Rating 3/5
‘Cubicles Season 2’ is a TVF original streaming on SonyLIV. It tells the story of Piyush, who has now adjusted to the work environment at an IT company yet is not fully satisfied with his corporate life.
Story
Picking after the first season, Piyush (Abhishek Chauhan) has adjusted with the work culture and environment at his office. Not fully satisfied with what his company has to offer, he looks into a new job opening at a much bigger firm. No longer does he find peace in these blue cubicles.
A new employee joins the office which threatens Piyush and his projects. Newbie Sunaina Chauhan (Ayushi Gupta) a.k.a CMC or chuko mat Chauhan, is competitive and fights for what she wants. As she explains that her attitude and outlook is the by-product of the work culture at her previous office. She wants recognition for her work.
Piyush’s flatmate Gautam (Badri Chavan) is looking for the right match on a dating app. Every match leads to a spiral of tracking the wrong person.
Their colleague, Shetty (Niketan Sharma) and his wife are finally planning to have a baby. Every time Shetty tries to send a mail for paternity leave, mysteriously the server always crashes. His sincerity and future in the company are questioned due to the paternity leave during the appraisal interview.
A very old employee, RDX’s position in the company is challenged everyday. Piyush in a fit of fury also makes him realise that he is still stuck with working among very young people and how he never really got promotion.
None of the people working at the company are fully satisfied at the company. They are stuck in the constant pattern of work hard and get recognition while trying to deal with personal life. Office is a hard war for survival.
Performances
Nidhi Bisht who plays Megha Asthana, comes off as very natural in her setting. She makes a believable, understanding and strict boss. It is very easy to buy into her conflict of a control freak who is stuck between home and office.
Abhishek Chauhan does a pretty good job as Piyush. He can be seen as the everyday common man and is very relatable. All the narration throughout the series is also in his voice.
Mostly all the main actors do a good job, however, some of the performances seem a little over-the-top and cringey sometimes though it seems more like a directorial choice.
Positives
‘Cubicles’ season 2 deals with some very relatable feelings one has about work. The conflicts are conveyed well and one can easily see themselves in these situations.
Most of the conflicts are solved quickly, except for the overarching ones, which makes this web series a breezy watch.
The romanticizing of office is fresh and is much needed these days.
Looking at office through a rose tinted glass is also required as it makes us realize that the ups and downs and the little problems are all parts of life.
Negatives
Most of the characters are not well fleshed out. They have a limited traits and they only play within those fields.
During the internal monologues, Piyush often compares office to various things and uses statistical data and quotes buy famous people to support his hypothesis. The continuous use of these soon turns irritating rather than seeming witty or philosophical.
While most of the actors do a decent job, some of scenes become a little hard to watch due to the acting.
The scene where Piyush gives a speech to Angad is just unbearable and hard to digest. After an intoxicated Piyush gives a monologue critisising Angad, the later magically changes his mind to help him. Neither is the scene believable nor is the monologue endearing.
Worth it?
‘Cubicles’ season 2 is worth a watch if you are looking for something short and fun. Don’t expect it to handle heavy topics as the show is made for relatable and quick bite sized entertainment.
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