‘Troppo’ Season 2 Review - Thomas Jane and Nicole Chamoun Solve Another Murder Case

Amidst the silent gaze of the surrounding trees and grasses, a man and a woman embrace fervently in the still of the night. Lost in their own world, they feel secure in the privacy of their passion. As they indulge in a passionate kiss, the man tenderly caresses the woman's legs. He then steps away to fetch condoms because safe sex is good sex. But suddenly, he hears a noise, turns back, and witnesses a fiery rock falling on the woman. This "rock" is nothing but a corpse. A murder has been committed. The girl, of course, succumbs to her fate, and the identity of the dead body that falls on her is unveiled within a few minutes. Who is the killer? Why was the crime committed? Welcome to the jungle.

Here is a twist, however. Troppo Season 2 deals with a murder and various suspects, but it doesn't move like a typical murder mystery production. There are no attempts at raising our interest levels through discoveries or red herrings every five or fifteen minutes. The investigation, too, is displayed in a normal way. What Troppo Season 2 does is that it remains curious about its characters and their complicated situations. We learn about people's personal lives, romantic interests, and intimate desires. Tayla (Miah Madden) envisions a happy, sunny life with her boyfriend, Raph (Ethan Lwin). So when he becomes a suspect in a murder case, she hires private investigators Amanda (Nicole Chamoun) and Ted (Thomas Jane) to dig up evidence proving Raph's innocence. Amanda has a confident, no-nonsense demeanor, but there is fragility behind this hard shell. She flirts with Detective Sweeney (Zindzi Okenyo) in hopes of developing a meaningful romance. And what about Ted? He is like a family member to her. But Ted desperately wants to live with his daughter, Lilly (a peppy Chloe Delle-Vedove), who is his top priority. There is a scene in Troppo Season 2 where Ted leaves Amanda without informing her to meet his daughter. Amanda goes from being frustrated to scared to annoyed until all three emotions combine to show us a woman who urgently needs help.

The thing about Amanda is that she is undergoing car therapy. What this means is that she cannot spend extended periods of time inside a four-wheeled vehicle. Hence, she prefers to ride a cycle. However, during this particular event, she drives a car to track somebody because Ted not only leaves her but also fails to pick up her calls since he is busy spending time with Lilly and his ex-wife Kelly (Radha Mitchell). It's a wonderful scene because we understand Amanda and Ted's situation clearly. We grasp why he is ignoring her calls and how much she depends on him. Ted has a crucial place in Amanda's life. Their friendship and their easy-going chemistry might just be the best thing about this series. Look how casually she walks into his house and examines the contents of the fridge. This is the level of comfort people develop when they spend a lot of time together. Chamoun and Jane effectively exude this casualness in each other's presence. It's only natural then that Amanda feels threatened after Lilly and Kelly's arrival. She becomes jealous, like a kid who doesn't want to share his/her parent with someone else. Amanda, indeed, can come across as a little girl. Notice how she smiles when Ted agrees to her plan or decision or when she manages to send him text messages by stretching her arm upwards. Amanda grins like a child who has managed to impress their parent or make them say "yes" to their requests.

Troppo Season 2 focuses on family bonding and challenges. The plot includes a son accused of killing his father, a mother protecting her daughter, an "uncle" risking his life for his "nephew," and a father pressuring a football coach to keep his son in the striker position. The show's setting provides a pleasant visual experience. What's more, we not only see the flora and the fauna but also hear the sounds of the birds and the insects - the show is appealing to the ears as well. The hassle, however, with Troppo Season 2 is that we very quickly learn about the nature of all the relationships here, so apart from some revelations (A man named Twist [Simon Lyndon] gives rise to a twist), we get to know nothing new about the characters. Their actions come across as predictable. Also, apart from Amanda and, to an extent, Ted, no other human on the screen looks interesting - they don't draw you in. Troppo Season 2 never really becomes unwatchable. Still, when a show has eight long episodes - when it has a big canvas - you expect more colors from it rather than something merely okayish and watchable.

Final Score- [6/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times
Note: All eight episodes are screened for this review.
Premiere Date: July 25, 2024, on Prime Video