But this was just only a small part of the greater issues with the show’s second year. As many critics have pointed out online, the sophomore season just didn’t hit the way the first one did. While the premiere was lauded for its realistic depiction of addiction, the second season was touted as “frustrating and exhausting,” with a finale that was “overwhelming” because it had lost sight of what it does best: getting at the emotional turmoil at the root of each and every one of its characters. For many, myself included, the pace and franticness of the drama and violence was quite literally debilitating. And it became a substitute and cover for storylines that actually resonated with audiences. Earlier this year, CBC’s Pop Chat writer Amil Niazi dug into the ways that the show seemingly uses violence gratuitously as a way to gain acclaim as “prestige” TV, questioning what remains when you remove the trauma, and if it’s anything of substance. “After you take away the violence and the sex and the extremes, what’s left? And is it actually really prestigious? Is it actually really good?” Niazi asked. “I feel like the pendulum is maybe swinging towards no.”
