If the first episode of The second season of FUBAR was anything to go by, I was in for a grueling, long season of reviewing the action/comedy series that’s only ever been intermittently funny or thrilling. However, it’s with something approaching relief that the second episode delivers a few crumbs that manages to lift the experience a bit. Now, whether it can possibly last for the whole season is extremely doubtful, but “Highly Re-Greta-Ble adds a few things to the show which proved to help me crack the odd smile. However, while the episode nails the odd joke or good line, I’m struggling to remember that FUBAR isn’t supposed to be taken that seriously and that it’s supposed to be goofy as Hell, so as I pick apart this episode, I’m going to try and take that into account. If course, it would be appreciated if the writing could help me along with that…
The breakneck pace of FUBAR continues as we pick up with superspy Luke Brunner as he gets a rather sizable blast from the past in the form of German femme fatal Greta Nelso who apparently isn’t as dead as Luke first thought. To add some backstory, long before Luke ever met his wife, he had a tempestuous relationship with the rival agent back in the 80s that may have greatly helped end the Cold War; however, after she was believed to have died, Luke obviously moved on with his life. To complicate matters more, Greta’s love of money means that she’s working for Dante Cress, the man looking to re-set the planet by bankrupting the world’s economy by shutting down America. While she delivers her statement of intent via a quick tango, Luke’s daughter, Emma, also finds that she’s getting some unwanted attention from Greta’s right hand man, Theodore Chips who professes his love for her via an ear piece while aiming a sniper rifle at her chest.
After a flashy getaway, Luke ignores her warning to stay away and Alton and Tina look up a potential lead in Kolkata, but after he is mistakenly killed by Tina in a shootout, it raises suspicions about whether the group has a leak. However, when a further lead becomes available in the form of domestic terrorist Demps, the entire team moves out to secure him before Greta’s people nab him to help achieve Crest’s goal. It seems that Demps attempted a similar plan by trying to shut down key power plants in order to show the goverment how easy it would be to pull it off and got jailed for his efforts, but the mission hits immediate problems when Roo steps on a landmine and Emma has to hang back to defuse it. Things get even more convoluted when Chips continues his attempts to woo her even when trying to kill her, but when the smoke clears, Demps is off the board and both Luke and Chips each have half of the vital information. Who’d have thought saving the world would be so complex?
While we still have a ways to go before FUBAR becomes required viewing, the new characters and scenarios delivered in this second episode at least provides the hope that things could possibly perk up soon. The most noticable addition is obviously the introduction of Carrie-Anne Moss’ slinky spy, Greta and considering that the entire season is being marketed on the collision between two action movie legends, her first full episode proves to be fairly entertaining. Clad in a harsh, black bob and uttering a German accent that’s at least five times harsher, the Matrix star is obviously getting a kick from camping it up in red, thigh-high boots, in fact, her entire interaction with Luke seems to be the latest example of FUBAR trying as hard as it can to try and leech off some of the greatness from Arnie’s 90s classic, True Lies. Why else would the two suddenly start dancing the tango to get reacquainted if not to conjure images of Arnie making his way around the dance floor with Tia Carrere or Jamie Lee Curtis – however, Schwarzenegger isn’t as nimble as he once was and it kinda feels a little sad as the homage veers a little too close to parody. Still, the presence of Moss gives the show a solid antagonist and more screen time for Guy Burnet’s henchman Chips actually proves to be something of a character to watch.
While the first episode set up his illogical attraction to Emma, the second runs with it by revealing him to be a couple of rounds short of a full mag and gifting him with a running joke of being utterly wrong about every piece of pop culture he chooses to reference. Be it having no clue who Garfield is (he calls him Clancy), mixing up Les Mis with Hamilton and various other instances of ignorance, the joke is made funnier by him insisting he’s actually correct with a curt “agree to disagree” and whether or not this actually manages to heat up the “love square” that Emma is finding herself in, the more daffy shit Chips is allowed to do, the better.
However, outside of ignorant henchmen, it’s kind of business as usual with all the stuff occurring in the house stubbornly refusing to raise much interest despite the promise it once held. In fact, I’m not actually sure what actual purpose Jay Baruchel’s Carter is serving right now and aside from contantly wringing her hands and ranting in Italian, Fabiana’s Tally has not much to do either which is bizarre considering that their significant others both have other potential suitors lining up. However, the action stuff – while still lacking any weight or drama whatsoever – manages to sneak a few genuine laughs in the mission section of the show.
Once again, everyone is running around like headless chickens as the majority of the actual action is made up of another static gunfight that sees the good guys rack up unlimited kills without hardly trying, but here and there the episode manages to score some doozies. A subplot that sees Roo step on a landmine that proves difficult to defuse, ends up having a great punchline when they use a belt to keep the device strapped tightly to her foot. Also, the sequence has a punchline of its own when Demps, the only man who knows the best way to bring the States to its knees, gets taken out by one if his own mines. This means that only Chips and Luke actually knows what the plan is, but each only have half of the details each.
It’s a time worn scenario, and a strongly doubt that FUBAR will add anything new to it, but at least there’s some drama on the cards, even if it’s the tired sort of stuff you’ve seen a thousand times before. Still, the hit rate for the jokes has gotten a little better than the average Imperial Stormtrooper and with some potentially interesting villains in play, hopefully FUBAR can succeed in un-fucking things beyond all recognition and start bringing the laughs.
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