The Arab Review of Israeli Television: Srugim Season 2 - Disappointing but still fun

They could've been the Jewish Will & Grace, but they just had to go romantic, didn't they! #fail!

Okay, a couple of months late but eh, ma laasot. Lots of work + no translation on most episodes meant for slower viewing. But it’s finally here, youhou!

Mind you, no reason to be upset about the delay, for my verdict is the following:

Season 2 ranks far below season 1 (which I had reviewed HERE and which, if I may brag, is on the first page of Google results for 'srugim' and which you should read! And all my other reviews of Israeli TV and cinema are here).

A little repetitive, with the characters following a rather uneven, erratic development path, as if the writers would just remember, after 4 or 5 episodes, that they’ve got this lame duck character they need to work on and give a storyline to, work on for two episodes, then forget about again!

Meet Yif'at (right), and her wife Amir. That's their facial expressions for most of the show.

Amir is the same whiny little bitch from the first season. He’s not evil, he’s not jealous, he’s not particularly bright or stupid, he’s not a bad man or husband or anything: he’s just... painfully lame. The season begins with him marrying Yif’at, which I had described as the meeting of two second-choice people, and I’m standing by my description.

The routine they settle into so damn rapidly makes me wonder whether, for religious Jews, marriage is the same ‘end of the road’, the purpose in itself that it is for many dimwit Muslims. Marry to get laid. Then to have children. Why? Because somehow you’re somehow supposed to. Because God said so, apparently? Because there’s an intrinsic value into spreading our Jewish [Muslim] genetic material all over?

Need I be phased out because we, as 21st century intelligent religious people have taken the argument for granted or because so many people actually follow those arguments to the letter?

And speaking of which, the couple is so eager to procreate that after barely a few months without getting pregnant, they’re stressing to death and Yif’at sends Amir to take a fertility test. Guy was married twice, never had children, but seems to be shocked at the mere thought that he may be infertile. The episode where he goes to the hospital to give a semen sample is so lamentable it’s funny.

(And, as this blog points out - check them out, they have nice episode-by-episode reviews - they don't even mention the religious problem about masturbating to give a sample... even though it could be hi-la-ri-ous! Apparently, a religiously acceptable solution would be to have sex with a condom and then hand in the condom - and not just any condom: one with a hole in it. Because God condones defective condoms. I just cannot stop giggling :)

Hey Amir, that one would work!

Anyways. So Amir and whatsherface are married, it’s fucking boring, etc. Then whatsherface gets a cool job [which she back-stabs someone to get, very classy] and while their relationship unravels, she’s growing as a person and a professional.

(come to think of it, she’s rather cool. He’s an idiot. Yif’at now regains her name; Amir will be hereafter be referred to as whatshisface).

So Yif’at is doing alright, occasionally sleeping in the office to avoid coming home to her slug of a husband. And whatshisface, watching idly as his second marriage falls apart in less than 15 episodes - again - (they never elaborated on why the first one crashed but I’ll bet you a kosher beer that it was him) does what he does best:

He whines.

Can someone peuh-lease get this guy off the show?

Hodaya is probably still - by elimination, though - the most interesting character. A recovering religious - or datlash[it], the contraction of ‘dati lashéavar’, formerly religious [yes, I’m totally bragging about my Heeb even though there’s a 90% chance I made a mistake there] - and dating another datlash.

She’s being very stubborn holding onto her areligious choice (a little too much - you don't need to be a jerk to make a point really), while refusing to completely cut ties with her old life and friends as is the case for many datlashim. (even though, logically, someone who’s being so militantly secular probably would cut ties with the religious community, but we can let that slide).

She even goes to get a small tattoo of a dove [this is where you go ‘Oh my G-d!’]: apparently tattoos are strictly forbidden in orthodox Judaism: screwing with the body that God gave you means that you’re not allowed to get a Jewish burial, so no soup heaven for you, so that’s really serious stuff!

Got a tattoo? You’re going to hell. Tough shit, dear.

The interesting twist is that her formerly-religious boyfriend Assaf turns out to have ‘relapsed’ or something - and the scene where she surprises him in a skullcap praying before Shabbat dinner is the same kind of twist that you’d get if she had found him in bed with a guy or something.

