‘Fubar’ Season 2 review: Arnold Schwarzenegger is back to drive this middling spy comedy

There are other reminders of True Lies peppered all through the eight episodes of the spy comedy, from James Cameron (who directed True Lies) lending a deep sea exploration vessel to using sodium pentothal as a truth serum and Tom Arnold (who plays Schwarzenegger’s friend in True Lies) as ace interrogator, Norm Carlson.

There is mention of other Schwarzenegger blockbusters, including Total Recall and a riff on Schwarzenegger’s one-liners, with him confessing, “Sometimes I kill a guy and I cannot even come up with a funny line.” When a show gets that meta, it does not bode well.

Fubar tells the story of a highly decorated spy, Luke Brunner (Schwarzenegger), and his daughter, Emma (Monica Barbaro), also in the CIA, getting up to all kinds of trouble. Season 2 opens with a severe case of cabin fever as Brunner, Emma, and their team are in a safe house after the events of Season 1.

In the safe house are Brunner’s ex-wife Tally (Fabiana Udenio); Donnie (Andy Buckley), who Tally was going to marry before Brunner crashed the party; and Emma’s boyfriend, the nice, kindergarten teacher, Carter (Jay Baruchel).

Brunner’s CIA team includes tech officer, Barry (Milan Carter), Agent Roo (Fortune Feimster) of the salty tongue, and hot dude, Aldon (Travis Van Winkle), who has a thing for Emma. Aldon gets a cute piglet called Hamsteak to prove he can care for another. Dr. Pfeffer (Scott Thompson), the CIA psychologist, drops in on the safe house in various disguises, including as a pizza delivery person.

(L to R) Guy Burnet as Theodore Chips, Arnold Schwarzenegger as Luke Brunner, Travis Van Winkle as Aldon Reece, Fabiana Udenio as Tally Brunner, Milan Carter as Barry Putt, Jay Baruchel as Carter Perlmutter, Fortune Feimster as Roo Russell, Monica Barbaro as Emma Brunner, Andy Buckley as Donatello Luna in ‘Fubar’ Season 2
| Photo Credit:
Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix

When regional CIA director Dot (Barbara Eve Harris) tells Brunner that the evil, anonymous nihilist, Dante Cress, is out to reset the world by starting a nuclear war, the new mission parameters are drawn. Greta, who was an East German spy during the Cold War and with whom Brunner had a relationship, seems to be carrying out Cress’s orders. Theo (Guy Burnet) is working with Greta but falls deeply in love with Emma.

Uncovering who Cress is is the first order of business. After several false starts — including a CIA accountant who seems to be laundering money, buying superhero collectables much to the dismay of the interim regional director, Reed (Enrico Colantoni), and a Russian handler — they seem no closer to finding out who the dangerous puppet master is. Tina (Aparna Brielle), the NSA data analyst who Barry is in love with, might or might not be helping team Brunner.

With the action moving all over the globe from Tallinn to Kolkata, Fubar maintains a frantic pace and fills up the empty spaces with jokes that sometimes work. All in all, Fubar is that kind of time-pass show that you can watch while knitting or texting, or putting together that 1000-piece Agatha Christie jigsaw puzzle that you always meant to solve.

Fubar is currently streaming on Netflix