"Sex/Life’ season 2 review"

Netflix’s erotic drama returns with its awful writing, pink frames and beautiful clothes... along with a heady amount of heavy breathing and locker-room displays of dodgy prosthetic.

Oh well, the second season of Stacy Rukeyser’s Sex/Life offers everything it did in season one, from the awful writing (“what a small town this city is”), hot pink frames and beautiful clothes, to full frontal male nudity with that suspected prosthetic thrown in for good measure. And it is bingeable; who does not want to watch gorgeous humans get hot and heavy with each other?

Remember the cliffhanger season one ended with? Suburban wife and mother of two, Billie (Sarah Shahi) landed up at well-endowed ex-boyfriend, Brad’s (Adam Demos) loft with an offer he could not refuse. Only he did; Brad is having a baby with his new girlfriend, a glamazon with a posh British accent going by the name of Gigi (Wallis Day).

Billie (her full name is Wilhelmina and improbably reminds me of Bill from Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers) is separated from her investment banker husband, Cooper, (Mike Vogel). Billie has moved out of the family home in Connecticut to a stunning apartment in New York and into the arms of hotelier, Majid (Darius Homayoun).

Meanwhile, Mike Vogel's character, Cooper, is losing control of his life. He jumps from the bed of his boss, Francesca (played by Li Jun Li), into the arms of his best friend Devon's wife, Trina (played by Amber Goldfarb), without any regard for the consequences. Cooper's libido seems to be unstoppable, as he even sleeps with an Uber driver to demonstrate his liberal values. Spencer (played by Dylan Bruce), Cooper's older brother, is understandably displeased with the direction his brother's life is taking.

Sasha (played by Margaret Odette), who is Billie's closest friend, is a flourishing writer seeking to dominate the world of social media with the aid of the top-notch agent Mick (played by Craig Bierko). Nevertheless, she faces a dilemma as she must choose between the fulfilling life of a single, successful woman and the prospects of love with the charming Dr. Kam (played by Cleo Anthony). Her main concern is whether she wants to chase after countless likes, shares, and retweets, or find someone to join her on the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Despite focusing heavily on women's rights and the feminine perspective, Sex/Life, which is based on BB Easton's 44 Chapters About 4 Men, manages to deliver on its pledge, even incorporating some thought-provoking ideas inadvertently.Majid’s restaurant is called Khaju — is it named for kaju as in cashew nut or the lovely Khaju Bridge in Isfahan, Iran? Construction of the bridge was completed in 1650 and historians have waxed eloquent on its beauty, calling it “the culminating monument of Persian bridge architecture”.

When Mick talks of Jesus starting with “13 followers” you are left wondering if he included Mary Magdalene to the 12 or replaced Judas Iscariot with Saint Matthias or that he just does not know any better.

Season two ends with all loose ends neatly tied up; three weddings, a doctorate and no funerals. Logically, there should not be another season of heavy breathing and locker-room displays of dodgy prosthetics. If the powers-that-be however, feel they could squeeze out another bunch of bedroom antics from Billie and gang, ours is not to question why.

As Mick speaks of Jesus having "13 followers" at the start, it leaves one to ponder whether he included Mary Magdalene as part of the twelve, or if he replaced Judas Iscariot with Saint Matthias, or if he is simply unaware of the historical facts.

The second season concludes with everything neatly resolved: three marriages, a doctoral degree, and no deaths. It seems logical that there should not be any further seasons that feature heavy breathing and questionable prosthetic displays in the locker room. However, if the powers-that-be believe they can create more bedroom drama with Billie and her crew, we should not question their motives.