Trouble Ferments Between the Rows

Read Time:6 Minute, 6 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Under the Vines: Series 2
–

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romantic Comedy
Year Released: 2023, 2026
Runtime: 6 episodes
Director(s): Josh Frizzell, Katie Wolfe
Writer(s): Erin White, Nick Ward, Kathryn Burnett, Steph Matuku, Kelly Lefever, Harry McNaughton
Cast: Rebecca Gibney, Charles Edwards, Sara Wiseman, Dean O’Gorman, Simon Mead, Kirk Torrance, Cohen Holloway, Carrie Green, Sarah Peirse, Trae Te Wiki, John Bach, Catherine Wilkin
Where to Watch: now available on DVD and digital

RAVING REVIEW: Peak View has the kind of small-town appeal that makes even the worst trouble feel manageable, heartbreak feel temporary, and wine production look only slightly less stressful than hand-to-hand combat. UNDER THE VINES: SERIES 2 really dives into that contrast from the start. It doesn’t try to reinvent the show after its first season. It lets Daisy Monroe and Louis Oakley settle deeper into Oakley Wines, then gently starts pulling at all the emotions they hoped might loosen on their own.

The result is a second season that feels more confident in its own identity. The fish-out-of-water setup has already done its job, so the show no longer needs to lean as heavily on Daisy and Louis being uninformed outsiders dropped into vineyard life. They’re not experts, and thank goodness, because half the joy in this series comes from watching their dignity collapse under pressure. The difference is that their failures now come with investment. Oakley Wines isn’t just an inconvenience, inheritance, or escape hatch anymore. It’s a home they’re both trying to understand, even when neither of them can agree on what that home should become.

Rebecca Gibney remains such a powerful asset to the series as Daisy; her performance works because she doesn’t conflate warmth with softness. Daisy can be generous, impulsive, vain, scared, funny, wounded, and absolutely convinced she’s right within the same stretch of conversation. Gibney keeps all of that working without making Daisy feel disconnected. She gives the character an intelligence, the kind that can miss the obvious in her own life while reading everyone else in the room with frightening accuracy.

Charles Edwards gives Louis a wonderfully dry counterpoint. His exasperation is precise without becoming stiff, and his awkwardness has a self-punishing quality that keeps him from turning into a walking punchline. Series 2 gives Louis more room to be compromised. The arrival of Simone, his estranged wife, immediately complicates the romantic spark between him and Daisy, and Edwards plays that situation with a nice mixture of guilt, vanity, hope, and panic. Louis wants to do the honorable thing, or at least the thing that allows him to believe he’s honorable, which is often funnier and more revealing than a simple romantic triangle.

Daisy and Louis’ chemistry remains the hook, though Series 2 is smart enough not to make every episode feel like it’s stalling until they admit what everyone else can see. Their relationship is situated within a wider network of romances, friendships, rivalries, and family concerns, which makes the vineyard feel more populated and less like a backdrop for the two leads. Griffin and Gus’ relationship is one of the season’s most sincere aspects, especially because the show treats their story as part of ordinary life rather than as something separate from it.

Dean O’Gorman and Simon Mead bring a more tender, slightly bruised quality to Griffin and Gus, and their story works because it has its own importance. It’s funny, uncertain, romantic, and occasionally painful without asking the whole series to change around it. Vic and Nic preparing for the arrival of their baby adds another level of domestic anxiety. At the same time, Daisy’s connection with David, the handsome local doctor, gives the season a romantic alternative that feels pleasant enough to be plausible and inconvenient enough to matter.

The Shimmering Lake rivalry remains, especially with Marissa hiring Philippe, a flashy French vintner tied to Tippy’s family. It’s entertaining, and Sarah Peirse knows exactly how much theatricality to bring to Marissa. However, the French vintner chaos occasionally leans closer to sitcom vibes than the show needs. UNDER THE VINES is at its best when its humor comes from embarrassment, avoidance, friction, and people trying to look competent while quietly falling apart. When the rivalry gets too big, it can feel less connected to the emotional aspects that make the series so inviting.

Trae Te Wiki continues to be a vitally important supporting player as Tippy. The character could’ve easily been reduced to the local who exists to rescue the clueless owners, and Series 2 avoids that by giving her more personal and professional insecurity. Tippy’s knowledge matters, though the show also lets her be young, proud, uncertain, and hurt. Her connection to Philippe gives the vineyard conflict a more personal angle.

The vineyard scenery is beautiful without feeling like a tourism commercial, and the sun-drenched look gives the show an inviting glow that never erases the labor involved in keeping Oakley Wines alive. The land matters here. So do the grapes, the weather, the neighbors, the local grudges, and the small humiliations of trying to build something after the age when reinvention is supposed to look effortless.

UNDER THE VINES: SERIES 2 is comfort television with more bite than the surface suggests. It’s not chasing gloom and doom, and it’s not pretending vineyard mishaps are the stuff of grand tragedy. It’s a character-driven comedy drama about adults who’ve made messes of love, work, pride, and timing, then found themselves stuck in a place where those messes can’t be outrun. The second season deepens the ensemble, strengthens Daisy and Louis as a pairing, and keeps its humor dry enough to balance the sweetness. Some of the plotting is more convenient than convincing, though the company is so enjoyable that the flaws rarely sour the experience. Pour another glass and settle back in. Oakley Wines is still worth the trip.

Please visit https://linktr.ee/overlyhonestr for more reviews.

You can follow me on Letterboxd, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. My social media accounts can also be found on most platforms by searching for 'Overly Honest Reviews'.

I’m always happy to hear from my readers; please don't hesitate to say hello or send me any questions about movies.

[photo courtesy of ACORN MEDIA INTERNATIONAL]

DISCLAIMER:
At Overly Honest Movie Reviews, we value honesty and transparency. Occasionally, we receive complimentary items for review, including DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs, Vinyl Records, Books, and more. We assure you that these arrangements do not influence our reviews, as we are committed to providing unbiased and sincere evaluations. We aim to help you make informed entertainment choices regardless of our relationship with distributors or producers.

Amazon Affiliate Links:
Additionally, this site contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may receive a commission. This affiliate arrangement does not affect our commitment to honest reviews and helps support our site. We appreciate your trust and support as you navigate these links.