REVIEW: SMOGGIE QUEENS SEASON TWO

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!

Smoggie Queens Season 2 is an utter triumph in comedy genius from the brilliant mind of Phil Dunning with a wicked sense of humour, a boldnmess for captivating brilliant stories and a genuine love for all things Middlesbrough. From start to finish, each episode is an utter delight and further explores the characxters in depth by throwing them into new scenarios and finding fresh ways to bring these characters together. All six of the episodes are vastly unique to each over and are utter capers that it is a testament to the cast and crew for pulling them off. a particullary enjoyed episode 3 which is setr in Sapphires and a Wizard of Oz theme. it shouldn't work, but it's perfectly done and as a proud smoggie myself, it's just a joy to have this show onscreens now and each episode perfectly mixes its comedy with themes that queer people are able to connect with and that is why the show is so pivotal to a wider array of audiences and these are expertly uded to the advantage of the show. I was lucky enough to attend the screening of the first two episodes in my hometown and when I left, I was hungry for more, and that's what I left with after this season. There are so many threads that excite me as not only a budding writer, but a dan too in the avenues that they could go ddown with. that is my only critism. six episodes aren't enough for this wonderfully brilliant show.

The main cast as stellar within the series and each bring their own charm and wittiness to their best within series 2. The cast comprised of Dickie (Phil Dunning) , Mam (Mark Benton), Sal, Lucinda (Alexandra Mardell), and Stewart (Elijah Young) are at their best with some wonderful ,meaty storylines that further develop their characters and bring out new shades and lauers to them which is fabulous to watch as it allows to explore these beautifully nuanced characters within new and unique scenarios that allow them to grow and develop. it's an utter joy to watch them as a collective as they are at their best when they are a group. the way in which each character ends Series 2 has me hungry for more, because their is so much potential for the stories that they could go down and that as a viewer excites me in what could be. what is clear that the crux of the show is the strong bond between the five and that is never more evident within Series 2.

Mark Benton is an utter delight and star as Mam in Series 2, and his storyline is very much the emotional core of Season 2 wuth his ex wife returning to Middlesbrough and being confronted by the ghosts of his past is so fascinating to watch this cactor achieve. It is the emotional backbone that drives many of his actions across the season which allows for a much more in depth character study of the challenges that Mam has faced throughout his life and is certainly experiences that older audiences may certainly be able to relate to and find comfort within the character of Mam and Benton brings a powerful performance as the dodging of his ex wife comes to a head in episode 6 at the speed awarness course, as that's natural for Smoggie Queens.

Another clear standout of Series 2 is that of Sal, who really comes into her own across the series as the love triangle between her, Dani and Mel spirals into a love square with the equally horrible Arabella and brings out a new fire within Sa; and that is fantastic to see as well as her fabulous oneliners that are a joy to watch and this development is something I didn't see necessarily happening but equally fascinating as Sal dumps Danni it becomes a triangle again and ends with one of the best fights within the season as the anger boils between Sal and Arabella due to the comments made by the latter and that leads to the amusement of an elderly woman as you do. What this allows is for some meaty scenes where you are rooting for Sal to win and is certainly will be one of the strong stories in a potential series 3. Patsy is exceptional within the role and expertly showcases her talents within the season and is an utter joy to watch as a viewer.

Truth be told, I was a little confused on my first watching of Lucinda and Neil's storyline within Series 2, as it felt quite a little left field with it really beginning in episode 3 that he had a tatoo of an ex and thus the two being on and off and then him proposing at the end of episode 5, only to be met with a no. i know the show is quite wacky, but at first I thought I'd missed something. However, on second watch, I understand much clearly the direction that the two of them where going down and that it was their connection that they where testing and in the end it seems that they are back on track. I don't feel as though I was as invested within it because it felt so minor, which isn't a bad thing at all because not everything needs to be affairs etc. but truth to be told I was a little perplexed but on recent viewings, I understand it was a chance to further explore their relationship and the hurdles that they would face and how one wou;d react to the other doing something like that. Maybe, I'll connect with it more on future viewings. that seems to really be my only criticism criticism when it comes to series 2.

I absolutely adore Stewart, so loved seeing him getting to be his authentic gay self within Series 2. I absolutely adored getting to see him going out on dates and that date was utterly hillarious to watch and further development for him as he continues on his journey and his greatest achievement is most definitely his tap dancing skills that geta 10 from me. It's been an utter joy getting to watch him explore who he is and be the butt of most of Dickie's jokes. Hopefully, we'll get to see more of his dating ventures in a hopeful Series 3.

Dickie has a very interesting journey throughout Series 2, with him still searching for the one after Harrison, with him having a brief fling with a hot chef, holding the Pride event at Sapphires and holding his own drag show. He's still the same Dickie as he was in series 1 but the relationship between him and Harrison begins to change throughout Series 2 and where they end up is certainly not where I expected them to go, but ultimately I find quite interesting and it's fantastic getting to see his rivalries with both Bobby and Steph McGovern is so entertaining to watch onscreen and creates this really interesting dynamic as this hungriness for more than just being happy with what he does has really shows the complexities of the character in that you love to hate him at times.

I absolutely adore this fantastic show and is a testament to all of the cast and crew that are all involved with the show that have created this slice of joy within the North East and for someone who has grown up and lived in Middlesbrough all my life, it's so fun playing the game of I know that place, seeing the bus station, the town hall, it's just fabulous seeing my home town in a different light and allowing audiences far away to see the boro in a way that we do and I have friends across the country who are loving the show and it is very much a celebration of queer love and Middlesbrough and I still can't get over Michelle Visage in Sapphires.

What an utter joy this series has been and here's hoping for a series 3!!!