The Sex Lives of College Girls returns for a second season—now streaming on Neon—bringing with it salacious zingers, continued character development, and a bit of a groove writes Laumata Lauano Volavola.
Since the first season of The Sex Lives of College Girls ended with drama on drama, there’s plenty of material to work with for season two plot-wise. However, this season definitely creates its own path rather than being a reactionary filler. New plot points are formed and new characters introduced but one thing remains the same—the core ensemble continues to grow and gel together in hilarious but authentic ways.
For those that need a refresher (skip the next two paragraphs if you don’t want season one spoilers): Bela (Amrit Kaur) quits campus comedy group the Catullan after being sexually assaulted by one of the male senior editors, which led to her and the other female writers starting their own comedy publication on campus.
Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet) got caught cheating on her econ exam using an answer sheet from Nico’s (Gavin Leatherwood) fraternity, Theta. She then stole the other answer sheets from the frat to use as leverage in her academic hearing. Kimberly may not have been expelled but her scholarship got revoked, so she needs to figure out how to pay her tuition if she wants to stay at Essex. Leighton (Renee Rapp) came out to Kimberly after she and her girlfriend Alicia broke up. And Whitney (Alyah Chanelle Scott), who told her mom—Senator Chase—about her affair with her married coach, found a new connection with Kimberly’s co-worker Canaan (Christopher Meyer).
And now you’re all caught up on The Sex Lives of College Girls.
There’s a lot to take in, but I don’t ever feel overwhelmed with the amount of story and most importantly the amount of humour that series creators Mindy Kaling (Never Have I Ever) and Justin Noble (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) dish out in the show.
They’re masters at balancing narrative and comedy in a way that’s organic and engaging—coming into this new season there’s obviously going to be a bit of working through the resulting fallout from the events of season one—but it doesn’t at all define the season or its characters.
Kimberly is for sure overwhelmed with her newly-added financial burden, and for the most part, there are gags solely based on how she’s going to pay for her tuition—Lila’s (Kimberly’s co-worker played by deadpan queen Ilia Isorelýs Paulinos) suggestion to get hit by a city bus is my personal favourite. Sidenote: Lila gets more screen time, and I’m happy about that. Her character is pure fun and she’s good for the other four to play off of.
However, beyond Kimberly figuring out her tuition, she’s also navigating relationships with roommates, coworkers, and new neighbours—including a hot ‘climate change refugee’ Jackson (Mitchell Slaggert). But there are also lessons about herself that she’s going to have to learn.
Which is the case for our entire ensemble cast, because while Bela is just as horny and crack-up as ever, she’s now heading Essex’s first female-only comedy magazine—which sounds great, but the experience seems stressful AF as any startup would be. Especially one that lacks the resources and exposure that comes with the reputation of a long-running magazine like The Catallun.
On top of that, she’s taken it upon herself to figure out just how they can win the graces of the fraternities again (as Theta got them banned from all frat parties following the exposure of the cheating ring). Of course, her idea is an over-the-top glorified strip show for a good cause.
A classic Sex Lives plot—not too revealing, as she states herself that all penises will be safely stowed, unfortunately. It’s hilarious of course, but there’s a slight discrepancy in emotional depth. That is all but telling in the case of Bela as she too has some epiphanous moments—but others, also, where you’re all but yelling at her to stop what she’s doing or about to do.
Which makes this second season feel more significant because we’re seeing more of the ‘lives’ with just enough of the ‘sex’ of these college girls. Whitney is struggling to figure out who she is outside of soccer in the off-season—which comes with some hilarious attempts at other activities—but also digs at her not having a ‘thing’. Everyone has something off the soccer field—except Whitney. So this season will see Whitney develop beyond the Sporty Spice persona.
Leighton (Renee Rapp) has finally come out of the closet and is engaging in some serious sexy catch-up. As in, quite literally, sleeping with every queer woman on campus, which brings its own set of problems.
As well as allowing for the characters’ growth, season two of The Sex Lives of College Girls also sees their flaws take centre stage.
Leighton is in all-out prowl mode now that she’s out and seeing multiple women—which isn’t inherently a flaw. The flaw is in how she goes about it, and how she treats them. Problematic is one way of putting it, and downright mean. Well, it is Leighton…
Whitney’s most relatable line, and perhaps most relatable plotline, is pulled out from her new relationship with Kimberly’s colleague Canaan. When Leighton asks Whitney if she’s checked with Canaan whether he’s exclusively seeing her, she quips, “Are you crazy? You don’t ask guys these things, you ask everyone else you know.” It can be an awkward time, new (young) relationships. As much as it is exciting and exhilarating, it’s also uncertain and a wee bit scary. So while some of her actions were painful to watch because “GIRL, WHY?!”, as a woman I may or may not have been there before.
Our characters are exploring who they are—socially, emotionally, academically, sexually, and in what they value.
I can’t say that these emotional dives go to the same depth as some other shows with a similar demographic (Euphoria, I’m looking at you)—but despite often being focused on laughs, Sex Lives doesn’t shy away, either, as we’ve seen with our main casts’ experiences.
We’re not here to watch hard-hitting drama—we’re here for the sort of drama that makes you laugh—messy drama without the heavier emotional stakes. And there’s nothing wrong with that, because as Travis (played by gender-diverse Betti) says this season, “Excuse us for being messy bitches who love drama.”
