UnReal returned with everything we were missing on TV and more. There are no boundaries when it comes to working on a reality TV show, and this season makes sure we don’t forget it. Pushing limits is what UnReal is known for, and it didn’t disappoint.
This season starts out with a black bachelor, an unheard of thought in the reality TV world if the not so subtle jabs at The Bachelor are anything to go by. He isn’t exactly the perfect Prince that “Everlasting” is trying to sell, but Darius needs to be seen in a better light by the public. Rachel uses her superpower of communication to convince Darius that she can help turn his reputation around.
There are still some female contestants that need to be convinced to join, Ruby, a black lives matter activist, being one of them. Tensions rise when Jay doesn’t want to force her to drop out of her last semester, and Rachel isn’t giving up the drama that she could bring opposite a girl who literally wore a Confederate flag bikini. Jay didn’t get much of a plot last season, but it already looks like he is gearing for the long run this time around. And he already won me over, if there is one team I could choose to be on it has to be Jay’s.
Guys like Chet and Jeremy are back, a blast from the Quinn/Rachel romantic past. Jeremy is still talking to Rachel’s mother because he thinks she needs help. I’m not exactly sure how I feel about his return since he never captured my attention in the first season. But he doesn’t look like he is going to fall for Rachel’s lies anymore, which could be interesting to watch. Last season he was wrapped around her little finger, buying this idea of them having a happily ever after and now he is a douche who is trying to upset Rachel as much as he can. His eyes have been set on Hot Rachel, and the real Rachel biting back was one of the best scenes in the premiere.
Chet wants the obvious, his control of the show back which Quinn isn’t going to hand over. So he does what Chet does best, he wrecks havoc. He takes the suitor away from the mansion and Quinn and Rachel have to go find them. Chet and Quinn strike up a deal. but things are far from over with a new war brewing.
This is where my favorite part of the show comes in, the feminist message and the strong female leads.
Quinn and Rachel are the ones pulling all the strings, and it’s amazing to watch. Rachel is morphing into Quinn, which isn’t making her one of the people with whom she worked with last season. They see her in a different light, and Rachel has no one left in her life to count on in the way that she has Quinn.
But with Chet trying to take over, Quinn has to take her role back as show runner. Rachel is asked to step aside for a while so that Quinn could get them their show back, but this screams drama. Rachel is just getting to the top of the show pyramid only to get pushed back in her old place, something she isn’t going to just accept.
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Madison was more of a background character last season, but with the producer promotion came a glimpse at how Rachel became who she is now. Madison is forced to make Chantal, a recently widowed contestant, react on camera. It looks like it affected her at first but instead she gets a high from the drama. Rachel and Quinn share a look that makes me think Madison is the next young prodigy to lead this TV show in the future.
Now something that I really wanted to see more of was Chet’s forest gathering weight loss camp. It came out of nowhere, but yet I want to know all about it and if this is a real thing that I could sign up for. I can’t be the only one, right?
Oh, and why is Adam calling Rachel? What is up with that?
UnReal only gets better, and the premiere set up for a phenomenal season. The characters, the plots and Quinn’s lines? I can’t get enough of the risks this show takes and the barriers they are willing to cross to remind us why it is so well received.
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Rating: 10/10
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