The Mysterious Benedict Society is back and better than ever. Season 2 is a delight of character development, globetrotting adventure, and new exciting characters.
In Season one Mr. Benedict (Tony Hale) recruited a quartet of children: Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance (Mystic Inscho, Seth Carr, Emmy DeOliveira, and Marta Kessler) to infiltrate Dr Curtain’s (Tony Hale) school and bring him down and to end ‘The Emergency’. The children were successful, but Curtain escaped from authorities.
As season two begins, the kids are a year older, happy, and looking forward to reuniting for a worldwide scavenger hunt orchestrated by Mr. Benedict and Number Two (Kristen Schaal). When Rhonda (MaameYaa Boafo) and Milligan (Ryan Hurst) learn of Benedict and Number Two being kidnapped, the scavenger hunt is called off and the kids are going to be sent home.
Of course, the Mysterious Benedict Society is not going home. A quest to save Mr. Benedict and Number Two begins.
The Mysterious Benedict Society is a fantastic show because it has an appeal that is broad beyond a teenage audience. There is so much to love about the show because the storyline and the setting for the series is a mix of what you might find in the Wes Anderson film universe, with a touch of retro nostalgia, and a bit of the world that never came to be.
Season one introduced us to the kids, Mr. Benedict and Mr. Curtain and presented us with ‘The Emergency’ where people thought something bad was happening, but they weren’t quite sure what it was. Season two takes the show in a new direction. By imprisoning Mr. Benedict and Number Two, and forcing the kids to act on their own, the framework of the series maintains the continuity of the first season, while brightening up the storyline and placing the kids in new perilous situations.
Mystic Inscho, Seth Carr, and Emmy DeOliveira are incredible and bring back that wondrous nobility to their characters that audiences loved so much in the first season. Marta Kessler is the standout performer in the first half of season two.
Kessler plays Constance with a biting wit and sarcastic sense of humor that is unequivocally hilarious and deeply hurtful. This time we get more from Constance, and Kessler delivers some of the best lines, while also forcing the group to work together to find Mr. Benedict. Kessler shows a stronger, more determined performance that shines. The scene where Constance is practicing how to smile in front of the mirror is brilliant. This is a girl who is not used to being happy. Having spent a year in Mr. Benedict’s charge, she knows she should be happy, and wants to show it, but just doesn’t know how to do it naturally.
Marta Kessler is magnificent in this scene. She wonderfully portrays all of Constance’s emotions with a small moment that has no dialogue. I really like Constance and can’t wait to see how the season plays out for her.
Tony Hale continues to bring depth and detail to his dual roles of Curtain and Benedict. As the force of good, Mr. Benedict allows Hale to be the kind wise person that wants to help but struggles to let go of things he can’t control. Mr. Benedict is the type of person that anyone would want for a friend. The problem is that he struggles to have friends thus he looks, acts and appears on the fringe of society.
As Hale is diving deep into the role of a brother who wants to help, he splits his time as Mr. Curtain, a devious maniacal control addict who desperately wants to rule the world and will stop at nothing to obtain this power.
To play such different characters on screen together is a challenge that few actors would be able to accomplish, but Tony Hale is a master in the roles. He equally creates two distinct personalities that not only inhabit the scene they are in, but project the differences between the two men, whether it is through the clothes they wear, the cadence of their speech, or even their posture while sitting. The audience knows that Hale plays both characters, but it easy to think otherwise thanks to his incredible performance.
Season two introduces two new characters to the show. Fred Melamed plays Captain Noland, and Joel de la Fuente is Cannonball. Both show their influence on the kids early on, and Melamed and de la Fuente bring a new life to the show that compliments the performances by the kids perfectly.
Fans of the books and the show will love the new season. Ryan Hurst returns as Milligan, Gia Sandhu is back as Ms. Perumal, and even Jackson and Jillson return with actors Katherine Evans and Ben Cockell. There is so much to enjoy as The Mysterious Benedict Society continues to set sail in new directions keeping the story crisp, the adventure incredible, and enticing viewers to want to take their own journey.