Although The Paper is a spin-off of The Office, the newest season feels far from it.
With a sharper voice and a more focused storyline, the show has developed its identity and found a way to ground the characters — and their comedy — in reality.
This season follows Ned and the newspaper staff at the TTT as they try to expose a local golf club’s wrongdoings.
(John P. Fleenor/Peacock)And if that doesn’t sound complicated enough, The Paper Season 2 also features not one, but three complicated workplace romances. The main one is Ned and Mare, who shared a surprising kiss in the last season finale.
These two main throughlines give the sitcom a much-needed overarching structure that the first season lacked.
Even with pacing and character-development issues, The Paper Season 2 still stands as a much stronger entry in the comedy genre than its first season.
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Rather than stick to the traditional sitcom slow-burn model, The Paper speedruns major relationship plot points for Ned and Mare.
The season begins with Ned pretending that the kiss never happened, while Mare hopelessly tries to get Ned’s attention.
(John P. Fleenor/Peacock)But by the end of Season 2 Episode 1, “The Best of Us,” Ned can no longer hold his feelings back and confesses to Mare that they should be together, but only in secret.
Countless sitcoms have done the secret relationship trope, usually dragging it out over the course of several episodes.
But because The Paper has only 10 episodes, compared to the usual 20+ for network sitcoms, the secret-relationship bit feels rushed at times.
By Episode 2, Ned and Mare are already at a romantic weekend getaway together, despite the fact that Ned only professed to Mare that he wants to be with her in the prior episode.
Domhnall Gleeson and Chelsea Frei have incredible chemistry that makes the quick turnaround work, but at times the time constraint feels like an obvious limitation.
(John P. Fleenor/Peacock)For example, there’s a great bit when Ned accidentally mistakes Mare’s dad for a repairman and treats him rudely, only to realize that he had been badmouthing his girlfriend’s father.
The mistaken identity meeting trope works fine, but the issue is that we don’t get much time to sit in Ned’s shame and Mare’s mortification.
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Get More of Our Coverage!That incident marks the beginning of trouble in paradise for Ned and Mare, as the subsequent episode includes even bigger roadblocks for their relationship.
The season’s turning point comes when Mare decides to work at a different journalism company in Cincinnati in Season 2 Episode 6, “125 Years.”
The distance puts an insurmountable strain on their relationship, which the show develops thoroughly during the second half of the season.
(John P. Fleenor/Peacock)When Ned and Mare call it quits, it feels justified, given how much time the sitcom devoted during the season to hinting at how the cracks in their relationship aren’t just hairline fractures.
This culminates in what might be the most heartbreaking moment of the entire series so far: Ned confessing to the camera that he still loves Mare but respects her decision to stay friends.
Season 2 has thoroughly sold me on Ned and Mare as a couple, and I’m curious to see how Season 3 handles the angst of their break-up.
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Having a formidable opponent, especially one that has financial ties with the TTT’s parent company, successfully sold the underdog angle and made it easy to root for the reporters.
(John P. Fleenor/Peacock)Detrick stands out as a star player. Last season, most of his storyline followed him chasing after Nicole, but after they break up, he becomes much more dedicated to his work as a reporter.
Unexpectedly, he steals the show in one of my favorite scenes, in which he stays late at the office to finish formatting the paper. The small smile he has when Marv compliments the layout is all that I needed to see to be sold on his commitment to the TTT and the Glass Club story.
Even though the Glass Club expose is a group effort, Ned still eats up a lot of screen time.
The season already devotes plenty of time to Ned and Mare’s relationship, and the show spent more time with the ensemble cast.
Even though Ken, who had been part of Season 1, didn’t make as many appearances this season, it felt like the show still struggled to juggle all of the characters.
(John P. Fleenor/Peacock)The two ensemble characters that get featured more individually this season are Nicole and Esmeralda.
Esmeralda primarily shines when she’s showing how deeply she cares, even if her efforts are misguided.
Whether it’s looking out for her son in school or “replacing” Mare, Esmeralda commits 100% to everything that she sets her mind to. The earnestness behind her actions makes her a compelling character, not a caricature.
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For Nicole, we see a darker side of her, as she ruthlessly claws her way to the top — or rather, into Esmeralda’s office.
She acts out of heartbreak, especially after breaking up with Detrick and losing Mare’s friendship, but it comes across as vengeance. The complexity introduced to her character has so much potential for havoc, and if the finale indicates anything, it’s that her new reinvention has gone one step too far.
(John P. Fleenor/Peacock)Another two characters who continued to develop this season are Travis and Adelola, who, after an intense tornado experience together, start to test the boundaries of their relationship.
The show hints at their romantic potential, though the season still leaves the question rather open-ended.
While I’m all for another relationship, having two workplace romances in the span of two seasons is already a lot. Introducing a third might bloat the sitcom with a heavy romance focus and lose track of the workplace aspect.
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There’s barely enough room for the supporting ensemble cast members to shine. Adam and Duane mostly deliver one-liners rather than having their own storylines.
Oscar has a few individual standout moments, like him trying to sell Mr. Digit, but he fades into the background during the second half of the season.
(John P. Fleenor/Peacock)Despite these flaws, The Paper Season 2 has stepped out of The Office‘s shadow and presents a clearer vision for the story it wants to tell.
The TTT Online Opinion Column- Lisa Gilroy is an incredible guest star. She already won me over during her short cameo in Jury Duty: Company Retreat, but she’s an absolute star as the deranged HR manager.
- Love Nicole’s hologram outfit! 10 points for creativity.
- Windy is hilarious. I could see her rivaling Superstore‘s Kyle the Cloud in a crossover episode.
- Detrick and Nicole’s power struggle in Season 2 Episode 5, “Dueling Pencils,” is so fun to watch. More of that in the next season, please!
- I also loved seeing Detrick try to protect Oscar from being scammed and would love to see more of that friendship.
- Mare and Ned having dinner together over FaceTime is unbelievably adorable.
What were your top moments from The Paper Season 2? Comment your thoughts below!
Don’t forget to vote in the poll below, and come back throughout this week for our interviews with the cast!
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The Paper Season 2 Review: Keep Your Friends Close and Your Co-Workers Closer
The Paper Season 2 successfully hones in on turbulent workplace relationships against the backdrop of a larger local conspiracy.
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The Paper Co-Creators Greg Daniels and Michael Koman Talk Finding Humor in Humanity in Season 2
We spoke with co-creators Greg Daniels and Michael Koman about what surprised them the most while writing The Paper Season 2. Read more here!
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Melvin Gregg On Joining The Office Universe and Building Detrick’s Character on The Paper
Melvin Gregg talks about crafting Detrick’s personality, the will-they-won’t-they relationship with Nicole, and more on The Paper Season 1.
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