Smiling Friends Season 2 Episodes 1 & 3 Review

Join Swimpedia as we review screeners of the first and third episodes of Smiling Friends Season 2 with minimal spoilers, and learn whether or not the second season of the show can live up to the first.

[MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD]

Smiling Friends returned on the night of March 31st, 2024 after a long two-year hiatus, with the episode "Gwimbly: Definitive Remastered Enhanced Extended Edition DX 4k (Anniversary Director's Cut)," which instantly became an internet sensation. The second season premiere saw Pim and Alan trying to help PS1-era video game protagonist, Gwimbly, after he had been fired by his game company and reduced to living on the streets. Smiling Friends has a unique voice in the world of adult cartoons, as being born from the internet and Let’s Play YouTubers, it has always had one foot firmly in the world of the internet and gaming culture. The character Gwimbly is the best example of this so far, as the episode rips apart every convention of modern gaming, and Gwimbly himself is a perfect parody of Crash Bandicoot-era video game stars.

The premiere of season 2 also proved that the show has not lost a sliver of relevance after being gone for two years. The second that the episode premiered on Adult Swim, social media was flooded with Gwimbly fan art, memes, TikTok sounds, and more. This episode was a perfect reintroduction to the Smiling Friends world, while also boasting some impressive new animation techniques, a clear step-up in budget after the runaway success of season 1.

While we were not given episode 2, we did get episode 3, titled "A Allan Adventure," which focuses entirely on Alan when he is sent on a job to recover a box of paper clips. The first season was so beloved but also didn’t give us too much time to live in this world with the various side characters, so it was incredibly entertaining to expand beyond the borders of what we got in the first season and spend an episode with Alan, the show’s most underutilized character.

Alan is sent out to find the Boss some paper clips for the office, and ends up on an adventure where, in true Smiling Friends fashion, he meets a parade of screeching Cusack/Hadel voiced abominations and mixed media critters, including the return of a fan favorite from season 1. Whether this show is building a set of recurring characters outside the main office is yet to be seen, but this character’s return is a welcome surprise.

Everything the fans loved about season 1 is on display in both of these episodes, but this time, with an added polish and an upgraded animation budget. If you liked the manic pacing, screaming, video game humor, and colorful characters of season 1, these two episodes deliver on all that and more, while also showing what they can do with a budget above something made for YouTube. This show is truly showing why it belongs on television while also never losing sight of its indie Newgrounds roots.

The second episode of Smiling Friends Season 2 premieres this Sunday night at midnight on Adult Swim, and next day on Max!