If you watched Barracuda Queens season 2 as a stand-alone, you might actually find it quite entertaining. It’s about 5 young women trying to get their lives together by stealing from wealthy and mean people, who seem to have it coming. But if you’ve seen season 1 and found it way too chaotic, then season 2 will feel almost like a breath of fresh air. Now that we don’t need to be introduced to these characters again, it’s easy to go with the flow of the show. Set 5 years after the events of season 1, Barracuda Queens season 2 makes the girls seem more naive and vain than ever before. It’s been 5 years since they narrowly escaped prison, and now they’ve found a reason to go back to heisting – wanting to live independently. I guess you could say that it’s a coming-of-age story, but it’s more just a teen drama with the premise of serial theft in the background. I don’t know anything about the true story yet, but the way things pan out makes me wonder how the girls didn’t get caught, so I have a feeling a lot of the show departs from reality. Plus, I think this is almost an incomplete show, but if I got into it, I’d be going into spoiler territory, so I’ll leave it at this for now.
There’s one comparison I’ve been wanting to make right from when I started watching this show, and that is with the girls of Pretty Little Liars. At first, I thought I only felt this way because Klara is dressed a lot like Spencer Hastings and the actor even looks like Troian Belissario, but then I realized that 3 of the other characters also resemble the other girls in PLL. There’s the nerdy one in Klara, the one who takes all the decisions as if she’s the leader in Lollo (Arya), Amina is the one who feels like an outsider almost, but with a very strong personality (Emily), and then Mia’s the sweet and peppy one (Hanna). I guess I could say Frida’s like Alison, but that would be a bit of a stretch, but I think everything from how they’re styled, look, and act around each other kind of mimics that show very well, and that probably makes their dynamic quite familiar.
Speaking of bonds, I think that’s really what makes this season worth watching at all. This isn’t a heist show; don’t be mistaken, it’s just about girlfriends hanging out, living lavishly, learning from each other, fighting, and then enduring the tough stuff. It’s cute and vain, not dark and gritty. But that’s what makes it so amusing. I do think it’s very much like Bling Ring, in that it’s a bunch of teenagers not really knowing what they’re doing but getting away with some shocking things. Apart from that and the partying, there isn’t much commonality there. The show spans 6 episodes of around 25 mins each and it’s pure fun from start to finish. Leave your brain at the door and don’t try to question how these girls are getting away with all these things because that’s not the point.
What I love about this show is how it makes these young women, who everyone looks down upon, look so invincible. It’s like if you were to make a hierarchy of society, teen girls who party and drink will be right at the bottom of the list for respect and power. In this case these girls reclaim both of those things and with style. Sure, it’s lacking in substance, but despite that you just feel kind of happy watching these women succeed. I think that’s my only expected takeaway from Barracuda Queens.
If you’re looking for some fast paced action thriller, with choreographed knife fights and shady schemes, then look away, because this is definitely not the show for you. To be honest, I was thinking I don’t know who this show is catering to, but then I realized it’s anybody who has a bunch of close friends, specifically like a clique. Also, there’s nothing too fancy technically about the show, but I quite enjoyed the music through both seasons. Especially the song choices at the end of each episode, making it very clear that this is a global show.
I don’t think I’ve seen much Swedish entertainment; I know, shame on me, but I’d have gone back for a third season of this just because I like the cast. Each of the girls has their own flair and I love how they play off each other. I can’t really compare any performances, and despite Lollo being given special treatment (I mean, it’s almost like she’s the protagonist), I find that everyone does an excellent job. I think each of them have their own side quests this time around as well, except for Mia, who I felt had a bigger role in season 1. The most important thing is that the first season was especially chaotic because it focused on the parents. Season 2 takes the right cues and chooses to skim over them, except for the one pair, which is a bit that continues on from season 1 and doesn’t take up much time. So that’s all good.
At the end of the day, this is a show about pretty, young, and kind of wealthy women who make the most of a bad situation. They’re naive but they’re also super smart and thrifty, making them great thieves. And somehow, it feels like you should absolve them of all their crimes, because despite their socio-economic position, they’re still women, who may go through some crap in life. I’d give Barracuda Queens season 2, 2.5 out of 5 stars. On a good day, it might’ve been a 3 as well.
