The Four Seasons earns its second season with the return of a surprise character

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The Four Seasons follows a group of friends who make it a tradition to get together four times a year, sharing updates and deepening their connection. However, when the show returns for its second season on Netflix, things aren’t quite as simple as they used to be.

After the unexpected departure of Nick last season, the show clearly misses Steve Carell’s presence. Characters frequently mention him, even in scenes where they’re scattering his ashes, and it’s evident he was the central figure who kept the group connected.

The impact of Nick’s absence is most strongly felt at the end of episode 5, when Steve Carell unexpectedly appears as if he’s still alive, and speaks to Anne (Kerri Kenney-Silver).

The story just jumps right into Nick’s return with no explanation, and then the show ends. It leaves you wondering what just happened.

The truth about what happened isn’t revealed until the second Thanksgiving episode. It turns out Nick showing up wasn’t a ghostly event, but actually the start of a long flashback.

This Thanksgiving reminds us of a previous one, shared during the COVID-19 pandemic when Nick was still with us.

“We all felt so bad about killing Steve,” co-star (and co-creator) Tina Fey explained to USA Today.

The writers spent a lot of time figuring out how to bring Steve Carell back to the show, and ultimately decided the best way was to use a time travel storyline.

Fey explained they wanted to remember how vital Nick was to their group, how he guided Jack, and how he was the one who really held everyone together and made them a team.

These cheerful moments cleverly highlight how much everyone misses Nick, especially Jack (Will Forte). He was particularly upset in the last episode when Anne’s guests disrupted the Thanksgiving traditions Nick had created before he passed away.

It’s understandable that Jack idealizes the past, especially when remembering his friend. However, this episode, which features a long look back, also explains the origins of the issues we’ve been seeing all season.

In a recent interview, Tina Fey described seeing the couple both at their happiest and at their lowest points, more so than ever before.

This season, cracks are starting to show in Kate and Jack’s relationship. Meanwhile, Danny and Claude’s debate about starting a family has become a major focus. We also learn the surprising reason behind Anne’s donkey purchase: years ago, Nick casually mentioned that a single donkey would be lonely, and she never forgot.

The flashback is most effective when it shows Anne already knew Nick had been unfaithful before their first breakup, even before the events of season one began.

When a woman brings a pie for Thanksgiving, Nick confesses to having kissed her once at a work party. This leads Anne to question him about another woman she’d suspected him of being with at a golf tournament.

After Nick betrayed her, Anne rushed out of the house, but came back when she realized she’d left her car keys. This led to her staying with Nick until they broke up, an event that happened at the beginning of season 1.

According to Kenney-Silver, Anne remained in the relationship because she was considering everything they had built together – their home, the comfortable life they’d created, and their close friends. She told herself she could tolerate the issues for the sake of preserving that life.

Kenney-Silver believes she never meant to leave him. According to her, if Nick hadn’t left, she would have been content to stay in a state of denial, believing that was all she needed.

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That dreamlike escape didn’t last. When the memory fades, Anne is brought back to the present, standing alone in her empty house as everyone else continues on with their lives.

The whole scene appears to have been a memory for Anne, a way of revisiting a past relationship with Nick. While bringing Nick back emphasizes how lonely she feels, it also powerfully shows how much she’s changed and become stronger since their split.

Instead of dwelling on her troubles, Anne decides to create her own Christmas celebration, leading her and her friends to Italy – where Danny and Claude now reside. There, she embarks on a new experience and makes a significant life choice that could greatly impact a possible next season of the show.

Season 2’s best storyline follows Anne’s incredible transformation. She’s gone from a quiet, submissive wife to a confident, independent woman – the same adventurous spirit that initially drew Nick to her years ago.

Actually, she’s doing better than ever since Nick left, and his short visit just made that more obvious.

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Authors

David OpieFreelance Writer

David Opie is a freelance journalist who covers TV and film for various online publications like TopMob, Indiewire, and Empire. He’s a passionate advocate for LGBTQ+ representation, often speaking on panels about queer storytelling. Beyond TV and film, he loves comics, animation, and horror – and dreams of seeing a ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’-themed musical challenge on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Before becoming a freelancer, David worked as a Deputy TV Editor at Digital Spy and holds a degree in Psychology.

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2026-05-29 13:38