Netflix’s ‘American Vandal’ season 2 is even better than the first

Netflix

• The second season of “American Vandal” became available
  on Netflix Friday. 
• This time, the fictional documentary centers on a
  vandal called The Turd Burglar.
• The season leans into its poop jokes and cultural
  commentary, and is even better than the first season.

 

Halfway through watching season
two of Netflix’s “American Vandal,” I paused the show and
screamed in delight at the well-executed poop humor — to no one
except my dog.

All eight episodes of the second
season of the critically acclaimed Netflix satire are available
Friday. Season two currently has a 94% on Rotten
Tomatoes.

“American Vandal” season one was
my favorite television show of 2017. It touched on the worst
parts of our culture’s obsession with true crime, and made bold,
obvious jabs at Netflix’s own original documentary show, “Making
a Murderer.” 

The fittingly poop-themed season
two, which follows The Turd Burglar, a vandal who has
successfully played out four poop crimes including poisoning
students with laxatives in the
cafeteria — is even better than the
first.

Without an obligation to directly
satirize a specific show like the first season did, “American
Vandal” gets the chance to expand what this show is capable of
exploring. By changing its setting from a public high school in
Southern California to a private Catholic school in the Pacific
Northwest, “American Vandal” has the chance to ambitiously tackle
corrupt school systems, false confessions, and catfishing. Since
season one already covered it, there’s less analysis and comedy
related to the way teens use social media.

It’s still a riot, and is a
strong case for why poop jokes are funny, and always will be. The
poop humor in season two of “American Vandal” is the best poop
humor since Maya Rudolph in 2011’s “Bridesmaids.” You know the
scene.

Like season one, there’s once
again a student who might have been falsely accused because of
his reputation. You’ll fall in love with the brilliant Travis
Tope, who plays Kevin McClain, a lonely, quirky student obsessed
with tea who gives a false confession after hours of
interrogation.

I won’t go into much more detail
about the season’s plot, because spoiling it would be rude. But
the characters are once again, so specific. Everyone will know
someone, from the teens to the teachers to the parents. This is
especially true for those who, like me, went to a Catholic school
that cares about its basketball program more than education
(which is something I wish season two spent a little more time
diving deeper into).

It’s fitting that Netflix’s great
satire series returned for season two only weeks after its

misfire, “Insatiable,” which tried to do what “American
Vandal” does for true crime but for body image. While watching
season two of “American Vandal,” I kept thinking about why this
satire works and “Insatiable” didn’t. And it’s because “American
Vandal” doesn’t look for the laughs: It prioritizes its message
and story, and the comedic elements come naturally. 

“American Vandal” season two is
even better than the first, and establishes this show as one of
the best comedies on television right now. And despite its absurd
poop humor, it is a sharp commentary on today’s culture, gives
young people a voice, and shows they’re more than just
Instagram-obsessed people who think Facebook is lame.