Bloods is back for a second season and it’s funny as ever. Maleek and Wendy are two mismatched paramedics survive the constant drama of the job on London streets with humor and quick-witted banter. The rest of their coworkers at South Hill are no less hilarious — if they only knew.
All the usual suspects are back with the addition of a new face — George, a counselor played by Katherine Kelly, who’s at the station to improve the staff’s wellbeing. They all seem to have a certain level of intelligence to do their job, but this crew isn’t full of the sharpest tools in the shed.
Darrell
It’s a toss-up between these two who share an ambulance because they’re really almost the same person as they both admit. They’re roommates, work together, and sing karaoke together. But unfortunately, neither is the smartest of people. This Darrell is the shorter Australian who, when his visa expires, asks every woman he knows to marry him.
His overall low intelligence is balanced fortunately with his kindness and acuity at his job. Darrell makes gifts for his partner like friendship bracelets and memory blankets. But his lack of smarts is a large part of the humor of this character. It helps make this a quality Hulu TV show.
Darryl
The other Darryl is pretty much Darrell’s mental twin. They’re soulmates for sure. Unfortunately, just because they lean on each other doesn’t mean that either is helpful when it comes to common sense. That being said, they’re so entertaining that these two characters could have their own spin-off.
Like when Darrell loses his friendship bracelet that matches Darryl’s, the two fall apart. Neither one is helpful to the other over solving the problem or just making a new one. However, this is their humor, like the Dumb and Dumber of London.
Spencer
Spencer, Wendy’s snotty adult son, isn’t particularly smart when it comes to maturity. But the dangerous part of his brattiness is that he thinks he’s smarter than everyone else and he’s not afraid to tell them as much. Wendy isn’t very good at controlling him (possibly still feeling guilt from abandoning her family).
So Spencer takes advantage of his mom’s ‘builder’ parenting style. If only Spencer would be smart enough to keep his mouth shut, people might actually handle being around him. With any luck, in the second half of season 2, Spencer might wise up and find himself some emotional maturity.
Wendy
Wendy played by the hysterical Jane Horrocks (a highlight of Corpse Bride) is the sweetest, kindest person from the very start. She chooses to lead with that kindness in every situation. And maybe she was smart enough to leave her horrible family, but she’s struggling to find her place in her new life. She joins a choir and Tinder to get things going.
But Wendy really is too kind for her own good, trusting a crack addict with a new harmonica in the hopes that one habit would replace the other. The man sells the harmonica for crack. Wendy reacts quickly in the moment which is great for her job, but often things leave her mouth before she’s really thought them through. But that’s what leads to so much hilarity.
Maleek
A large part of Maleek’s humor comes from his misperception of who he really is. He’s not very streetwise but thinks he is. He thinks he’s great with the ladies but bumbles around women. Maleek who’s played by Samson Kayo (Our Flag Means Death, The Bubble) lectures Wendy on the ways of the world but often gives bad advice.
Thank goodness Maleek isn’t the person he pretends to be. He’s a kindhearted, hilarious teddy bear. He really does like Wendy and leans on her for support. Granted he still lives at home with his mother, so he hasn’t been smart enough to figure out how to be very independent.
Kareshma
Kareshma, who is played by Aasiya Shah (Raised By Wolves, Unforgotten) is one of the smarter characters but she’s still very young and has a lot to learn. She’s smart enough to know how to manipulate her partner Gary into getting what she wants much of the time. She had planned on being a doctor like her twin sister but got sick during school and failed.
Gary is actually the perfect partner for her because he’s got so much to teach her about the world if she’s paying attention. On the job, most of the time, Kareshma is really intelligent. It’s her temper that can get the best of her and make her kick doors in without thinking.
Gary
Yes, Gary is so bland and unmemorable on the surface that Maleek can’t remember who the guy is. However, there’s much more going on under the surface of this mild-mannered man. Gary is smart enough to steal a vile from the hospital and threaten Kareshma with it, claiming it contains a dangerous pathogen. Whether or not it does, it doesn’t matter.
As the show progresses, who Gary is gets revealed more and more. He’s a thoughtful, considerate person perfectly suited for the job of a paramedic. It will be interesting to find out more about this man and his mysterious home life.
Lawerence
Lawerence is complicated. He lost his wife years earlier but still talks about his grief as if she died yesterday. He seems to be thoughtful and very good at his job but is oblivious to Jo’s flirtations and other things happening around him. Lawerence seems to have a lot of jokes go over his head, but that disconnection is part of his humor.
It first appears as though he might be dimwitted, but Lawerence just isn’t good at joking around. Especially with Jo. The two seem to be on completely different wavelengths. If only he could let go of the grief and start to live a fuller life, which might be a part of the half of season 2.
Jo
Lucy Punch who plays Jo really makes this one of the best British comedy TV series. Sure, Jo may be smitten with Lawerence and thinking irrationally but she is an extremely smart person when it comes to her job and managing her whacky team. She’s also very quick-witted and willing to verbal (and occasionally physically) spar with anyone.
Jo reacts quickly in every emergency situation and is made to be a boss. If only she could be as with it when it came to matters of the heart. She’s willing to risk a kiss with Lawerence on New Year’s Eve, unwilling to read the signs he’s giving off. But Jo’s going to figure things out because she always does.
George
Jo could easily be the first on this list, except that she thinks she is smarter than George instead of realizing she met her match. George knows this. She’s figuring out Jo and playing games with her. It appears innocent at first with the two battling wits at the station.
What Jo learns is that George actually holds the power. She has the ear of Jo’s boss. Plus George has all kinds of psychological tricks she’s using on the staff. Everyone needs to watch their backs when it comes to this wolf in sheep’s clothing.
