Wrecked Season 2 premieres June 20, 10pm on TBS.
By John Baker
There’s a new queen on our island of misfit castaways and if the first 30 minutes of season 2 of Wrecked is any indication, she’s going to add more than a little fun to the lives of our dysfunctional gang.
When we last saw Danny, Jess, Todd, Pack and the gang in the season 1 finale, they’d just found out that an apparent rescue had a much darker side. Danny, the son of a rich businessman, was going to be snatched up for ransom.
But as often happens on this unnamed island that “smells like a hot fart,” things rarely turn out the way anyone intends. And that’s the beauty of Wrecked as it enters its second season on TBS. Episode 201, “Ransom,” takes us right back to that fun brand of irreverent humor that we got in season 1.
We get a sneak peek into Danny’s family life – a father that’s callous and selfish, a sister that’s caring and concerned – before dad suffers a medical condition, drives his golf cart into an electrical transformer that blows up and kills him.
And we’re off.
Back on the island, we find that the pirates aren’t quite as organized, confident or ruthless as they appeared at the end of season 1. In fact, the henchmen of The Barracuda would fit in quite nicely with those they are trying to terrorize. We get plots, plans and scrambled thought processes from both the castaways and their would-be tormentors before being introduced to the newest player on the island – the leader of the pirates, The Barracuda.
As pirates go, she’s got it going on and everyone is riveted on her as she pilots her jet ski towards the beach, then shoots it because it malfunctions. “She’s so hot,” repeat Florence and Jess as she walks toward them. “I mean she’s, like, glowing.”
She’s sharp, she’s sexy, and she wants to retire from pirating by making a deal — $10 million for Danny and everyone gets home safely. Seems simple, right? When is that ever the case on this island? The funny part here is that no one can believe Danny is from money. Owen offers up plenty of reasons why Danny can’t be a silver spoon son – noting the bad teeth, poor choice in shoes and that Danny is chubby. Todd is in agreement and we certainly know how perceptive Todd can be, right?
Meanwhile, Steve is spying from the pit as he stands on Karen’s shoulders. Truthfully, I can’t really get enough of Steve or Karen. They are filled with nutty wisdom and misguided ideas. Perfect for the pressures of a deserted island.
Well, Danny is from the monied elite, but assures the new queen of the island that it’s unlikely dad is going to pay for his ransom. Fortunately, our pirate beauty is equipped with a phone that apparently has plenty of bars (Sorry, Pack) and dials up daddy’s company.
“Capri pants, my phone,” says The Barracuda, who doesn’t call her henchmen by name, but by what they wear.
We get a little sadness here as The Barracuda gets daughter Margo on the line and everyone is informed that daddy-dearest is no more. The Barracuda makes the ransom demand offer, gives Margo an hour, and everyone thinks things are about to be wrapped up. Right? Right!
Let’s just say that sister Margo, while excited to hear that her brother is alive, decides an hour later to answer the ransom demand with a long fart into the phone. See, seems that when she found out that Danny would get half the fortune, she channeled her inner “dad” and decided to keep it all for herself.
There’s a nice side story here about the aftermath of Steve shooting Kurt Turdhole. The group can’t just bury Turdhole, they have to offer up a beautiful smorgasboard of coarse sentimentality, strange tangents and self-absorbed oddness. Note Chet’s little poem/song over Turdhole’s grave. It’s beautifully ill-timed, but so wonderfully perfect for this island.
In the end, The Barracuda is not to be defeated. Though the ransom ploy isn’t going to work, she decides she and her crew will remain on the island with our castaways to rape (oooh) the island for its worth.
She offers one last demonstration about how sexy cool and tough she is, which leaves the castaways cowering quite nicely. She also inadvertently gives Steve the out he’s been looking for in the aftermath of the Turdhole killing.
Wrecked is a nice little comedic riff on the TV series Lost, but has delivered more than that through its first season. Quirky tenderness and zany inappropriateness collide on this island to provide a fun little adventure in comedy. Given the season 2 opener, it would appear that this adventure is going to continue nicely. A few new faces, a wonderful new dynamic and we are off for season 2 of Wrecked.
I give Wrecked’s second season premiere a B.
TV and City 