Humor as a coping mechanism for trauma is a tale as old as time, and all it takes is a quick glance at any decent comedy lineup to see that the cool queer kids practically rule stand-up these days.
If Season 1 of “Feel Good” introduced Martin as a sharp wit with a unique perspective, Season 2 marks their glow up into full-blown comedic truth-teller in the vein of Hannah Gadsby or Michaela Coel.
Needless to say, it doesn’t take long for Mae to win George back, and the two make fast work of a delightfully ridiculous roleplay montage that involves gender-bending knights and heavily accented plumbers.
Yes, it’s a dark comedy about one person dealing with trauma and addiction, but it’s also a tender love story about two people learning how to be together in a healthy way.
Underlining all of this is Mae’s fluctuating relationship to gender, which pops up as a running joke throughout but is ultimately handled with just as much care as any other topic.
Raised in Toronto but living in London, Martin has adopted the British approach to comedy, the best of which embodies the Shakespearean notion that “brevity is the soul of wit.” With such an excess of TV on hand, and decision fatigue so bad it’s tempting to give up on the whole endeavor entirely and just read a book, Martin may be onto something with this jam-packed short season.