Summary
Wrexham’s Premier League dream is back, and with that comes the promise to take this football club’s die-hard fans, as well as millions of newcomers from all over the world on yet another season-long joyride. Once again, the hit docuseries puts actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney at the forefront of it all, and luckily season 2 ofWelcome to Wrexhamappears to have learned why this FX production did so well in the first place.
Let’s face it, it’s fairly easy to look up online how Wrexham AFC did in their previous season. A simple internet search would have led anyone last year to the club’s heartbreaking playoff loss that kept them in the lowly depths of National League one more year. What makes this show worth watching is the inside look at the city’s inhabitants and how Reynolds and McElhenney’s venture into the sport is putting Wrexham on the map.
RELATED:5 Reasons Why Modding Is Crucial To EA Sports FC 24 & Fellow Football TitlesThat’s what episode 1 is all about, a refresher on what Wrexham’s 2021-2022 season was like, and how the series’ sole existence has brought life to a city that seemed doomed in so many ways in these modern times.It’s thanks to soccer, the internet, and Reynolds and McElhenney’s Hollywood charm that Wrexham AFC is now as recognizable by football fans assome ofFIFA’selite teams.
However, if the season premiere brings King Charles III’s prestige to Wrexham, along with a reminder that gaining promotion won’t be any easier -regardless of the actors continuous investments-, this week’s “The Quiet Zone” is a callback to the show’s emotional strong points. Some Wrexham citizens are now celebrities thanks to the show’s success, but season 2 is inclined to put fresh faces in the spotlight.
Episode 2 introduces fans to a new Wrexham supporter, Millie Tipping, whose story crosses paths with that of the team’s superstar goalscorer Paul Mullin, after his son Alfi was diagnosed with autism. Mullin is by now a household name, andWelcome to Wrexhamviewers will be happy to continue learning more about his family life, but in Millie’s case it’s truly heartwarming to learn how the club’s transformation has benefited her.
Having also beendiagnosed with autism at an early age, Millietalks about her unique experience as part of Wrexham’s young girls team (more on that coming soon), and how football allowed her to gain a sense of community and belonging. This perfectly intertwines with the club’s own efforts to improve Wrexham AFC’s accessibility policies, something that was highlighted during the first season, while leading to a very special viewing experience of a soccer match on the show.
Again,Welcome to Wrexhamis not exactly about the game, the results, or what happens on the pitch, but rather it focuses on the people that sit in the stands when all the football is taking place. In that sense, stories like Millie’s, and the profound impact that having her childhood club feel closer to her can have on her life, especially when she shares something with Mullin’s own son.
And rest assured, this type of emotional connection is essential forWelcome to Wrexhamto work as a series, because another idea that’s driven home early in the season is that Wrexham AFC really aren’t underdogs by any means. New signings, Reynolds and McElhenney’s costly plans to revamp the Racecourse Ground, and a new crop of fans hailing from places like Brazil, Thailand or the United States — by all accounts, Wrexham is the team to beat now.
Nevertheless,Welcome to Wrexhamshows that Reynolds and McElhenneyare putting some skin in the game by outlining how much of a failure it would be if the club were to fail on their goal of winning the league, as that alone makes its current operating model completely unviable. In that sense, episode 3, “Nott Yet” does a perfect job at framing its main rival for the 2022/2023 season, Notts County, as the perfect counterpart to the Wrexham way.
In modern sporting terms, Wrexham are now the bad guys, they’re the towering money-flaunting behemoth that are Manchester City orChelsea inEA Sports FC 24, only they’re in the fifth division. That makes fellow actor Humphrey Ker’s assessment of the entire situation even funnier, once he realizes that in sports you may never buy your way to glory.
Overall, season 2 ofWelcome to Wrexhamlooks to be more of the same flavor that so many people loved last time around, but the docuseries is starting to put enough of a spin to things so that it manages to stay fresh, even for fans of the sport who already know how it all went down.
Nearly three years into their spectacular acquisition, Reynolds and McElhenney have turned Wrexham into a genuine sporting phenomenon, one that’s hard to look away from for some, even theirrivals who look forward to makingDeadpoolmemeswhen the club is down on their luck. As another supporter says,Welcome to Wrexhamencapsulates the dream every football fan has for their team to had been the one gifted this TV fairy tale.
