“Hung” is back for a third season, and though I dismissed the show in the past, I have a few thoughts on the premiere coming up just as soon as I stigmatize the vulva…
Fair is fair. When I wrote my kiss-off column to “Hung” at the start of the second season, my biggest complaint by far was that the show had willfully failed to advance its storylines or characterization. I was tired of seeing Ray and Tanya progress only so far and no farther in their new careers as ho and pimp, was tired of seeing them continually fall flat on their faces, of seeing not a single lick of progress be made on Ray’s house. It was a show I had bought into in season one in part because I believed we’d see the story go somewhere, and when it didn’t – on top of the sketchy levels of humor, my dislike of certain characters like Jess, etc. – I decided that I misread the show at the beginning and that it was time to walk away.
But out of professional curiosity, I popped in the season premiere review screener, and lo and behold, Ray and Tanya have finally figured out how to make it in Detroit. I imagine there will be many bumps along the way in their new storefront operation, especially now that Lenore has found herself a new – and much younger than Ray – show pony. But for the first time in a long time(*), it feels like there’s an actual story here, and I’ve always enjoyed watching The Two Janes work together, I think Tanya becomes exponentially funnier whenever she’s allowed to be even marginally competent, and Ray inadvertently playing fluffer for the two bank women was amusing, so maybe it’s time to give it another shot.
(*) I say this with the caveat that I flat-out stopped watching the show midway through last season, around the time Mike started getting roped into the world’s oldest profession. For all I know, the back half of season two achieved a “Breaking Bad” level of plot momentum.
I haven’t had time yet to watch the other episodes HBO sent out for review. It’s entirely possible that I’ll lose interest again in a week or two. Either way, I’ll check back in later in the season with some more thoughts. Given how relieved most of you seemed when I kicked the habit last season, I imagine there won’t be a ton of discussion about the premiere, but I’m curious to hear from anyone who’s stuck with “Hung” for two seasons and counting.
What did everybody else think?