There is no American border as perilous as the one separating self-knowledge from self-absorption and, as the second season of Amazon’s “Transparent” proves, no one charts it as fearlessly, humanely and thoroughly as Jill Soloway.
“Transparent” debuted last year with a deceptively simple, albeit revolutionary, hook: Well into middle age, transgender woman Mort Pfefferman (Jeffrey Tambor) finally decides to live her authentic life as Maura.
The joy and terror of Maura’s transition, beautifully expressed by Tambor, provided the ecstatic fuel of the first season, but Maura’s truth reverberated throughout her family, causing each member to question his or her identity. The tightly wound Sarah (Amy Landecker) abandoned her “perfect” marriage to pursue her college girlfriend Tammy (Melora Hardin); Josh (Jay Duplass), a music producer, attempted to escape the confines of perpetual childhood; professional waif Ali (Gaby Hoffman) first emulated, then tried to understand her “Moppa’s” life, while Maura’s ex-wife, Shelley (Judith Light), was forced to reconsider the “meshuga” bits of her first marriage.
“Transparent” is one of the richest and most ambitious half-hour comedies ever, and given television’s new standard of excellence, that’s saying something. It is a tale of transition, a deconstruction of gender, a story of family and, in the second season, an exploration of faith and history.