Which is sad, because if your partner is having a crisis of faith - well, in this case regaining it instead of losing it, but same difference - you stand by them, not kick them out. That's just low.

But she’s finding some balance in her life - she’s accepting that she can be an evil disbeliever as much as she wants, whom she once was will always be part of her - and that’s actually okay: the experiences we’ve been through give us strength, not weaken us.

Nati’s storyline is very separate from the group of friends - you could cut off all scenes he appears in and you’d probably barely notice. I don’t quite get the purpose of this, it’s not like he was added last minute! Aaaanywho. He's less of a dick than he was in season one and that's a welcome development.

So Nati’s into this romance with a colleague with a kid. Okay, 'aha' moment, introducing a real issue here: marrying people with children, which is a bit of a swept-under-the-rug problem in some communities, including the religious one. (I suspect, both Jewish and Muslim).

Over the course of like 8 episodes, Nati and Dafna's relationship:

goes way down,

then up,

then really up,

then he breaks up with her,

then they’re ignoring each other,

then just she is ignoring him,

then they’re back together,

then she breaks up,

and that’s it.

Sadly, not particularly interesting - actually I was betting myself peanuts on when they’d break up (or get back together) at the beginning of every episode. I won, hmm, half the time.

[but her kid is a very cute little fellow though.]

The introduction of Roi, Nati’s gay brother to the show, was a very welcome addition. Second“Aha, finally something controversial!” I thought.

But rather disappointed I was. So he struggles a wee bit, comes out to his brother, then dates - dates! - the hottie of the show, Reut, whose gaydar if off for the first few episodes.

After a while, he tells her he’s, ehemm, into penises (but has never done it with a bloke). Yet she somehow decides to hang around. After a few episodes more he tries to break up (again): "Anachnou zoug tov", she answers: “we’re a good couple”. Never mind the fact that she knows he’ll probably have to conjure thoughts of a naked Hugh Jackman whenever he sleeps with her out of religious duty; she still thinks, smart successful woman that she is, that he’s a good mate for a lifelong relationship. I am befuddled.

Morale of the story: Religion + horniness = seriously opaque blinds.

Then at the end she goes out and buys a million shekels apartment. Wtf?

So, recap: Reut is hot, will date anyone who's not a complete dick, owns an apartment in Jerusalem (West, but I'll do with), and is willing to overlook all possible flaws [even if he's gay, or, as in season 1, a religious schmuck]. Hmm. I wonder if she'd do an Ay-rab.

Reut, coffee at Cafe b'Gina?

Hmm... whom else. Ah, Nati and Roi’s dad was an interesting character, I liked him. They should’ve developed him more.

Politics:

Like the previous season, there's a little bit of politics. Amir does reserve duty at a checkpoint; there are no Arabs in the scene, only a car of nice settlers who give him a lift. There's a cute settler chick whom Nati goes on a date with - a pointless addition to the show really. In case you didn't get the point, let me spell it out: "settlers are nice normal folks". Shame that they'd want to spread this message, but okay.

What struck me however was this.

I just noticed this a minute ago, actually, as I was looking for screenshots for this entry: in episode 4, the only book visible in Roi and Nati's flat is by Lt.Gen. Moshe 'Bogie' Yaalon, notorious Israeli state terrorist/current Deputy Prime Minister and minister of strategic affairs.

Yaalon is an extremist within the extremist Likud faction, calling peace groups 'a virus' and openly supporting criminal settlers. Ayalon, you may remember, cancelled a trip to Britain last year for fear of being arrested for crimes against humanity.

Now why would this unsavoury character be the only author visible on the shelves of our friendly bachelors? What is the message? I am a little more than upset.

Overall, the show is still very enjoyable and I had fun. For the next season though I REALLY wish they’d start including more side characters: other Israelis, that is - secular Jews, new olim or something, and of course, Arabs!

Srugim without Arabs is like Friends without Black people… [oh wait. Were there any Black people in Friends? Huh. :-]

Sometime last year, after I watched Season One I wrote to series director Laizy Shapira and we had a friendly exchange - basically:

“I liked Srugim, good job!”

“Cool, thanks! I didn’t know Arabs watched the show!”

“well guess what, a few apparently do!”

“Great! If I knew before shooting season 2 I’d have included an Arab character!”

So, there. Laizy Shapira - you know what to do. And please, enough with the mediocre political hints already!