Dory is stuck on a dark slope and it wouldn’t even surprise me if a hypothetical third season goes even darker and has Dory on trial or in prison. This isn’t a bad thing and if anything it shows how fearless the people behind Search Party are. Few shows will allow themselves to take such seismic risks because it jeopardizes their longevity, but Search Party feels like a burst of lightning that comes and goes rather than a series that overstays its welcome. At no point does it feel like this season drags its feet, which makes the urgency of Dory’s situation all the more suspenseful. There are still all of those great cliffhangers at the end of each episode too, as the plot continually grows more intense. It’s the perfect balance of comedy and high stakes drama.

Much of this season deals with how the guilt of Dory and her friends grows with each new episode. The gang makes poor decision after poor decision as they desperately try to stay afloat, but it’s hard to not empathize with them. The twisted comedy comes from how all of these people can barely live their normal lives, and now they’re burdened with an impossible threat that looms over them. Every aspect of this thing is too much for these characters. It makes for great material to scream at as Dory and company continue to implicate themselves further in this mess.

This season acts as a beautiful study on how guilt can fester and feed into paranoia and cause rash decisions. The way that Dory’s mess unravels will give the audience just as much of a panic attack as its characters. The whole season is like one big game of chicken that Dory plays with rationality as the audience waits for her to crack. That’s not always the best recipe for comedy, but the show deserves credit as it takes these risks and trusts its vision.

Furthermore, the season raises the enlightening question of whether Dory even deserves to get away with murder. The first season elegantly illustrates how Dory makes a lot of mistakes and that finding Chantal is meant to be a redemption of sorts for her. Well, now she’s done the worst thing imaginable and the show certainly isn’t past exercising the idea that maybe it wouldn’t be that bad if Dory gets caught.

Everyone really goes through the gauntlet this season and it’s fun to see how this stress manifests itself in different ways, whether it’s breakdowns at work or disgusting hives. Elliott in particular goes to some crazy places that really show off how John Early’s talents know no limits. Meredith Hagner’s Portia also is put through the wringer in a grueling way that accentuates the co-dependent side of guilt. Alia Shawkat is once again the clear standout though and she really goes above and beyond here. She does inspired work as Dory in season one, but within the first few episodes of season two she already manages to top her performance from the previous year. It’s fair to say that this season features some of the best work of Shawkat’s career.