On Nov. 4, Netflix’s show “The End of the F***ing World” came out with its long-awaited second season. After a year and a half of anticipation, this installment came a little short of the mark (minor spoilers ahead, read at your own risk).

Following Alyssa and James after their dramatic separation, the two learn to cope with the trauma of their pasts. For Alyssa, that means trying to cover her emotional scars by getting engaged. For James, his physical ailments keep him confined to his hospital room.

The two eventually find one another and begin their begrudging reunion, full of awkward pauses and monotonous conversation. The show’s typical deadpan humor is amplified by the fact that neither of the people want to acknowledge their feelings. As a viewer, I was frustrated.

One would assume that after almost two years of post-cliffhanger speculation, the two main characters would give the audience something to look forward to fresh out the gate. Instead, I felt like I was fishing for some sort of resolution during the entire season.

The introduction of a new character, Bonnie, was promising factor. She provided a majority of suspense that the show needed. Her psychopathic tendencies hidden in stoicism made her an unlikely threat while tying together loose ends from the previous season.

Although, when the main characters have nothing go their way and then encounter a murderer, you kind of lose hope for their future. Watching Alyssa and James so absorbed in their own issues that they adopted a felon was a road I wasn’t willing to go down.

However, what the season lacked in characterization, they made up for in artistic style.

The cinematography, when comparing the newest installment to its predecessor, is adapted for the tone of the season. The original episodes were colorful and warm, full of sweeping camera work and different angles, telling a coming-of-age love story.

In this latest season, the scenes are filmed for what they are. It’s cut and dry, filmed plainly as reality itself. In a way, it represents the breakoff from the honeymoon phase in the relationship; it allows the environment to be as gritty as the reality of the characters’ situation.

Though the plot is somewhat grimmer than the season’s predecessor, it’s glaringly honest. It’s rooted in real life, and shows that there are consequences for reckless actions. There’s not a perfectly packaged storyline because life refuses to work out that way.

In summation, the second season of “The End of the F***ing World” diverges from its strange love story to face the aftermath of their separation. The characters feel like real people, and because they’re acting how normal people would, the season comes off as lackluster.

This shouldn’t deter people from watching the Netflix Original, it’s still well done, just in a subtle way. As for Alyssa and James, I look forward to the next chapter of their story, hoping this season isn’t the end of the f***ing show.