Don’t expect Season 2 of Between to be full of sunshine and optimism. Pretty Lake is anything but, as winter is closing in, food is becoming scarce and folks on both sides of the fence have developed a pretty healthy distrust of one another.
It’s with that as the setting that City and Netflix’s dour, dystopian drama returns Thursday, with neither side any wiser about the disease killing anyone over the age of 21. And while townsfolk like Adam (Jesse Carere) and Wiley (Jennette McCurdy) want answers, the government is more than happy to let the town’s citizens die, sealing the disease off from the rest of the world. Episode 1, “Get Out of Town,” features two distinct groups doing just that—in very different ways—sending Between off in a tantalizing new direction.
We spoke to Carere and McCurdy during a press day in Toronto.
It was interesting, in Episode 1, how Adam and Wiley both had differing views on attempting to leave Pretty Lake and the situation in the farmhouse.
Jennette McCurdy: I think Wiley was just saying, ethically, ‘No, this isn’t right. We can’t just set up shop here and take advantage of the situation.’
There has been so much distrust on both sides in Between. The government isn’t be truthful with the people of Pretty Lake, or to everyone on the outside.
Jesse Carere: Yeah.
Episode 1 introduces viewers to a new character in Liam Cullen. What can you tell me about him? He claims to have a cure, but we’ve heard that before.
Jennette McCurdy: Liam comes at the end of the episode, and is played by Steven Grayhm—who we love and are great friends with—and he brings hope of a cure in a way that’s more stable and mature than we’ve seen before. And, I guess, it just seems more trustworthy, which makes some characters, Adam being one of them, doubt even more.
Jesse Carere: Like you said, people have talked about a cure before and it makes Adam even less trusting.
Of course, the instinct for everyone in Pretty Lake is to get out, but there are repercussions to that action. What can you say about Chuck’s decision regarding whether to escape from town or not?
Jesse Carere: I don’t want to get into exactly what happens, but there are repercussions.
Do things brighten up for these characters? It’s winter in Pretty Lake, food is running out … hope seems to be at its lowest. There isn’t a lot of smiling going on in Between. Do things brighten up by Episode 6?
Jesse Carere: I was going to say yes initially, but…
Jennette McCurdy: It’s pretty sombre. With messages like trust no one, every man for himself and finding your own solution, these themes don’t lend themselves to bright and sunny. Even some lines I have in the first scene are more lighthearted don’t come across that way because of the overall tone.
What can viewers expect from the Wiley-Adam relationship this season?
Jesse Carere: Tension. Miscommunication. Domestic discord.
Between airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on City.
