…………………………………………………

The Cuphead Show! Season 2 Review

The second season of The Cuphead Show! was released on Netflix in the second half of 2022. It has thirteen episodes and a couple of them are longer.

………………………………………………….

“Yes, we’re lookin’ for fun!“

…………………………………………………..

Jailbroken continues right where the first season ended – with Cuphead and Mugman arrested. This is a wild episode that is extremely entertaining and especially memorable for its goofy humor and tough prisoners being sweethearts approach. It worked and it was a great way to start this season.

Charmed & Dangerous is fine, but hardly as memorable as the other episodes in this season. Ms. Chalice is as funny and unpredictable as always and the end twist about her ghost form was terrific, but she unfortunately until now did not get as strong of a narrative material as the two brothers and she deserves better.

A High Seas Adventure! is an absolute blast! This is by far the best episode of the season and the longest one so far, clocking in at over twenty minutes. In its length and approach, it mirrored the longer Popeye films from the thirties, which I just adored as a big fan of those flicks. This story adapts Captain Brineybeard and Cala Maria, both are main bosses from the video game, but it gives them both a proper arc, thus never feeling like fan service. It functions as a romance in its framing, but it is rather dark in its eventual conclusion while consistently being both very amusing and spirited in adventure.

…………………………………………………..

Another Brother is a totally forgettable episode that is familiar in its narrative and far from memorable in its humor. Sweet Temptation could and should have gone even further with its world building, but it’s still a gorgeous episode set in Sugarland and featuring a great villain in the form of Baroness Von Bon Bon. She’s just as memorable as she was in the game. The I Scream Man is rather forgettable, though it has its solid humorous moments.

Piano Lesson is absolutely hilarious in its Ludwig character, a musician who ends up plagiarizing Cuphead’s work. The episode serves well as a parody of period pieces with its hilarious gentlemanly dialogue. It’s one of the most unique episodes of the bunch. Release the Demons! is phenomenal. It finally brings back the Devil in a season that is mostly devoid of his presence, which was unfortunate. He is particularly hilarious in this installment while the hints at his obvious homosexuality were so funny. His dynamic with Stickler was also amusing.

Dead Broke is a fine episode for the ghosts’ appearance, but it’s another rather uneven Chalice storyline. Rats All, Folks features a very annoying rat nuisance that has a German accent amusingly so. It’s a very entertaining episode, but one that is one-note throughout. Say Cheese is the best Elder Kettle episode of the bunch. He gets to have some very amusing and sweet moments with the brothers here.

…………………………………………………..

Lost in the Woods is particularly effective at emphasizing the differences in personality between the two brothers. Cuphead is the loose type while Mugman is the neurotic type. The former is carefree while the latter is always caring. This season ultimately did a better job at character development than its predecessor. The Devil’s Pitchfork ended the season with another cliffhanger that was very effective and it’s great that they continue to use the Devil in the most momentous and plot-driven episodes of the show.