Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
The most accurate way to describe Lodge 49 is that it’s indescribable. At first glance, that admittedly paradoxical explanation can seem like a cop out, but AMC’s revelatory series, which returns tonight for Season 2, truly is a show without a genre.
Created by Jim Gavin and executive produced by Paul Giamatti, Lodge 49 ostensibly centers on an exceedingly optimistic ex-surfer (“Dud,” portrayed by Wyatt Russell) who joins a fraternal order in the hopes of uncovering the answers to life’s most perplexing mysteries. Oh, and beer. The lodge has good beer, too. But that simple synopsis belies both the complexity and the innate relatability of the series. Lodge 49 exudes an innovative mix of SoCal noir and spiritual buoyancy, seamlessly bouncing between cynicism and mysticism. It’s not a series you can watch passively, but choosing to fully immerse yourself in the show’s blazingly unique journey is a decision you won’t regret.
What sets Lodge 49 apart from lesser shows is its beautiful illustration of the push and pull between what life is and what life could be. It grounds its mystical elements in stark reality: Dud barely gets by financially, working a string of temp jobs and ending up on the wrong end of various pawn shop transactions; his best friend Ernie (Brent Jennings) is a 59-year-old toilet salesman who lives alone with a cat and a crow; the lodge’s resident philosopher Blaise (played by scene-stealer David Pasquesi) toggles between potentially brilliant and certifiably insane; and Dud’s twin sister Liz (Sonya Cassidy) is perpetually disillusioned with a life spent searching for answers to ill-defined questions.
Anchoring the visceral, immensely relatable melancholy of Lodge 49 is Dud’s unflinching optimism. No show does a better job of balancing magic and possibility with the unflattering rigors of the crumbling middle class. In the Season 2 premiere, Liz delivers a monologue that perfectly captures the familiar feeling of uncertainty that accompanies stumbling through a life that doesn’t quite live up to expectations.
“Nothing in my life adds up. Where have I been? Nowhere. What have I been doing? Nothing,” she laments, during a job interview, no less. “It’s all just a zigzag to nowhere.”
Lodge 49 is both whimsical and pragmatic, a cacophonous collection of divergent ideologies that through some bewildering alchemy not only works but thrives. When I wrote about the first season premiering on Hulu, I referred to the series as a “unique blend of buddy comedy, treasure hunt, and AP Philosophy.” That certainly still tracks, but watching the first episode of Season 2 reminded of what I love most about the show: It has a knack for making the mundane seem magical.
The second season of Lodge 49 premieres tonight at 10:00 p.m. ET on AMC. Season 1 is available to stream on Hulu.
