Apple TV+’s Platonic returned for a second season, further exploring the messy dynamic of Sylvia (Rose Byrne) and Will (Seth Rogen).
Platonic Season 1 explored the age-old question of whether men and women could be just friends without romantic undertones.
Byrne and Rogen possess such believable chemistry and are real-life friends since they’ve worked together in the Neighbors movies that they act like Sylvia and Will have been long-time friends.
That works for witty banter and comedic timing, and makes perfect sense why their romantic partners have difficulty with their intense friendship.
Platonic Season 1 dealt with getting their friendship back on track, and the Platonic Season 2 premiere episodes focused on Will more, as he coped with being engaged to his boss Jenna and realizing she was different from him and Sylvia.
Sylvia and Will Continue to Bring Out the Best and the Worst in Each Other
The Platonic Season 2 premiere kicks off with Sylvia planning Will’s wedding to Jenna (Rachel Rosenbloom), even though it’s a disaster waiting to happen.
Sylvia was so fixated on the fact that Will grew up, moved to San Diego, and doesn’t seem to vibe with Jenna that she drove Charlie crazier than usual.
Charlie has gotten used to Sylvia and Will’s intense bond, but Jenna has not yet, and she became over-fixated on how much time they spent together, so Will felt the need to escape from his fiancée.
There continued to be a fine line between Sylvia sharing her thoughts and overstepping in Will’s love life, like she did with his ex-wife and Peyton.
Sylvia also seemed torn between ignoring Will’s issues and planning the best wedding, which would boost her career image, and helping her friend.
Sylvia and Will worked tirelessly to save the engagement party, but that meant disappearing and ignoring Jenna, which heightened her suspicions.
Last season, Sylvia was more of a mess, and this time, Sylvia seemed to rescue Will more frequently.
Will’s idea of growing up didn’t mesh with the real world, and that’s what made his vision so funny. He thought he could keep his two women from interacting with each other.
He couldn’t even keep Sylvia from meeting his crush. There was no way he could keep her from interacting with Jenna, especially since she was planning the wedding.
Their argument over how they had to do adult things like couple dinners to salvage their friendship was hilarious. They tried, but neither of them was mature.
Forbidding Sylvia from revealing anything about the past to pacify Jenna won’t work long-term. She’s not dumb, and even Charlie looked uncomfortable at this dinner party.
Jenna Was a Cringey, Humorous Character and Did Not Vibe With Will
While most of the characters on Platonic were funny, Jenna leaned towards cringey humor that was obnoxious.
She enjoyed being the center of attention and relished embarrassing Will with the tribute he and her family concocted at their engagement party.
However, that was tame compared to how she acted at the dinner party, bragging about her accomplishments.
I’m sorry, no one learns to walk at five months old, and no one learns to ice skate at a year old. I’ve been following ice skating since I was a teenager, and usually the youngest is around three years old.
That was plain funny and ridiculous. She wouldn’t let anything go, even when the others tried to joke and say that if she were that great, she would have been in the Guinness Book of World Records.
It almost seemed like she wanted to groom Will to be successful like her, and she thought he and Sylvia were nothing until he met her.
While Will often acted childish, he still had goals and was definitely not worthless.
Hopefully, we don’t have to deal with Jenna all season. Cringey know-it-alls grate on my nerves.
Platonic Relies on Pop Culture and Modern References
The Platonic Season 2 premiere relies on several pop culture references, which worked.
Seth Rogen has done several episodes, both on Platonic and The Studio, concerning humorous scenes while high.
This almost seemed like a throwback to The Studio since his friends laced a champagne glass with acid to make the wedding more tolerable.
It was hilarious to watch the aftermath of that, especially since Jenna’s uncle got into it and ran around the party naked.
Naming the pub Johnny 66 or J6 worked on many levels. It reminded me of the iconic Route 66, but Will’s friends said J6 reminded them of January 6th, which would not be a funny reference.
Will’s friends’ insinuation that Sylvia took Ozempic to lose weight was also funny, though it may have insulted some people. But that was a clever quip since that drug commercial is everywhere.
My favorite included the speech from the Barbie movie because it was relatable and humorous.
Many women feel like they’re never good enough, no matter what. Playing the Barbie theme song as the end credits showcased how many women think without beating a dead horse.
The Platonic Season 2 Premiere Balanced Comedy and Drama, Making It an Easy Watch
Platonic works because of the easy connection that Sylvia (Rose Byrne) and Will (Seth Rogen) have. The first two episodes of Platonic Season 2 – “The Engagement Party” and “The Dinner Parties” built on that rapport.
We laughed at the outrageous way they outsmarted a store clerk and stole Veuve Clicquot champagne, or the way they test drove a sports car, which was way out of their element.
These two light up the screen with their witty antics and comedic timing, and some of the scenes were laugh-out-loud funny, while others were amusing.
These were the moments, making it an easy binge, where you don’t have to pay close attention and analyze everything.
However, creators Francesca Delbanco and Nicholas Stoller also added more drama to the second season, which has already manifested in the premiere since Will looked uncomfortable being engaged and knew Sylvia could tell.
That’s a dangerous line since even though he and Sylvia have never been romantic, Jenna appeared threatened by their close and intense relationship.
That could go horribly wrong in future episodes. Knowing Platonic, it will likely be entertaining, but it will have a dramatic flair.
Over to you, Platonic Fanatics. What did you think of the Season 2 premiere? How did it compare to the first season? Are you glad to have Sylvia and Will back on-screen? What are your thoughts on Jenna?
Let us know in the comments.
New Episodes of Platonic Season 2 drop at 3 am ET on Apple TV+
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