Despite Netflix sharpening its axe over most of its shows, Sweet Tooth Season 2 came to fruition. However, that shouldn’t be too much of a surprise considering the series received a 97% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and the audiences tuned in for Gus’ unique coming-of-age story. That said, it never truly embraced the complete weirdness of Jeff Lemire’s comic book series, choosing a more linear storytelling path.
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Sweet Tooth stars Christian Convery as Gus, Nonso Anozie as Tommy Jepperd, Adeel Akhtar as Dr. Aditya Singha, Danie Ramirez as Aimee Eden, and Neil Sandilands as General Abbot.
Season 2 picks up where events ended the last time with Gus being captured. The cast, though, is expanded as Gus meets more hybrid children like himself. There’s a sweetness and innocence to these characters, as the audience can’t help but feel sympathy for their plight. They are merely trying to live their lives, but there are other forces with their own nefarious intentions.
This latest season is less expansive than before, however. The whole “Mad Max meets Bambi” angle becomes more personal and self-contained, as it veers more toward an X-Men narrative of mutants versus humans. It’s a brave storytelling choice, but it might be the wrong one in terms of the future of the show. By focusing more on conversations than adventure, Sweet Tooth Season 2 loses some of its magical sheen. Considering this is a post-apocalyptic series and based on a comic book, there is an expectation that it be more action-packed and adventurous than what it is.
Unlike the first season, Sweet Tooth Season 2 drags for large sections and becomes tedious in places. There are episodes that could have been condensed into scenes, and it does feel as if the content is being stretched out to get a longer story than needs to be told here. Yes, it’s clear the creators are trying to convey how terrible the hybrids are treated and it’s extremely sad, but it gets to the stage where it’s almost depressing to start the next episode.
Once again, the standout actor is Neil Sandilands as General Abbot. The South African actor steals every single scene he’s in, and puts in another sensational performance. Most South Africans will recognise Sandilands for his time on the Afrikaans soapie 7de Laan, but he more than proves his mettle as a character actor in Sweet Tooth.
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Overall, Sweet Tooth Season 2 is a disappointment compared to the first season. While it does try to do something different and freshen up the narrative, it fails to captivate the imagination or further the interest. Perhaps the third season – if it does happen – could help to steer this series back onto the right path.