The dynamic between Rob Lowe and his son John Owen Lowe was one of the best things about the first season of Unstablewhich they co-created and star in. They felt like the interactions we’ve seen between the Lowes in real life, which is loving but also full of humor. That dynamic is still present in the show’s second season, but the workplace aspect of the show is getting a bit of a boost.
UNSTABLE SEASON 2: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening shot: Ellis Dragon (Rob Lowe) wears an orange jumpsuit and does push-ups behind bars.
The essence: Ellis begins to hear noises and breaks down, despite his efforts to stay strong. But he’s not actually in prison; he’s in a simulation created by Leslie (Fred Armisen), the board-appointed therapist at Dragon, the biotech company Ellis founded. Ellis’ son, Jackson (John Owen Lowe), comes down to the basement and complains that the hot water isn’t working. Leslie says it’s part of Ellis’s preparation for prison. “You’re both idiots,” Jackson tells them.
Although Ellis wrecked a car and was arrested, he won’t end up in prison thanks to Anna (Sian Clifford), Dragon’s CFO; her ex-husband knows people in the district attorney’s office. The only concession Anna has to make is to hire her horrible ex-stepdaughter Georgia (Iris Apatow) as a summer intern.
Ellis seems to be happy with the development, ignoring the repercussions on Anna’s life. Anna tells him that the board wants a “fresh face” to represent the company at the upcoming BioTexpo, and of course Ellis thinks that’s Jackson. Jackson just wants to be free of his father’s drama and get back to what he put on hold with Luna (Rachel Marsh) before Ellis torched that car. But when Ellis tells Jackson that he’ll take over when Ellis finally retires in 50 or 60 years, Jackson looks for a way out.
Jackson meets Peter Martin (Lamorne Morris), whose biotech company he greatly admires; Luna and Ruby (Emma Ferreira) introduce him to the tycoon. They hit it off, and Peter offers Jackson a job. When Jackson tells Ellis he’s leaving Dragon, Ellis has a predictably odd reaction; he tells Jackson he now has to pay $85,000 a month in rent, prompting Jackson to room with his friend Malcolm (Aaron Branch), a project manager at Dragon.
As usual, Ellis will never be defeated and surprises Jackson when he arrives at his father’s house to retrieve something and sees him celebrating a new business deal with Peter.
What shows will it remind you of? UnstableThe first season of ‘s, which was more about grief and family, felt like Contractionbut now it’s more of a workplace comedy along the lines of Swag.
Our opinion: The first season of UnstableCreated by the Lowes and sitcom veteran Victor Fresco, it managed to incorporate the characters who work at Dragon and make them part of what was essentially a father-son story. What’s interesting about the second season is that the grief factor, involving the relatively recent death of Ellis’ wife/Jackson’s mother, is almost nonexistent, at least at first. The idea of Jackson being there to be the stabilizing influence on his father who was once his mother has essentially given way to the idea of Ellis doing everything he can to keep Jackson in the fold of the Dragon corporation.
It’s a shame that aspect of the story is downplayed, because it added some depth to the father-son bickering that was a feature of the first season. One of the most successful aspects of the first season was that Rob and John Owen Lowe carried over their real-life father-son chemistry onto the screen, and that continues into the second season. But having those bickerings tied to the fact that they miss the steadying influence of Jackson’s mother made for a touching comedy. and fun.
Both Morris and Apatow are welcome additions to Dragon’s office dynamic, though. Morris’ character, Peter, is there to be someone who’s at or near Ellis’ “tech genius” level and will challenge the way Ellis does business, and Apatow’s character, Georgia, is there to shake things up at the office because, well, to her, this is just a job.
The fact that they’re present emphasizes that father and son Fresco and Lowes are leaning into each other’s work aspect of the series, something that, as we mentioned, was strengthened at the end of the first season. Anna, Luna, Ruby, and Malcolm all had just enough quirks to make them worth watching, and the simmering triangle of attraction between Luna, Jackson, and Ruby was fun, so we’re okay with seeing more of them in Season 2.
Sex and skin: Nothing in the first episode.
Parting shot: Jackson is in disbelief when he sees Ellis and Peter celebrating the fact that Ellis just bought Peter’s company, only to bring Jackson back into the Dragon fold.
Sleeping Star: As usual, Fred Armisen does a lot with a little in the role of Leslie. It’s gotten to the point where Leslie is less of a therapist than a confidant to Ellis, and Leslie seems to enjoy being paid well for being Ellis’ friend.
Pilot’s most typical phrase: Ellis says Peter did five years of varsity fencing without having to make a reservation as a freshman. Even Ellis knew that was a weakness.
Our calling: TRANSMIT IT. While Unstable‘s second season takes a step more toward a workplace comedy and less toward a comedy about grief and family, and has established a fun workplace environment. And with the additions to the cast, the second season should be just as funny as the first was.
Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting, and technology, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV addict. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.comFast Company and elsewhere.
