When the season opens, we’re thrown into Sarah Pfefferman’s (Amy Landecker) wedding day. The family attempts to take a picture together, but ultimately fails after a good 4 minutes. After the picture is taken, Josh (Jay Duplass) and Ali (Gaby Hoffmann) escape to a private location, where Josh reveals that Raque (Kathryn Hahn) is pregnant. Josh admits he wants to be a father from the very beginning this time. Meanwhile, Sarah gets the finishing touches on her makeup. Back outside, Maura (Jeffrey Tambor) mingles with the crowd, before he notices his sister in attendance. At the same time, Colton (Alex MacNicoll) is confronted by his father, who tells him to mingle with the crowd, since they’re his people.

Maura makes contact with his sister and her friend, Simon (Bashir Naim). Maura admits he hasn’t visited his mother, since he doesn’t believe she would be able to handle it. Both admits they have no idea why Sarah wouldn’t invite her, before Maura retreats. Next, Maura tells Shelly (Judith Light) that his sister hated him when he was a man, as well. Before the ceremony, Sarah asks about her grandmother, who could not attend, because she is sick and in a wheelchair. During the walk down the aisle, Sarah begins freaking out and having doubts. Still, she follows through with it and gets married to Tammy (Melora Hardin).

Once the ceremony is over, the party begins. Sarah remains in her stupor and watches, as Tammy speaks with her father, Jim Cashman (William Goldman). Meanwhile, Ali tells Maura’s sister about her schooling and insists she is just going to continue studying and learning. When the singing begins, Sarah finds her way to the bathroom and hides away. Simon takes to the dance floor and his dancing transforms into a flashback to Berlin 1933. The flashback concluded and Ali comforts her sister in the bathroom. She learns about Sarah’s concerns and immediate sends Josh for assistance.

After a few minutes, Josh returns with Raquel, who brings good news. She reveals that Sarah is only married by Jewish law and not governmental laws, since she hasn’t sent out the required documents yet. She returns to Tammy and shows her displeasure, before the party comes to a conclusion. Maura speaks with his sister and confirms that he wishes to see his mother. His sister ridicules his behavior and insists he is selfish in so many words. She always tells him not to visit their mother. Josh and Raquel exit the party together and speak about Josh’s inability to keep a secret. That night, Josh tells Raquel that he doesn’t want her to sit around and wait for him to make a mistake, so she can prove their relationship is terrible. Meanwhile, the others sit solemnly in their rooms and look completely depressed.

When the second episode stars, Sarah attends mediation with her ex, Len Novak (Rob Huebel). Len insists their daughter has been destroyed by the wedding experience and will likely never be the same, while the mediator tells Sarah to get an apartment today! She does just that moments later. Next, Josh and Raquel head to the doctor and get an ultrasound of the baby, while Ali sits in class. Meanwhile, Maura and Shelly scour through a storage box for some suitable clothing for Maura. The guards drop by and tells Shelly that she needs to remove the box from the grounds, but she ignores their warnings. Next, Ali pays a visit to her friend, Syd (Carrie Brownstein).

The pair speak about Ali’s new haircut. Ali asks, if Syd will take her as her friend once more. Syd agrees. Next, Josh picks up his son. Josh reveals Colton’s desire to live in LA. Raquel doesn’t seem too thrilled with the ideal. Meanwhile, Maura preps herself in the mirror, while Shelly takes a bath. Maura confirms that she will never wear boobies. Shelly begins speak about the good times that the pair had together, but she convinces Maura to provide her with a little bit of pleasure. Reluctantly, Maura does, but refuses for anything in return. Next, Ali and Sarah tour the Cashman designed home.

Both admits the design is horrendous, before they head outside and join the pool party. Josh and Raquel join the couple moments later. Maura and Shelly enter next. Maura is asked about her relationship with Shelly and she immediately thinks about the bathtub time. Maura speaks to Ali about his sister and admits she has always been horrible to him. Still, Ali insists they need to visit her grandma, before she passes away. Outside at the party, Josh shows off his band to several higher ups. Josh manages to convince the producer to stick around, until the girls have the opportunity to perform. We also see another flashback.

Finally, Josh’s band begins preforming. The producer enjoys what he hears. Meanwhile, Maura grabs a cigarette and heads to a private location. While smoking his cigarette, he witnesses the arrival of Tammy. Moments later, Tammy storms the stage, grabs a microphone and begins causing a scene. Colton is the only one, who is capable of putting Tammy in her place, but the situation worsens, when she sees the wedding cake on a nearby table. She rushes over, picks it up and slams it into the swimming pool.

That night, Josh and Raquel speak about Colton. Ali heads over to Syd’s house and the party continues. Maura and Davina (Alexandra Billings) head to a club and spend the night listening to music and dancing.

 

Transparent Review

As someone, who loved the first season, I was very disappointed with the first episode here. The picture scene drug out for over four minutes and the wedding felt discombobulated and irrelevant. The second episode was definitely better, but never came close to the quality of the previous season. The show is best, when it focuses on Maura and his desperate struggle to fit in. There were some good moments in the second episode, but the first is best avoided.

At this point, the season deserves a 7 out of 10. Hopefully it’ll get better, before the episode concludes. Be sure to catch up with other Transparent recaps right now.