, it's a rare treasure of the genre. It's a post-apocalyptic story that can escape the rampant insufferable nihilism that's so common. To Sweet Tooth, the world might be ending, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't all still try our best.
Sweet Tooth is a very special series that seems to defy expectations at all turns. It's bittersweet but always moving. It makes the viewer love its characters, but it's never afraid to hurt them. The story is big, bold, and beautiful. Sweet Tooth provides two great seasons of Amblin-inspired entertainment. Binge Sweet Tooth season two for an unparalleled family adventure in a one-of-a-kind fantasy apocalypse. Hopefully, there's more of this to look forward to.