If you were ever looking for a simple, goofy, and still heartwarming show about a woman getting closer and closer to her midlife and still not having anything figured out, then Not Dead Yet is the show for you! The quirky and relatable show has completed another season of satisfying, upbeat realness. No, for real, I found myself reaching for the box of Kleenex in episode 10. Of course, for any proper ending, there needs to be some sort of dramatic twist in faith that messes things up, which then gets fixed and gives us the closure we didn’t realize we needed. Episodes 9 and 10 of Not Dead Yet season 2 don’t give us a crazy cliffhanger ending or anything to look forward to, which is somewhat disappointing because it makes me think that this is yet another lovely show that might get canceled for no reason at all, but we’ll have to wait and see. The second season has been quite focused on Lexi, with the introduction of Duncan, played annoyingly well by Brad Garrett, who is like the big bad wolf of this season. I mean, he’s big and wolfish, but as it goes with comedies like Not Dead Yet, there’s a backstory and some sadness as to why he is the way he is. But also, it’s simply a funny show, so take everything with a grain of salt. Anyway, with all that said, let’s dive right into the final two episodes of Not Dead Yet season 2.
Spoiler Alert
How does Nell’s birthday go?
Well, to tell it to you short, it goes terribly until it doesn’t. So Nell’s decided to freeze her eggs, and she’s feeling overjoyed, confident, and excited, and she has even made a “life pie” to celebrate her birthday. But the first thing in the morning, Edward decides to break the news to both Lexi and Nell about Duncan’s plans to sell the paper. Of course, this puts everyone in panic mode, but Nell’s still optimistic because she thinks she can get Lexi to convince her father not to make this bizarre mistake. However, as it goes with Lexi and Duncan, she’s made to feel diminutive in front of her (large) father, who crushes her dreams like that little mosquito that buzzes in your ear. In the meantime, Nell’s meant to write the obituary of a woman who used to be the editor of the paper long before Duncan purchased it. Of course, she is here to remind us of the importance of print media and journalism. What do they give us, you ask? The truth! Obviously, my dudes.
On top of that, Quentin is here on behalf of the guys buying the paper to check how many of its parts are worth saving. The gang all get to work immediately, trying to convince the guy, whom Nell also calls a buzzard, which he overhears, making a wonderful first impression. In the meantime, seeing as Lexi’s power suit didn’t really help her get through to her father, she decides to spend the next many hours in Edward and Nell’s house designing a board game to play with your furry pets (nah, dads really can make you go cuckoo sometimes).
After a long day at work, Nell invites the buzzard—I’m sorry, Quentin—to come to her birthday party at Cricket’s. She thinks it’ll be easier to butter him up once he’s got some fancy wine in him, but things take a different and unexpected turn. After spending some time trying to convince him that she’s worth keeping on board, Nell quickly realizes that none of it is working. She then gives up on all her hopes and dreams, egg-freezing included, and so goes back to being the Nell who loves a drink any given time of the day. She even spends some time with nice guy TJ, which is pretty darn fun as depicted on the soundtrack of Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night” (didn’t realize that was on the 2024 card). However, Nell wakes up the next morning with Quentin on her bed (fully clothed, you dirty little punks). It turns out Quentin too struggles with his job and hates the idea of being hated by everybody. Apparently, Nell’s presence was comforting to him, so he asked her if he could spend the night feeling better about himself. Still, at the end of the day, that’s not stopping the sale of the company. However, to make things worse, Nell finds herself trying to speak her mind to Duncan, only to learn that he’s had a stroke and collapsed.
Does Duncan die?
Not Dead Yet episode 10 sees the whole office gearing up to give Lexi her support. Sam’s in panic mode, and she notices that Edward doesn’t even look phased, which is shocking to her, while she watches Lexi teach the hospital staff how to do their jobs. In reality, Edward is the perfectly comforting presence for Lexi, so it’s made more clear why they’re quite the perfect pairing. In the meantime, back at the office, with the help of Duncan’s spirit’s advice, Nell nails her interview with Quentin. Duncan goes as far as to call her “his girl,” but then she’s reminded that Lexi is his girl, so they should make their way to the hospital, so if Duncan ends up actually dying, he can tell Lexi what he wants to through Nell.
Finally, Nell gets Lexi to talk to her as if Duncan’s right there (I mean, his ghost is actually there, if you know what I mean). Lexi tells Nell that she’s never been seen for who she really is by her dad because he thinks she’s still someone who needs to be taken care of. She talks about how when they got the paper at first, he thought it would shut down in 6 months because Lexi had no resources, but then she ended up running it for years only for him to sell it without even a word to her. Nell shows Lexi that she did a fantastic job and that the whole office is at the hospital to support her. Lexi then announces that Duncan will be fine and that his surgery went well before Nell can get him to thank her for showing him how Lexi feels.
In Not Dead Yet season 2’s ending, Lexi tells her father that she purchased the paper back and did it on her own merit. She thinks he’ll think it’s a bad idea, but he thinks it’s quite smart. At the end of the episode, we get a beautiful voiceover from Nell about how the newspaper is more than just the news; it’s about people. It’s actually from an essay she wrote to Lexi for a raise. Anyway, it doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s beautiful, and ultimately, the SoCal Independent is saved and everything is back to normal.
