It would seem that the writers of Netflix’s teen drama “Insatiable” did not learn anything from the much-needed criticism of the show’s first season, which was heavily lambasted for its inconsistent, nonsensical plot and unlikable characters. Doing the impossible, season two comes back astonishingly worse than ever, trying to be more self-aware of its absurdity while hiding behind cheap jokes. Persistently vexing, season two of “Insatiable” is so insufferable it is downright insulting.

The end of season one left vengeful high schooler Patty Bladell (Debby Ryan) and her pageant coach Bob Armstrong (Dallas Roberts) in the woods, covering up the murder of Patty’s ex-boyfriend Christian Keene (James Lastovic). Most assumed that season two would feature the characters coming to terms with their crimes. But just like season one, the universe continues to magically find solutions, from unexplainable pigs to bombs, to fix their problems. As a result, cliffhangers build no suspense, as viewers know that the world will solve any problem, no matter how ridiculous. The characters, just as before, evade consequences for their actions and in turn learn nothing.

Patty and Bob are allowed to brush their actions aside and act as though the terrible things they do are justifiable because somehow they are the lesser evil compared to the people they have harmed. They literally pull a “Dexter.” Season two, similarly to its predecessor, tries to relate to the audience in the most absurd ways. Patty constantly uses her body image issues as an excuse for why she commits gruesome crimes. Even when she is nearing a small breakthrough, the show instead diverges into a tirade about how she struggles with an eating disorder and was mistreated for her weight. The audience is meant to empathize with Patty and somehow relate to this, even though the average person does not turn into a serial murderer because they struggle with body image.

 Just like another Netflix teen drama, “13 Reasons Why,” characters look for pity through self-deprecation, rather than reflecting on themselves. But Patty is so downright insufferable that it isn’t hard to callously enjoy her misfortunes. Though the show tries to tackle serious subjects such as body dysmorphia, addiction, suicide and more that are meant to resonate with its audience, because the characters and the plot are so contrived, it continuously fails to be cogent.

As a result of trying to overachieve, the serious themes the show attempts to explore are never sufficiently developed to affect the characters. Season two of “Insatiable” is what you get by mixing “13 Reasons Why” and season six of “Dexter” together: an absolute nightmare.

Email Nyssa Joseph at [email protected].