‘Good Grief’ Recap: ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season two premiere of ‘Good Grief’.
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It is definitely safe to say, that the Sundance Now series, Good Grief, was one of the most refreshing shows to hit the airwaves in 2021. After all, a hard comedy about a pair of sisters inheriting a funeral home, turned out to be the perfect antidote for the sourness of the past couple of years. Since it made light of our fears through that plot, and it doesn’t hurt that the first season was downright hilarious and left us hungry for more. Since we were all curious to see what would become of the Loving Tributes Funeral home with Gwen and Ellie embarking upon such vastly different paths in life at the end of season one. 

But the good news is, our wait to see what comes next for this family has finally come to an end, since season two of this show made its debut on Sundance Now today and well, it wasted little time in informing us how things were going for Gwen and Ellie. For ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ immediately plunged us into Ellie’s daily life, wherein the funeral home was thriving. Because people were regularly making use of their services, and she and Dean had a team that worked with them akin to a mostly well-oiled machine and she even spent working to find the right partner. Signaling that Ellie was moving on in life and settling into a fine future as a mortician.

However, as this series is wont to do, because it is a comedy, it wasn’t long before this wonderful homeostasis was interrupted by the return of Gwen. Whom as it turned out, didn’t have as great of a time as a DJ as she hoped. In fact, it was a downright awful experience and being home was far more amicable. The only downside to her return, was the sheer fact that she had nowhere to live, mainly because her mom had a new live-in beau. Which meant it was either stay with Ellie or live on the street and obviously, she decided that Ellie's place was the place to be, and well… that sets the stage for some juicy conflict this season, since these two really didn’t quite resolve their differences in season one, and being under one roof will either force that or make life more difficult in general.

Yet while that was a great way to set up the brand-new season and its potential for conflict, what matters more here… is that this was a genuinely hilarious season premiere. Because the jokes were simply spot on through and through. For Gwen’s return to the parlor, was the stuff of comedic legend. Complete with the right balance of physical comedy and one-liners and of course… the bonding scene between Ellie and that unfortunately curious little girl was just… well, insert ‘Chef’s Kiss’ right there. Because that awkward moment forced this writer to hit pause on the playback to get all the laughs out regarding the ugly left turn that situation took.

In the end, it’s just… an outright joy to have this show back on the air. Because times are still tough and the days are unnerving, so what better way to lose ourselves and forget about our troubles, than by kicking back and enjoying a good old-fashioned comedy that just lets loose and makes us laugh heartily. Which makes season two of this series a worthwhile watch for certain, one that really does have our attention in the end. Because this reunion really is going to drive some great storytelling and some fine comedy and it will be quite the treat to geek out about every hilarious moment with all of you, as our return to the Loving Tributes Funeral Home, continues along. Until next time.

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