When Season 2 picks up again with Cassie, the titular flight attendant is in a much better place than when we last left off with her. With the show's return, however, The Flight Attendant falters in giving its numerous plots equal attention, leading to the second season suffering from something of an identity crisis overall. Fortunately, Cuoco has the ability to toe the line between charming and maddening, leaving us just as compelled to understand the root of Cassie's struggle with alcoholism as we are engaged by the greater spygame going on around her.

In other words: she's kind of a trainwreck, and a self-professed one at that, someone who lucks in and out of dangerous situations to a degree that might threaten anyone's willingness to suspend their disbelief. At first glance, Cuoco's Cassie Bowden has the obvious aesthetic of any number of Hitchcock's trademark blondes - but the longer we spend in her presence, the more we come to realize that this young woman is not the cool and polished lead than might be assumed at first glance. The darkly comedic murder mystery, adapted from the novel of the same name by Chris Bohjalian, had everything going for it in terms of both its twisty, intriguing narrative and all the necessary funny beats - and with a comedy veteran like Kaley Cuoco (fresh off her long-time tenure on The Big Bang Theory) at the helm, the result was a show unlike any other in recent memory. When The Flight Attendant first premiered, it was evident from take-off that the HBO Max series had the aim of filling a very specific TV niche.

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