‘Under the Vines’ Recap: ‘Season 2, Episode 1’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season two premiere of ‘Under the Vines’. To revisit the season one finale, click here.
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More often than not, stories that focus upon starting over… end abruptly and at a specific point in the character’s journey. Specifically, the moment they’ve realized they are indeed being granted a new direction/second chance at life. As though that’s it, the epiphany is the end of the story and they’ll be just fine going forward because they’ve discovered change and have found their true north and well… that’s a plot device that does both the character and the audience a grand disservice. Because that’s not where the story ends in the slightest. There is so much more that awaits a person when they’ve finally embraced a new path and direction in life, including hardships and difficult growth and well… that’s why Under the Vines on Acorn TV is a series of note.
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For this is that rare show that didn’t end with Daisy and Louis smiling wide at the realization they’d uncovered a new path in life as managers of a proud winery. This is a story that saw the season one finale as nothing more than the end of one chapter and the beginning of another and thankfully, that next chapter is going to dive into great detail on what comes next when we begin to realize that we have in fact, been afforded a chance to walk a new path in life, as evidenced by the show’s season two premiere. For when we caught up with Daisy and Louis shortly after the events of season one… we found them at quite the fascinating and realistic crossroads for certain. Take Daisy’s journey for instance.

Because knowing now that the person she was, did not fulfill her soul in the manner that being a vintner did, left her besides herself. To the point where she spent a fair chunk of this episode needing silence and isolation to just… process the reality that her life had changed and that after years of struggling and fighting, she was finally on the right path, and that… is indeed what comes next sometimes. A moment to process and think. But for others… they need action after they reach their second act, as was the case with Griff in this story. Because he came to realize he loved Gus deeply and needed to be open with his sexuality and honest with himself about it and the thought of losing Gus over his ego and insecurities… pushed him to do just that, with stumbles of course. But he finally embraced who he is and was unashamed in doing so. Letting us know that sometimes, our next chapter involves embracing change and forging ahead without fear.

However, not everyone gets that particular message, and they need a little more time to process the lessons learned and the reality of what the second chance/reset actually means, and that was handled through Louis here. Because he thought success at Oakley, meant he had corrected any issues in his life, and he could simply return to how things were with his wife and son. But slowly and surely, Louis began to understand… that Oakley wasn’t designed to just heal him, but take him to new places, because there was no resurrecting his relationship or fixing what was already destroyed and gone. There was only tomorrow, and the wonder he found in working with Daisy and the crew and well… it took trying to keep the past alive for him to realize where he was really headed so he could finally embrace change and this fresh start.

If anything, this was just… an incredible season premiere when all is said and done. In large part because it took the time to properly re-establish this world and what it stands for. Complete with the show’s wondrous slow-burn style of storytelling to properly let the characters grow before our eyes, alongside the show’s trademark humor. Since it always knows how to keep things light at just the right time, and it also set the stage… for an amazing season of storytelling. One that will see these characters learn to embrace new lives and their second act and battle old challenges… since Marissa is ready for another round with her competitors and well, you cannot ask for more from a premiere than that. And truly… it will be incredible to see what storytelling wonders await us as our second winery tour through Oakley continues along. Until next time.     

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