With only two more episodes left of Breeders Season 2, things are destined to go South, right? Well, fans think it’s unlikely as this week’s episode (Season 2, Episode 8) contained a lot of resolution and accountability.
Much of the Worsley family drama was turned down, and fans were finally able to release a deep breath as Ally (Daisy Haggard), and Paul’s (Martin Freeman) relationship seems to be back on steady ground. But don’t get too comfortable; the series’ co-creator and writer Simon Blackwell has released a worrisome quote in anticipation for next week’s episode.
What has happened in Season 2 thus far?
Next week’s episode, “No Power Part I,” airs on Monday, May 7. FX describes the episode as, “On the day of Leah and Alex’s wedding, Paul and Ally find they have only a few hours to deal with a seemingly insoluble family crisis, leading Paul to make the hardest decision of his life.”
Two episodes ago, Ally’s mother Leah (Stella Gonet) announced her sudden engagement to her new beau Alex — much to her daughter’s dismay. Also, the troubled Worsley son Luke (Alex Eastwood) has been in a rough battle with his anxiety disorder, suffering through sleepaway field trip panic attacks and having difficulty making friends. However, he seems to have found a friend in Jacob, a seemingly pretentious school peer.
The younger Worsley daughter Ava (Eve Prenelle), is having friendship issues as well — a rift caused by the daughter of one of Paul’s recently reacquainted friendships. Looming in the backdrop of all of this has been the relationship issues between Paul and Ally, a long-term marriage that was recently shaken up by a slight act of infidelity. But, most of these problems seemed resolved by the end of Episode 8, and things appeared to be looking up.
What did Simon Blackwell say?
Don’t be fooled; it’s time to gear up as Simon Blackwell (Veep) teased this upcoming episode, calling it “pivotal,” “dramatic,” and “emotional.”
In a quote released to the press, Breeders showrunner Blackwell said, “The closing minutes of Episode 209 of Breeders contains a pivotal piece of action that the entire second season was built around. We’d planned for a while that we would age the kids up in Season 2, so Luke and Ava would be six years older than they were in Season 1.”
He continued, “And the one definite thing I knew I wanted to happen was for 13-year-old Luke to reach a very particular dramatic point with his dad, a shocking moment that redefines their entire relationship in a second. The whole of the series arc then grew out of that moment – where it would happen within the season, the emotional build up to it, and its unsteady resolution.”
Speaking to the series’ formula, Blackwell added, “Writing like that – from the micro out to the macro, building from a detail rather than starting with broad brushstrokes and then drilling down –is a gamble, but it’s very satisfying if it pays off. I hope it does here.”
Breeders is a series that comes with easy praise. While it may fly under the radar, it is met with high critic and fan approval — and this season has been no different. Fans shouldn’t rest easy too fast; judging by Blackwell’s quote, it seems like there’s a lot more in store for the final two episodes of Breeders.
Breeders airs Monday nights at 10/9c on FX.