We Are Lady Parts, season 2, is somehow even better than the wonderful season 1. The four Muslim women punk rockers get the chance to put out an album to finally get the attention they deserve.
The women of We Are Lady Parts find themselves in season 2. They figure out their own autonomy and purpose. They find a music scene that fits them. This series, written and directed by Nida Manzoor, is funny, heartfelt, and charmingly original.
Amina (Anjana Vasan) continues as the storyteller doing the voice overs. The actual band leader/lead singer is Saira (Sarah Kameela Impey). The band is doing gigs but not making any money. They have fans and even a cover band doing their songs!
Saira gets evicted from her space, which included their rehearsal space. She’s forced to sleep on the floor with various band members as season 2 moves along.
The band wants to get together enough money to spend 2 days in a studio with the producer Dirty Mahmoud (Anil Desai). They want to make an album. It’s a struggle and they aren’t getting the money they need.
Everyone has an arc of their own. Ayesha (Juliette Motamed) struggles with whether or not to come out to her parents. Bisma (Faith Omole) is dismayed by her image as a mom. Amina learns that Ahsan (Zaqi Ismail) likes her, but she might have another offer. Momtaz (Lucie Shorthouse), their manager, has to figure out what she really wants to do as a manager. And Saira, the most ambitious of them all, meets a big time agent.
The agent, Clarice (Lydia Leonard), promises them all the time they need in the studio with Dirty Mahmoud. She promises to promote an album for them. She promises a spot in the lineup at Glastonbury Festival. She promises a paycheck. Saira agonizes about what that would mean to Momtaz. Momtaz solves the problem herself by telling them to go for it.
They get an album made, but it belongs to a corporation. A bunch of white guys want to tell them how to make it better, how to change it. They don’t want any political songs on the album. But the women realize that simply by being Muslim punk rockers and women they ARE political.
They find a solution to dealing with the corporate overlords that is perfect for them and allows them to keep their integrity, values, and music intact. I absolutely loved how season 2 turned out.
This wonderful series is streaming on Peacock. I hope you can watch it. You can hear some of the songs on YouTube.