Just over one year after its debut, “The Reluctant Traveler” has made a grand return to television. This season, host Eugene Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”) visits Sweden, Scotland, France, Germany, Italy, Greece and Spain, in a daring European vacation. Just as in the first season, Levy visits nearly all of these locations for the first time. When he arrives, he indulges in the opportunity to meet with lovely locals who give him a hint of their culture and heritage. The people that he meets with are simply the sweetest and seemingly happiest people and are always diligently excited to show Levy their homes. The character that these folks exude creates feelings of tenderness and love within viewers’ hearts.
The second time around, Levy is still giving just as much of a glimpse at an unconventional lifestyle as he did last season. The introduction music to the show remains just as delightful, the narration continues to be irritatingly rehearsed, Levy continues to venture out of his comfort zone and the show’s travel budget continues to be grotesquely high. However, there are a few notable differences the second time around, which I have talked about previously.
Because Levy travels where the grass is greener and the water is bluer, this season’s images are unquestionably stunning. The images of the clear, wide-open French sea and rolling green hills in Scotland act as pieces of art in themselves. The first images seen of the locations are often filmed with a panned view of the geography, like a drone flying over the water and then making its way into the city, which makes for an ever more immersive experience. Similarly, when Levy is sifting through the cities and villages, the camera often walks behind or with him to his next destination. While it does this, Levy either talks with others or to the camera, bringing you right along with them. You can imagine yourself as Levy draped in linen clothing, donning his stylish Sperry shoes and sipping only the finest of champagnes. As he’s seen kissing cheeks with strangers and feeling the breeze of the ocean flutter across your skin, his blossoming connections become yours.
But, despite the wish-fulfillment the series offers, it still manages to give its host a distinctly enriching journey of personal development. Last season, Levy explored his Jewish heritage and history at the first Jewish ghettos in Venice. This season continues exploring his personal history by taking Levy to his mother’s birthplace in Scotland almost one hundred years after her departure. Levy sees the block of tenement houses that his mother would’ve lived in, one of the oldest synagogues in the region where his mother worshiped growing up and steps into her shoes the way we step into his. Viewers see Levy’s teary-eyed emotion as he finds a new appreciation for the struggles that his mother endured for the chance at a better life without ever complaining about her lost youth. He sees her Scottish roots reflected in her happy and loving personality, traits that we’re inspired to emulate by the end of the episode. Adding this personal element to the show helps personalize Levy and the viewers as we get a glimpse of his journey.
Paying tribute to Levy’s lineage makes for a heartwarming episode that distracts from the extravagance around him, such as the thousand-dollar hotels, million-dollar yachts and comically expensive drinks. The unattainability of it all refuses to be ignored. Instead of calling attention to these dollar amounts in the previous season, however, Levy simply stated how much each hotel cost. By season two, things change. In France, Levy stays in San Tropez, a place that is home to only 4,000 locals and a travel destination for 100,000 people daily during the travel season. For reference on its extravagance, storing a yacht onsite can cost up to $3,000 per day. Celebrities, like Beyonce and Brad Pitt, famously choose San Tropez as a designated vacation destination. More invested celebrities stay for longer such as retired Hollywood actress, Joan Collins.
Joan and Eugene meet in San Tropez for a very, despite the cost, small portioned meal. It’s here that they discuss the million-dollar yachts in the harbor and how neither of them are particularly fond of their placement or overall existence. However wildly hypocritical it may sound, they point out the limitations that travel destinations have when it comes to making tourists happy. It begs the question: How much more could you possibly want? It’s upsetting to see reality TV shows, where the incredibly wealthy actors don’t recognize the people around them that struggle with costs of living such as housing, food, healthcare, etc. Sometimes wealthy people can be nose blind to the people who struggle around them and behave grossly by taking their wealth for granted, but that isn’t the case with this second season of “The Reluctant Traveler.”
San Tropez used to be mostly a small town with vibrant character, but after wealthy people began to travel there, it unfortunately lost that irresistible charm. While still an alluring destination, you have to find the non-tourist trapped places to truly experience the local culture now that it’s been co-opted by the rich and famous.
Lucky for Levy, his tour guide took him to a local restaurant where he got to have oysters that locals eat frequently. Having a tour guide like Eugene did, because he is a privileged wealthy actor, released some of that pressure of experiencing the true culture. Unfortunately, though, not many travelers can find one of the 4,000 locals to take them around in San Tropez. At least Levy and Joan recognize the wealth in the region created by their peers, inadvertently admitting to their role in the diminishing of San Tropez’s originality. It’s, however, still not enough to make the audience forget the wide gap between us and them.
“The Reluctant Traveler” season two allows some new elements to shine through while remaining just like the first in the ways that matter. Levy’s worldly adventures bring joy and everlasting curiosity to fans viewing from home. Despite the privilege displayed in the show, the story of the people, food and culture that live in each region supersedes the flaunted wealth. The show’s wondrous colors, dancing tunes, tear-jerking plots and unpalatable extravagant experiences make it an irresistible vice.
Daily Arts Writer Eliza Shearing can be reached at elizamae@umich.edu.