The Season 2 finale of HBO’s sleeper hit comedy series “Somebody Somewhere” featured a wedding and a loving tribute to Ed, the beloved character played by late actor Mike Hagerty in Season 1.
The episode, titled “To Ed,” followed as most of the cast came together to celebrate Fred’s (Murray Hill) wedding at the old barn where Ed used to spend his time, now refurbished into a picturesque event space by Tricia (Mary Catherine Garrison) for the special occasion. In the midst of the festivities, Fred made a speech and called a toast to his dear friend — who was written out of the story earlier in the season following Hagerty’s death, by the announcement he’d gone on a long-term boat trip with his brother.
For series star Bridget Everett, the finale marked the touching end to a season-long celebration of the actor’s influence on the show.
“In a way that [scene] was nice and healing,” Everett told TheWrap. “Mike Haggerty was just one of those kinds of people — everybody loves him, life of the party, a real people person, very humble, charming. And I know he wouldn’t want a bunch of people standing around feeling bad about him not being there. He was a good time guy. He wants some happiness and some smiles.”
Garrison told TheWrap in a separate interview she’d felt worried about the show’s choice to keep Ed alive, but relished the added nuance to scenes that referenced the character knowing the love he had for his role on “Somebody Somewhere.”
“I remember the first day that I filmed anything that was related to him [this season], it was the scene where Bridget and I are reading a letter that he wrote to us. And I remember tearing up when I was reading it… He was really excited about Season 2. And then Bridget’s getting teary and I thought ‘well, is that appropriate for these two girls to cry if their dad’s going on a boat trip?” Garrison said. “But then I thought, if they know about the show then they know about the loss of Mike and I thought in a way it’s almost more beautiful to have you watch it and know that the actor himself isn’t with us.”
Garrison added, “It just felt like a lovely tribute, and I’m glad that people were taking it that way.”
Season 2 ended with some big developments for both Sam (Everett) and Tricia. After their big fight in Episode 5, the sisters put their differences aside so Sam could help with Tricia’s growing Instagram merchandise business. The death of Sam’s singing teacher also brought her back together with best friend Joel (Jeff Hiller), whom she had also fallen out with in the previous episode upon finding out he was hiding a new relationship from her. The fights and subsequent reconciliations with her loved ones allowed Sam to realize she was being too hard on both herself and those around her, potentially opening the doors for her to grow out of her bad habit of lashing out and cutting people out of her life to avoid being hurt.
The season also introduced the potential of a new relationship for Sam, as the ongoing flirtation with her neighbor intensified and they made tentative plans to hang out — that’s if he can forgive her for accidentally throwing a brick through his window while drunk at the very end of the finale.
“We’ll see what happens [in terms of a Season 3 renewal], but I think that Sam and her capacity to love can only grow from here because she started at a pretty low level. So let’s just hope that [what she’s been through] does influence her and she continues to be positive and keeps blooming,” Everett said.
Tricia also had some big moments near the end of the season pushing her toward growth and happiness. Her Instagram business was picking up, and working as a wedding planner for Fred’s event helped her gain her confidence back after her divorce, the loss of her business and her daughter moving away for college. She even told Sam that while she’s not ready just yet, she would be open to trying to meet someone new in the future.
“What I really loved about this season was that Tricia gets to be more fun, and I loved what happened with [her and Sam’s] relationship. So I would love to see more of Tricia and Sam’s relationship get deeper and more intricate, like play off those little layers that the two sisters have,” Garrison told TheWrap. “I love that they’re both single so I’m not itching for Tricia to find somebody, but you know how women are, she probably will have a roll in the hay with somebody at some point.”
“What I love about this show is that there’s no explosions or alien invasions or anything. So the stakes are just regular life stakes,” she added. “I don’t have any high expectations except just to keep playing her growth. I think that’s what’s been so satisfying is [Tricia] changing and growing. Even at this advanced age you can still change and grow and become more and more interesting.”
All episodes of “Somebody Somewhere” are now streaming on Max.
