Wellington Paranormal Review: Fear the Briannas (Season 2 Episode 2)
Wellington Paranormal Season 2 Episode 2, “Fear the Briannas,” maintains the momentum from last week’s season premiere with another fun (and undeniably kooky) outing.
This time, the show broadens its mythology with the introduction of teenage witches.
Besides ushering witches into the fold, “Fear the Briannas” is also unique in that the show’s standard cityscape setting expands to an all-girls school. This decision certainly keeps things fresh and interesting.
Undoubtedly, the highlights of Wellington Paranormal are its creative usage of gags and physical comedy.
The floating sewing machine and levitating chip bag scenes are executed to perfection. The fact that the effects don’t look particularly flawless works to these moments’ benefit.
O’Leary: As a member of the New Zealand Police Force, my training means that I’m ready for any situation, and fear is not an option.
Once again, Mike Minogue steals the show as the perpetually bumbling Officer Minogue. His portrayal never pokes fun at Minogue’s incompetence, nor does he “play at” being inept. Minogue’s love for his character is evident, and that love is part of what makes him so endearing.
Karen O’Leary’s “straight man” persona is in full force for “Fear the Briannas,” as well as a new side to her we haven’t been privy to yet: her adamant, overly-vigilant desire to follow the rules.
In fact, this school setting brilliantly reveals more facets to Minogue and O’Leary’s personalities. They almost revert to teenagers themselves, with O’Leary taking up the mantle of the goody-two-shoes student with a penchant for authority.
At the same time, Minogue embraces the role of the school gossiper with a predilection for drama. Both complement each other to perfection in that regard.
Maaka Pohatu continues to knock it out of the park as Wellington Paranormal‘s gravitas-laden sergeant who fancies himself an expert in all things supernatural.
Minogue: ‘Tash and Raz forever’? I know Tash and Raz, and they’ve broken up. Some of the girls were telling me about it.
His bravado thinly masks his deep-seated ignorance and that he’s just as clueless in matters of the paranormal as his subordinates (but we love him anyway).
“Fear the Briannas” is a delightful, laugh-out-loud installment that further explores the magical aspects of Wellington with the show’s signature dry humor, seamless physical comedy, and grounded performances.
While the “monster of the week” procedural format can grow stale and repetitive, Wellington Paranormal finds ways of breathing new life into each episode.
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Wellington Paranormal airs Sundays at 9/8c on The CW.
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Melody McCune
Melody loves TV. Maybe too much. Besides being a Senior Writer for Tell-Tale TV, she's the Managing Editor for Geek Girl Authority, an Independent Contractor for Sideshow Collectibles, and a Senior Writer for Eulalie Magazine. Additionally, she has bylines in Culturess, Widget, and inkMend on Medium. To top it all off, she's a critic for Rotten Tomatoes and CherryPicks.