Where Season One was based more on Alex (Elisa Cuthbert) and Dave's (Zach Knighton) breakup and the impact on their core group of shared friends, Happy Endings: The Complete Second Season is more of a straight-up situational comedy. There are still callbacks to Alex and Dave's previous relationship and even a little "friends with benefits" action during the season, but mostly it's just the group's antics. For starters, there's Penny (Casey Wilson), who declares this "The Year of Penny" and starts things off with buying a condo. This sets Penny off on a panic about becoming a spinster with lots of cats and she determines to not end up alone. Instead of finding a lasting relationship, she asks Alex to be her roomie. Meanwhile, Dave and Alex are both trying to move on with other people, but it never really seems to work out for either one – perhaps because they are meant to be together.
Max (Adam Pally) is forever in search of the perfect man, even though he's a complete slob. When he finally finds Mr. Right, he questions why someone so great would want him and almost blows it. In his attempts to clean up his life, he goes to work with Dave at the food truck (and promptly blows that), then buys a circa 80's limousine and starts a car service. This can't end well, but somehow, it kind of does.
Then there's Brad (Damon Wayans Jr.) and Jane (Eliza Coupe), the perfect couple. It seems Brad and Jane have a blowout argument every spring and yes, the group even has t-shirts made for the epic battle. The gang decides that warm weather will never arrive unless the fight ensues and Brad and Jane are getting along so well. The couple decides to fake the fight so everyone can breathe easy, but during the fake, the real fight happens. Funny stuff. Then, there's the rapidly developing lie on Penny's behalf so she can avoid the company of an old friend who has moved back into town. In this lie, it seems Dave is dying, Alex is a lesbian yet is interested in Dave and Max's weird landlord (so they don't get evicted), and Brad and Jane are expecting and need a baby shower. This tenuous web of lies is only kept under control with Penny's Bible of Lies (or Libel, as she calls it). But lies this huge can't go on forever.
The season is chock full of crazy hilarity like this. One of my favorite episodes involves Dave and Brad getting caught up in a "friendship" with Brad's strange mailman (Rob Riggle). Let's just say things get real weird, real fast. Riggle is so over the top and raunch, but he is hysterical. Then there's the one where Alex starts carrying cute little baby shirts in her store and the mean girls of the local high school popularize them. Could Alex and Penny become groupies of the mean girls' clique? Of course. But Jane puts a damper on everything by playing the mom role to her supposed "egg baby" when she experiences remorse for selling an egg in college. Well, isn't that just ten types of awkward. Finally, Meghan Mulally (Will and Grace) and Michael McKean drop in as Penny's mom and Dave's dad. When the pair becomes a couple, can Dave handle being Penny's "little" brother?
The season finale wraps up with an insane gay wedding between two of Max's friends where Max is encouraged to sing on stage with his old Madonna tribute band, Mandonna. Jane is the only one left out of the wedding party, but is put in as a last minute addition and has to wear a canary yellow tuxedo, but she wears it like a champ and even saves the day when she is able to stretch the food out after a financial mishap occurs. That's not brie, it's a napkin in disguise… The season ends with Penny dealing with her underlying feelings for Dave, while a glimmer of hope may be on the horizon for Alex and Dave.
Special features are minimal and include some deleted scenes and outtakes, but be warned: The outtakes on Disc 2 include outtakes from Disc 3, so watch those after viewing the entire series, because they could be a little spoiler-y. If you enjoyed Happy Endings: Season 1, you'll like Happy Endings: The Complete Second Season. Check it out and get geared up for Season 3 as it starts in the very near future and we won't have long to wait to see how things shake out for everyone.
