Four More Shots Please Season 2 review: Reality check needed

The four catch each other up on what transpired in their lives. Damini Rizvi Roy (Sayani Gupta) is working on a book, Anjana Menon (Kirti Kulhari) is in a relationship with a young man, Umang (Bani J) is handling rejection at the hands of her former lover, actor Samara Kapoor (Lisa Ray) and Siddhi (Maanvi Gagroo) has been backpacking in Europe at her parents’ expense.

The season focuses on the lead characters resolving their respective problems, and because this is a ‘pretty’ show with ‘pretty’ women who dress up to the hilt (We will come back to the costumes later, it deserves a whole paragraph), we will only get a quick fix solution to everything. Forget nuance, when you can montage your way out of everything.

Anjana, who is a successful corporate lawyer, gets a new boss, and she suddenly is at the receiving end of many ‘women jokes,’ and a ‘that time of the month’ remark is also slipped in. With an angry rant against misogyny, Anjana quits. It’s hard to believe that this was the first time that Anjana had encountered misogyny and casual sexism at her workplace. In spite of the latest ‘woke’ work culture and the #metoo movement, workplace harassment is still a very tangible way of life for many women. What does Anjana do about it? Nothing. She quits. And all is hunky-dory when she joins the next firm as a senior partner.

Retro fitted. That’s a word that comes a lot to mind when we see the second season. It feels that everything that you saw was trending on Twitter last year, has been custom made to fit the show’s still meandering premise. Damini’s book is on the murder of a ‘Judge Damodaran’ – does the real-life murder of Judge Loya ring a bell? Additionally, a comment is made on the ‘current political scenario,’ as no publisher is ready to publish her book as it’s ‘too dangerous.’ It all spitballs into Damini being called an ‘anti-national’ and a ‘presstitute’ at a confrontation at a lit fest. The why and how of the danger and how a book on the murder of a judge is deemed ‘anti-national’, we are never told.

Siddhi, who is on a mission to find herself, tries her hand at stand-up comedy after she is heckled at the local bar they frequent. It triggers strong flashbacks of season one of Marvelous Mrs Maisel, where Midge goes head to head with Randall, another stand up comic, and they pull a gag on Hitler and the Reichstag. While the Golden Globe and Emmy award-winning show has its own problems where white privilege is concerned, but here privilege is used as a punchline. “Par main toh privileged hun naa… material kahan se aayega,” says Siddhi as she and her gaggle of friends are sitting at a plush salon getting their hair and nails primped.

Of the fantastical and brazenness mentioned earlier, Four More Shots Please Season 2 works in an idealist way, where gay marriage is easily accepted, and there is no backlash about a Bollywood A-lister coming out of the closet.

The show reeks of desperation and being too wannabe. They have upped the ante from last season; maybe the makers read the many reviews that came out. What’s too tough about female bonding? Why can’t they get it right? And for the umpteenth time, its not just about getting drunk and talking about sex — that’s the pole star to which this group inadvertently steers itself to. Sure we do make puns and innuendos as much as the guys, but there are long phone calls about a new film, new show or a new recipe as well. Earlier this year, Little Women won awards and hearts alike with its modern-day rendition of the Louisa May Alcott novel. There’s nothing like a sister or a friend having your back, be it literally holding your hair while you vomit or standing beside you if and when you are being bullied, be it in a board meeting or even on social media. But here, Four More Shots Please Season 2, despite having a female director, female showrunners, writers and even a female DOP, fails to elicit even a sympathetic nod.

A special note to the ‘fashion director’ of Four More Shots Please Season 2. The costumes look as if you were holding auditions for Project Runway. Sure, you wish to express your creativity, but the outlandish clothes and accompanying bright lipsticks only add to the surreal feel of the show, intact at times there is a major Edward Scissorhands vibe going. Tim Burton perhaps might be proud, but the audience, we only feel alienated.

If last year has taught us anything, it’s that glamour alone will not make up for lack of a real story and real characters. Majority of big stars and their productions have registered a lacklustre performance at the box-office. In the streaming world, a Bard of Blood bombs with its big-scale production, and a Family Man triumphs for its authenticity. Amazon Prime Video’s very own Panchayat has been receiving a lot of love, given its authentic take on Indian rural life. Made perhaps on one-third of the cost of Four More Shots Please, Panchayat is a better return on investment for the streaming service. And for the audience as well. Go watch Panchayat if you still haven’t.