Miracle Workers: Dark Ages Review: Graduation (Season 2 Episode 1)

Going into the family business definitely has its downsides for Alexandra (Al, as she’s known about town). On Miracle Workers: Dark Ages Season 2 Episode 1, “Graduation,” she attempts to shake off the job-locking meaning of her surname and to strike out on her own.

The change in setting creates an immediate change of pace for the show, but it isn’t ready to let go of torturing its poor characters along the way. At least the medieval setting is more appropriate this time, what with the beheading, excrement shoveling, and general gloominess settling over the townspeople.

Both Al and Prince Chauncley are on polar opposite trajectories: Al wants to run from her destiny, while Prince Chauncley hopes to embrace his. The dual narrative is a smart way to introduce this new world, as all of the main players are in positions of power or servitude and helps get the lay of the land and the class warfare that separates Chauncley’s life from Al’s.

Al’s journey of self-discovery is tied to wanting more to life than the place she calls home, but the episode goes out of its way to prove that your last name ties you to your destiny. Her yearning for more simply doesn’t exist in this world, especially when school is listing off the unexplained phenomena of the world. The chance of moving upward may lie in her potential friendship with Chauncley.

During the first season, Daniel Radcliffe’s character Craig spends most of his time in a state of nerves; this season, his character’s fear of his father is not quite an upgrade, but gives him a chance to either stand on his own or fall into his father’s footsteps.

The episode’s events paint him as holding too much kindness in his heart for the more cruel manners his father possesses, but the show could continue to challenge him to lose that softness as his father looks to make a man out of him. He nearly lets Edward get beheaded, after all, only ceasing the action when Al pleads to his better nature.

The story for the premiere is more about the avoidance of duty, leaving a lot of the heavy lifting to fall on the worldbuilding and the performers.

Luckily, a lot of the episode’s success comes down to both the clever writing and the excellent cast, most of which have returned from the first season. The style of humor throughout the episode hurdles toward the juvenile but the commitment to the bit and positive vibes of Miracle Workers makes it endearing more than anything else.

If the show can keep up a similar level of sharpness tied to the world it’s creating, Miracle Workers: Dark Ages could make better use of its setting than the first season. There’s already set-up that the neighboring kingdom is a war-driven culture, and delving deeper into the rift between the two kingdoms while providing life lessons to the characters could be a fun direction for the show to take.

At the same time, if the show takes place entirely in the town, that could have potential, as well. The strange nunnery where they cut out their tongues, Al’s brother being treated as a monster, and Lord Vexler’s disdain for Chauncley is more than enough to expand on alone, as each have ridiculousness built into their very foundation.

The leads add so much to the show. Daniel Radcliffe’s comically ill-timed jumping in front of the cart is the episode’s most laugh-out-loud moment, his need to please and genuinely likeable character the perfect fish-out-of-water type to ease us into everything. Steve Buscemi is playing Edward with a happy-go-lucky attitude where death doesn’t even matter, and it’s a blast to see him having so much fun.

But much like the first season, the standout is Geraldine Viswanathan, whose Al is full of ambition but lives in a world frustratingly holding her back. It’s not only her character, but the personality Viswanathan brings to the role. There is an abundance of present-day spirit to Al, where the times can’t hold back who she is and what she believes in. It’s refreshing and exciting to have that sort of attitude on the show.

Miracle Workers knows how silly it is, and leans into that turn as hard as it can. It’s not trying to reinvent the wheel, and it really doesn’t need to. What it does is create an atmosphere of fun that goes a long way, combining that with a medieval setting and characters that are flawed to the bone. But they are lovable to their cores, and wonderfully anachronistic to boot.

The main point Miracle Workers: Dark Ages Season 2 Episode 1, “Graduation,” makes is that jobs are not something to look down on, no matter what they may be. The episode pokes fun at what Edward and Al are doing, but doesn’t look down on them for it, and that alone is commendable. The show could easily go mean-spirited with its humor, punching down, but it chooses to respect the characters.

 

What did you think of this episode of Miracle Workers: Dark Ages? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Miracle Workers: Dark Ages airs Tuesdays at 10:30/9:30c on TBS.

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