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Have you (like most of us) spent the past week glued to A Man on the Inside Season 2? In that case, you've probably been enjoying the mystery-meets-comedy with Ted Danson’s Charles, Jason Mantzoukas, and a Professor Ben Cole arc that had Reddit calling it “even more wholesome than Season 1!”
But while the season brought a lot of development, Wheeler College mysteries, and a Thanksgiving episode that fans are recovering from, there’s one character viewers cannot stop talking about. It’s music professor Mona, played by Mary Steenburgen, aka Danson's IRL wife since 1995.
But the frustration with her character is loud.
Mona has A Man on the Inside viewers losing their minds
A Reddit user summed up the viewers' fatigue when they confessed they were “really getting annoyed by Mona’s character.”
The space then became the venting chamber for A Man on the Inside Season 2 watchers. For many, Mona crosses the line from spontaneous to disruptive during moments that should have defined her relationship. Fans pointed to two flashpoints: the Thanksgiving disaster and the anniversary sting operation, where Mona operated more like an improv act.
“She’s old enough to know better,” the same viewer wrote. And while we agree that was a very harsh comment, it is also very...accurate.
And while the actress Mary Steenburgen still gets universal love, it's Mona’s habit of prioritizing her whims over responsibility that wears people down. She’s the wildcard that steals the deck and then asks why everyone’s so tense. That said, things shift in Episode 7, when Mona takes accountability.
A few more episodes in, the viewer admitted,
“Now I’m feeling a bit more forgiving of Mona.”
Will Mona be on A Man on the Inside Season 3?
Fans have been debating whether Mona’s chaos was character texture or too much. Creator Mike Schur, meanwhile, has confirmed her story isn’t over for sure. Though yes, we did get the finale breakup and Croatia sabbatical.
Speaking with TheWrap, Schur had an announcement-ish (?) for fans wherein he said that Mona could still return in Season 3, because she is:
"Fundamental to Charles’ emotional journey.”
And while Mona may have grated on many of us, there’s a reason she exists. What we saw her do (and very necessarily so) was push Charles into uncomfortable territory, as Emily (his daughter) did in A Man on the Inside Season 1, when she said he had been holed up alone for too long.
On that note, we must remember that Mona also showed Emily that she wanted to return to college and pursue psychology to become a therapist, rather than remain stuck in her dead-end job for over 10 years. While Emily was, yes, stunned by Mona's push, she took a step in that direction by the end.
And that's why some call it growth and others call it sabotage. If A Man on the Inside Season 3 happens, could Mona redeem herself? Or will she re-enter like a hurricane? Between Ted Danson’s timing and surprise arcs (especially Dr. Ben Cole’s), Season 2 is now a comfort watch.
RELATED: Why does Benjamin Cole from A Man on the Inside look familiar? Here’s where you have seen the actor before
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You can now watch A Man on the Inside Season 2 on Netflix.
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