Posted in: AMC, Review, TV | Tagged: amc, amc networks, amc plus, annie murphy, eric petersen, kevin can f**k himself, mary hollis inboden, Review

Kevin Can F**k Himself Season 2 E02 Review: Neil In The Real World

AMC's Kevin Can F**k Himself, season 2, episode 2, investigated how the real world impacts those who've been in the circus of Kevin's sitcom life for so long. There were a decent amount of scenes including Neil in this episode, and they often subtly explored some complex emotions the character will likely begin going through. Warning, potential spoilers are ahead.

Kevin Can F**k Himself went about Neil in the hospital and Allison & Patti's next steps in a realistic manner. The "fake it till you make it" levels of confidence followed by nervous panic of planning ahead was a perfect mix in these moments between them. I loved the way this episode flowed more than the first episode of this season. There was a nice balance of time spent between Neil entering back into the world of Kevin and the search for answers of escape for Allison. What I appreciate are the subtle ways you can see how Allison and Patti's connection is bigger than Patti herself realizes until she sees little things remembered by Allison about her.

I want to take some time to fully appreciate the excellent acting by Alex Bonifer, who plays Neil, and Jamie Denbo, who plays Diane. Both bring so much to their scenes in different ways that greatly become resourceful to audiences. This episode of Kevin Can F**k Himself surrounds its characters with some fantastic and absorbing scenery and a New England environment that encapsulates an area like Worchester, MA. It continues to indicate an authentic sense of self and develops a culture that anyone from a similar town can understand.

Neil realizing how Kevin gets laughs out of treating him as the dumb sidekick is not treated as a big moment. Instead, it shows how it wouldn't be something automatic. It continues to take time for Neil to see these things, and yet still, he becomes consumed by the crumbs of acceptance. There's a moment when Kevin and his father make commentary on Patti and Tammy that stuck with me. It was interesting to hear the same reaction come from both Allison and Neil of "leave her alone," which indicates an awareness of these microaggressions they continue to get away with. Kevin Can F**k Himself took a lot of care in providing certain moments and scenes with authentic moods fostered by lighting, focus on certain characters, and timing between the sitcom and the real world. One of my favorite examples from this episode was the difference between the moments where Tammy & Patti are eating some takeout together, and the time Tammy decides to stay at her brother's house. This episode provided the content and a way to digest it that doesn't refrain from emotionally complex storylines and difficult-to-love characters.

Kevin Can F**k Himself Season 2 Episode 2 "The Way We Were"

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Review by Brittney Bender

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10/10

AMC's Kevin Can F**k Himself, S02 E02, "The Way We Were," explores a necessary side to the complications brought on by a man like Kevin to those around him, whether they see through him or not. This episode manages to produce sympathy for Neil while still seeing his anger problems on display, giving audiences a true insight into the horrors of toxic masculinity in the sitcom and real world.

Credits

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Network

AMC

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