In my assessment of the primary season of Colin from Accounts, the comedy creation of the married couple Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall, I referred to as it unfailingly humorous, trustworthy, acute, form and actually fairly fantastic. I can’t let you know with what trepidation I approached the second season, or how delighted I’m to let you know that all the things that made it nice is again – and that the brand new batch of episodes is shaping as much as be higher than ever.

It opens just some weeks after we left Ash (Dyer) and Gordon (Brammall) having given Colin to a brand new household then regretted it an hour later, solely to seek out the brand new household refusing to return him. They’re now successfully stalking “Peppy” (“Stupidest fucking title”) whereas the household loudly advises them that “possession is nine-tenths of the legislation!” and to “develop up and have a child!”

The Colinlessness of their evenings permits disagreeable ideas and conversations to fill the vacuum. Have they got sufficient in widespread to make the connection work? Will the age hole do for them ultimately? Is the boxing bag in Gordon’s flat simply decorative? “It didn’t was,” he replies. Time makes fools of us all – and our sporting gear redundant. Quite a lot of methods to get Colin again are deployed – together with kidnapping him from the kid who has taken him for a stroll.

I don’t take into account it a spoiler however a public service to let you know that Colin is returned to his rightful homeowners by the top of the primary episode. However the issue of his absence is changed by a higher one, involving Yvette (Annie Maynard), some maths and one other journey to Gordon’s wonderful physician – largely to be discovered snacking as they focus on the aftermath of his affected person’s testicular most cancers from the primary collection. “I’d like that will help you, Gordon,” he says cheerily, over what I hope is a tribute to certainly one of Australia’s most interesting meme-providers – a succulent Chinese language meal at his desk. “However my laptop isn’t on.”

In the meantime, the co-owner of the microbrewery, Chiara (Genevieve Hegney), has semi-left the marital dwelling to pursue her relationship with Ash’s finest buddy, Megan (Emma Harvie), whereas Brett (Michael Emblem) the barman’s mother and father are urging him to maneuver out of theirs (which leads to a Kevin Bacon Cameo cameo). Ash’s fantastically poisonous mom, Lynelle (Helen Thomson), continues to be being taken in by her magnificently creepy boyfriend, Professor Lee (Darren Gilshenan) – the pair of them collectively are transcendently terrible. And Gordon’s brother Heavy (Justin Rosniak) arrives. “He’s a shit-stirrer,” says Gordon – and so it proves.

The second season maintains the right stability of bonding banter, aggressive sniping and actual emotion that made it such a pleasure the primary time spherical (and a global success with a slew of awards and nominations). There’s a scene during which Gordon catches Chiara taking boob selfies for Megan within the beer chiller room and leaps shortly alongside the reasoning behind her alternative of location. “Logical!” he concludes. It’s very humorous, nevertheless it speaks additionally to the size and depth of their friendship, to Gordon’s important unflappability and – as her frenzied commentary ensues – to Chiara’s structure, finest regarded as that of a neurotic horse.

Better of all, Ash stays an actual individual, not the new mess or manic pixie dream lady we now have been conditioned to count on in our sitcom-romcoms. The brand new season strikes them into deeper emotional territory and provides secondary characters extra room to breathe and develop – which, as there isn’t a weak hyperlink amongst them, is a really clever transfer certainly. And it asks more durable questions, akin to whether or not establishing a “correct” relationship is at all times exhausting, how certain you will be that the promised rewards will come and whether or not they are going to be value it. How a lot of success is a results of timing and circumstance? Must you let discoveries in regards to the previous have an effect on your current? Do they offer you perception into the true nature of your companion? Or who your companion was and the way a lot they’ve advanced?

Dyer and Brammall stay the right foils for one another – they’ve totally different energies however are equally compelling. Equally matched within the potential to ship sarcastic one-liners or bruising truths, they’re clearly united as creators, with a transparent understanding of all their characters, the place they need them to go and why. The outcome, as earlier than, is a masterclass in writing and an absolute pleasure to observe.