Review || Wanted: Dead or Alive, Season 2 with Steve McQueen

I have to say... Season 2 fully lives up to the high expectations set by Season 1. W:DOA is a firm house favorite around here. (That about covers all the relevant points, right??)

In all seriousness, W:DOA episodes themselves always strike me as so original. (Ok, the one involving a ginormous jungle animal is ever-so-slightly/rather-a-stretch, but I love so many of the others so much that I'm absolutely willing to just roll with it.) 

I have more thoughts on revisionist westerns as a whole (among which W:DOA would generally be classed), but for now I'll just say it definitely has the grit and shadows, the layered complexity of its fellows. 

Besides the creative plot points and premises, there are quite a lot of fence sitting characters + a general assortment of straight up mysterious ones. Things are not always as they seem... We have again the complex characters of the first season. One could say gray, but that wouldn't be quite true. The morality isn't in question. It's more that bad guys can often wear a face of great respectability and good guys can be weak or fail at the point of testing. But it's not done in a fatalistic or nihilistic way. It's about life being real, requiring great strength of character, and sometimes people who have a strong backbone -- enough to have gone through great difficulties already -- still buckle. It takes a steely, robust, dyed-in-the-wool sense of moral duty to see and do what's right when the going gets messy -- when fear lies at the door -- when the wrong way out is very, very easy.

Throughout, our protagonist (Josh Randall), does what he does, not because he's felt a high, mystic call to heroism, or even considers himself the best person for the job, but because he's in a given place at a given point in time and something has to be done. And somebody has to do it. And so he does it. He steps in it every once in a while, but he's not an anti-hero (if an anti-hero is one who sometimes does good things for the wrong reasons). Randall is all about doing the right things. He's not a superhero, but something more relatable... an honest man doing his level best -- absolutely determined -- to see that everyone gets a fair shake.

And all done with the stripped back, understated storytelling which westerns do so well -- forcing you to think, to see, to confront things. There are also flashes of (often wry) humor -- unexpected moments and quips that make me actually laugh. There is sweetness and hope, too. And it all comes together to create stories that are consistently, deeply, satisfying.

Incidentally, this season also has the unique episodes where Randall is riding with a partner and those definitely added an entertaining little twist on everything.

As to the small fry... With parental guidance, for the most part I think these are all absolutely family friendly. Especially with the first two episodes revolving around children, my young sidekick was totally invested. (It's really the first western that's come alive for her, so Mama's absolutely delighted.)

Ninja Turtles is still a big thing around here, so her favorite was the Black Belt episode. We watched it twice (obviously). And there was much giggling, lots of "hiyas!", and full on cheering. Total investment. XD

Other eps have also prompted some deep -- as in deep -- conversations. And I'm so grateful for the conversation starter and just being able to experience the stories together. It's been really, really good.

So yes, highly recommend seasons 1-2 and can't wait to start 3! 💚