Unreal unleashed a world of surprises during it’s second season finale, but did it redeem the mess that lead up to this chaotic end?
The way they wrapped up Darius and Ruby was unexpected but it was the best part of this season, at least to Jay and to me. Jay was a bright spot in the dark side that was Everlasting and he finally managed to get what he wanted, something that Quinn and Rachel try to do but it’s their reasoning that stops them from achieving their goals. Jay wanted happiness for the suitor, which really went against everything this show stood for and yet it embraced everything they were trying to sell. If Unreal accomplished anything this season, this happy suitor ending was it. It made sense because as much as Unreal is trying to say, there are happy endings sometimes and no matter how rare they are they should be written.
As for that epic plot twist of an ending, I couldn’t help but wonder if that was exactly what was supposed to happen. This whole season had Jeremy at his worse but he was a ticking time bomb that didn’t really explode until the end. Jeremy was always written around Rachel and the way he tried to save her established his dedication even more. There is no Jeremy in the narrative without Rachel nearby or her being the reason behind his decision making process. We saw it in the way he didn’t even blink before going off to kill Coleman and Yael, and I wonder if he really has any type of line when it comes to Rachel. Jeremy is ready to do anything for her but was it his decision that ended up with two people dead, or did Rachel ”produce” him into it?
Rachel is all about manipulation and she was about to hit rock bottom so she could have been desperate enough to push Jeremy to that edge. She probably didn’t realize how far he would really go, but now she has to deal with the consequences just as much as Jeremy. Rachel uses people and even though there should have been a limit by now, it doesn’t look like the Everlasting family has a limit when it comes to keeping themselves out of danger. Where does that leave Quinn, Rachel, Chet and Jeremy next season?
The one plot that fell through worse than any other was the police brutality topic that not only turned out worse than expected, but it made us doubt the direction the show was going. At a time when death at the hands of police officers is more than just an issue, its an actual fear and how far can this be used on a show if it’s meant to benefit a white girl in the process. Romeo getting shot was about Rachel more than it was about anyone else and that mistake cost the show it’s direction. This mess drove Rachel to her mother but it wasn’t a conversation that was meant to be had if it propped up a white girl over the black man that was shot once again at the hands of the police. Had this plot not happened, this season might have been salvaged. But between this and the weird sudden romance plots for the leading ladies, there was too much happening and not enough time for all of it to happen realistically.
The finale tied up all the knots that need to be tied up and presented us with a new story to tackle next season in addition to a new suitor. Had this season not overloaded on plots, I would have enjoyed the finale even more but the ending shot definitely gave us a hint of something interesting to come next season. That car accident and the messed up Everlasting family laying out on lawn chairs while Quinn and Rachel share a look was the essence of what this show really is. These powerful women will never truly catch a break, but their choices would never lead them anywhere else. There is another mess for them to clean up and it will never really end as long as they work on the show.
Unreal has a way to go to bring back the parts of it that won us over from the start, but I have no doubt that they can do it if they listen to the reactions they got for this season. There is a lot more story to tell as long as Quinn and Rachel are at the center of it all.
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10/10
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