Tara Ward watches the return of New Zealand’s funniest romantic comedy.
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In a week where good news has felt scarce on the ground, it was with unexpected joy that I found myself sitting on my couch and chuckling loudly over a fake pregnancy, some emotional karaoke and an Uber driver who just won’t quit. Homebound 3.0 returned to our screens this week for another season of Sam Wang’s delightful local romantic comedy, which follows the weird and wonderful love story between aspiring writer Henry Li (Wang) and dermatologist Melissa Wu (Michelle Ang).
Season one of Homebound 3.0 saw Melissa and Henry’s desperate attempt to stop their parents from interfering in their lives by pretending to be in love – but their bizarre plan went awry when they actually started to develop feelings for each other. “Wang’s Chinese-New Zealand spin provides a fresh and engaging take on the [romcom] genre, and the show is laugh-out-loud funny,” Naomii Seah wrote in her season one review. “From the larger-than-life personalities to the sparkly stage set of Aunty Linda’s eponymous restaurant, there’s a lot to love about Homebound 3.0.”
There’s a lot to love about season two of Homebound 3.0 as well. The new season picks up where the first ended, with Melissa and Henry deciding to give their fake relationship a go and their families rejoicing over Melissa’s positive pregnancy test. Melissa isn’t actually pregnant, but if she and Henry can keep up the audacious ruse for three short weeks – long enough to claim a distant relative’s inheritance and buy a house in Auckland – then Melissa will be set up for life.
A reluctant Henry agrees by applying his own weird logic to Melissa’s bizarre idea. If faking a romance helped him and Melissa to actually fall in love, then pretending to be responsible adults can only strengthen their new relationship. Right? If only it were that easy.
In the real world, nothing about Homebound 3.0 would stand up, but the show’s whip-smart writing and the committed performances make every over the top, implausible moment seem entirely believable. Even when Homebound’s characters are at their worst – Melissa and Henry lie, scheme and trick the people they love the most, manipulating a fake pregnancy to get their hands on a huge wad of cash – we’re still on their side. It’s a credit to the show’s humour and warmth that these characters’ bad decisions are still so endearing.
It also helps that they are surrounded by an ensemble of loveable, charming characters. The competitive family dynamics between Henry and Melissa’s parents (played by Irene Siu, Gabriel Ren, Xiao Hu and Patrick Leung) are a highlight, as are the scene-stealing performances from Henry’s book agent Jen (Hannah Marshall) and reformed conspiracy theorist Vaughn (Aaron McGregor). David Correos is a welcome addition as the Uber driver who charms his way into their friend group, while Pax Assadi pops up as a mortgage broker won over by Vaughn’s dodgy scheme to draw down Melissa’s inheritance (“who knew it would be so simple as refinancing our homes and opening a few offshore trusts in each other’s names?”).
But it’s Michelle Ang’s vibrant, flawed Melissa who holds Homebound together. Ang breathes life into Melissa with both ferocity and vulnerability, turning this sharp-tongued tornado into someone you can’t help but cheer for.
It’s obvious where this season will take us (if Henry and Melissa’s scam relationship saw them fall in love, then surely the scam pregnancy will result in a real baby), but with a romance this unconventional, there’s no guarantee about how we’ll get there. The first two episodes canter along at a cracking pace, but I do wonder how many more messy misunderstandings Homebound can serve up before it tests our patience. Fingers crossed we go deeper into Henry and Melissa’s relationship, giving us a little space to watch their warped love story unfold.
Whatever happens, Homebound 3.0 is not your traditional romcom – and thank goodness for that. Wang has created a fresh and funny take on a familiar genre, and while the show tells the tale of two Chinese-New Zealand families (plus the occasional Uber driver and mortgage broker), its themes of love and acceptance will resonate with everyone. Melissa and Henry are on a bumpy filled journey to love, and Homebound 3.0 is taking us all along for the ride.
Homebound 3.0 streams on ThreeNow and screens on Three on Thursdays at 8.30pm.
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