‘The Mysterious Benedict Society’ Recap: ‘A Two-Way Street’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY - “A Two-Way Street” (Disney/Tina Thorpe) SETH B. CARR, MYSTIC INSCHO, MARTA KESSLER, EMMY DEOLIVEIRA

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season two finale of ‘The Mysterious Benedict Society’.
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More often than not, family-themed television shows end in a similar manner when it comes to a season finale. Wherein the heroes of the story, confront the villain or the trouble that stands before them in a brave and bold manner. One that grows the heroes and allows for them to conquer their fears and save the day, and that is a constant in this type of story for some supremely simple reasons. In that, what better way to inspire kids to be brave and be strong and stand tall, than by showing them how a character they can relate to, gets the job done? Which is an impactful way to wrap up a season of storytelling, one that has steadily become… a touch stale.
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Because parents and kids, know what’s coming in that instance and the message doesn’t quite have the same gravity when one has sat through it time and time again. But as peak television continues to dominate and stories are eager to differentiate themselves from the norm, this is starting to change. Which is giving life to new endings for these types of stories, the kind that in some instances are supremely powerful and thoughtful and that is top of mind today, simply because the season two finale of The Mysterious Benedict Society on Disney+ fits that mold. For ‘A Two-Way Street’ offered up some incredible lessons and messages to wrap up its second season… but it sure didn’t seem as though that was going to be the case early on.

For this is also a story that saw a mad dash to escape Dr. Curtain’s compound, with the mad doctor in tow, and of course… risk and worry was hanging over this whole mess. Since Constance and Mr. Benedict were beginning to show signs of the comatose end that Curtain’s ‘happiness’ regiment oft resulted in. Which led to a grand push to save both of them and secure their safehouse, which turned out to be Number Two’s childhood home and well… this part of the story went by the numbers. Since Mr. Benedict was cured before they left and finally reached his brother with a bold gambit and Constance was reached from beyond the void, courtesy of a group effort to reinvigorate her happiness in a unique manner, before everyone went back to the normal lives, we saw them taking part in in the season premiere.

But what truly made this finale stand out, was the subtext that came out of those acts of heroism. Because this is a story that took the time to really hammer home the reality, that true happiness doesn’t come from a single thing or a single place. It comes from the journey, and the ups and downs we experience in life since all of those elements help us to learn appreciation and the meaning of a moment and that when we just… embrace life and live in the moment, we can find the happiness we so desperately seek and that was just… amazing to find in a family-themed show whose focus audience is indeed children. But that message was present, and it was incredible to find that within the framework of this finale.

Because it speaks to the fact that family entertainment doesn’t have to be sanitized or cliché. It can speak to something greater, something that a family can sit down and discuss after viewing because entertainment can and does mean more to us, and a round of applause is in order for this series, for going deeper, for tasking everyone to ponder upon what happiness means to them and question if they’re following the right edict or going for the easy way out a la Curtain. Not to mention, it was also pretty epic to see Haley Joel Osment pop up in a slick and impactful cameo and well… now that we have reached the end of this incredible second season, hopefully we get some good news about a third season soon. So that a story that is clearly coming into its own and exploring bold new concepts can reach new heights and teach so many along the way.

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THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY - “A Two-Way Street” (Disney/Tina Thorpe) HALEY JOEL OSMENT

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