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Intro
The HBO dramedy How To Make It In America just wrapped up its sophomore season and we're please to report that it was a drastic improvement over the first. Like most series, the show struggled initially to find its footing and voice in the early stages, but during the hiatus creator Ian Edelman and his writers came up with some great plotlines and made some interesting choices, making year two a critical success. Now that it's over, we now count down those improvements with The 10 Best Things About How To Make It In America Season Two.
Written by Frazier Tharpe (@The_SummerMan)
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Rene Linking Up With Wilfredo Gomez
10. Rene Linking Up With Wilfredo Gomez
It's easy to dump on Rene Calderon (Luis Guzmán) and his isolated plot lines but, c'mon, dude is so removed from the main plot that sometimes you can't help but groan when the show cuts to him and his goons. Thankfully this year showrunners made the inspired choice to have him link up with the mythical insane skater savant Wilfredo Gomez (Javier Nunez), which led to some of the funniest moments of the season. They also stealthily set the stage for his plotline to dovetail seamlessly with Domingo and Cam's weed dealing, which created some of the most intense moments of the season's end run.
The decision to put Rene in a family-man scenario was also inspired but less successful. Him having a heart-to-heart with Debbie's daughter about her sexuality was nice. Everything else involving Debbie (Andrea Navedo)? Not so much. We would hope to see less of her next year...but she's having his kid. Dammit.
Kappo's SEC Woes
9. Kappo's SEC Woes
We love David Kaplan (Eddie Kaye Thomas) and hate to see him fall, but as Thomas pointed out in our interview with him, a successful rich friend is just too big of a crutch for the fledgling CRISP to have. A Kappo knocked down from his comfortable one-percenter life ups the urgency for CRISP in the future, and when the show returns possibly gives Kap a wealth of potential story roads as he tries to get his fortune back.
The Evolution Of Cam
8. The Evolution Of Cam
We liked Cam (Victor Rasuk) last season, but having dude refine himself a little bit over the season was a cool way to spend his non CRISP/Ben related scenes. Of course the catalyst for that was LuLu (Nicole LaLiberte), who we weren't too crazy about, but whatever. Seeing Cam grind to obtain Viking Stoves, mixing it up with Joey Pants over Brunello and buying apartments—and actually getting the girl—was satisfying.
CRISP's Nemesis
7. CRISP's Nemesis
The season is bookended with run-ins with the New York NEANDERTHALS, an accidental hit of a clothing brand run by the brash ex-drug dealer Tim (James Ransone). The Neanderthals aren't outright adversaries of Ben and Cam but they have everything the guys want—a flagship store, fame, their girls' attention—with what the CRISP boys perceive to be a lesser product. NEANDERTHAL's success, which is constantly flashed in Ben and Cam's faces pushes them to grind harder, something that was much needed.
The Wayward-Rachel-Enlightenment Tour
6. The Wayward-Rachel-Enlightenment Tour
Though it sometimes got to be a little bit too much, the Wayward-Rachel-Enlightenment tour was one of the season's crown achievements and the series' crown improvements. A Rachel (Lake Bell) with her head on straight, with a boring job and a boring boyfriend, is, well, boring. A Rachel who's adrift, gets into hilarious situations like her shroom incident, and stirs up good drama by hopping in the sack with Ben's dude Domingo (Kid Cudi), thus freeing Ben up to pursue other women like Nancy Frankenburg (Gina Gershon), is very fun to watch.
Increased Nudity
5. Increased Nudity
OK, hear us out. We're not pervs or anything but, c'mon, this is an HBO show about twenty-somethings. In New York City. In the fashion world. Constant season one question: Where are the drop-dead chicks and depravity, man? During season two we couldn't speak on account of our mouths being agape. Mission accomplished.
Expanding Cudi's Role
4. Expanding Cudi's Role
Who knew the ensemble had a secret weapon in the stash in Kid Cudi? The writers trusted him with meatier material for Domingo this year, both dramatic and comedic, and the Wizard stepped up to the plate. Whether trying to play off simp slip-ups with Rachel, or bursting through Everton's (Eriq LaSalle) door to save Cam, dude killed it. And the recurring gag of seeing him with at least two different dogs per episode never got old.
Cutting The Fat
3. Cutting The Fat
We love Martha Plimpton, and it was nice to see her character Edie Weitz return for a quick scene in last night's finale, but she was superflous as Rachel's interior designer boss and didn't have nearly the same spark with her as Robin (Julie Claire) did. The same goes for Rachel's boring, likely closeted tycoon boyfriend Darren (Jason Pendergraft), and the gang's art dealer friend Gingy (Shannyn Sossamon). They were cool but it became evident that the writers were either struggling to incorporate them into the plot, or they just simply weren't that interesting. It may be harsh but the show gained from their absence.
Guest Stars
2. Guest Stars
Gina Gershon, Joe Pantoliano, Eriq LaSalle, Nick Chinlund, Pusha T. Phew, that's a decent list. But aside from the "special" guest stars, who were all cast perfectly and put to good use, the bit players were great and entertaining overall. Most memorable were the snobby fashion pre-teen in "Money, Power, Private School," Rachel's quirky and blunt boss Robin, and the overly-peppy Gadzooks buyers Kirsten (Cameron Goodman) and Christen (Joy Suprano).
The show still hasn't quite nailed the celebrity cameo, though. Pharrell's just randomly on Yosi's yacht and pops in for three seconds? OK, show, surely you can do better than that.
Actual LOL Humor
1. Actual LOL Humor
To put it plainly, the show is billed as a dramedy but the first season wasn't dramatically engaging or very funny. Rachel and her boyfriend do shrooms and he wilds out and kisses another dude...haha? This season, however, was a riot, even in the face of high stakes. Ben banging Nancy on the yacht, Kristen and Kirsten screaming at each other from opposite cabs, any interaction between Rachel and her boss Robin, and Eriq LaSalle's hilarious delivery of "What the fuck is a Rasta Monsta?!"
It's also worth noting that Lake Bell especially stepped up to the plate. She wasn't given many comedic moments in year one, but this season Rachel fell further and further down the rabbit hole, culminating in her big rock bottom showcase in "The Friction." As depicted above, she sold it quite well.