Apple TV+ ‘The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy’ Season 2 Review - From Europe With Love

In the second season of The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy, actor-comedian Eugene Levy explores Europe reluctantly. He gets out of his bubble and travels to Sweden, Scotland, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, and Spain (in this order). This all reluctant thing is, of course, a gimmick. You can't just show off your wealth, or your privilege confidently or casually because the audience will get turned off by it. Anyway, people nowadays can vicariously go almost anywhere in the world through YouTube videos, and that too for free. Take that Apple TV. Why should anyone take your subscription to watch beautiful scenery?

This is where Levy comes in. He fails to sell his I-am-getting-out-of-my-bubble attitude, but he does bring in a lot of amusement through his presence. His dry voice-overs, his befuddled expressions, and his rib-tickling observations make this okayish pill easy to swallow. I say okayish because, despite the presence of gorgeous locations, the show looks surprisingly monotonous. The camera doesn't capture the surroundings with a sense of wonder. It merely reduces it to a picture postcard. The five-star rooms, the seaside resorts, and the rough mountain paths look similar to stock photos one can easily find on Google Images. I have seen YouTube videos that do a far better job of capturing these expensive environments.

In the absence of aesthetic pleasure, you feast your eyes - and ears - on information. You find joy in discovering that you need to lock eyes with your partner while saying cheers in Italy or that there are 47 different types of mosquitoes in Sweden. Levy tracks down his family history in Scotland. His mother was born in Glasgow, and there is a lovely scene in which he learns how terribly his mother must have lived in an apartment during her childhood (more than 11 people lived in a single room, and the bathwater, as well as the toilets, were shared). What's so interesting about this scene is that it doesn't indulge in cheap emotional manipulations. Levy's tone remains unchanged, though you can definitely notice a tinge of sadness in his voice. Nothing is overplayed for mushiness.

Despite the European sights, Levy is the best reason to watch this series. More than private swimming pools and sunsets, it's the visuals - like Levy casually killing a mosquito or demonstrating how to milk a goat while talking to the camera - that prove to be spectacular. The show ends on a note that teases a third season. Well, I don't mind as long as Levy is there.

Final Score- [6.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times
Note: All 7 episodes are screened for this review.
Premiere Date: March 8, 2024, on Apple TV+ with its first two episodes, while the rest will be released weekly every Friday.