The TNT drama series The alienist he took a rather long and winding route to finally get into the air (at one point Cary Fukunaga He was going to direct all the episodes), but the end product turned out to be a compelling, binge-worthy murder mystery wrapped in the clothes of a prestigious drama series. And while the mystery was solved at the end of Season 1, the show’s second season, which features an almost entirely new and different creative team, offers a new trail of spooky murders for the show’s trio of detective amateurs to solve. The Alienist: Angel of Darkness it’s less of a season 2 and more of a sequel to the show’s first season as it practically resets the board and advances with a new narrative. And while the show struggles to become truly remarkable, it’s still a compelling enough watch thanks to its strong performances, high production value, and truly captivating new case.
When The Alienist: Angel of Darkness begins, the main characters of the show have separated. Sara Howard (Dakota Fanning), Formerly secretary to Theodore Roosevelt, now runs her own detective agency. Meanwhile, John Moore (Luke Evans), formerly an illustrator, is now a reporter for the New York Times; and Dr. Laszlo Kreizler (Daniel Brühl) … well, Dr. Kreizler is still drawing on his experience as an alienist.
Image via TNT
When a kidnapped baby is found dead and creepy, followed by another baby’s kidnapping, Sara suspects that a serial killer may be on the loose. She reconnects with Laszlo and John to try to find this recently kidnapped boy before it’s too late, and as happened in the show’s first season, their investigation leads them down gloomy paths.
Season 2 begins with a potentially unfair execution of a woman accused of murdering her son, which Sara and Laszlo protest, and a good part of the season’s story seems to revolve around the female agency, or the lack of it in the “Golden Age” of New York City. Not surprisingly, then, that Sara takes center stage on Angel of Darkness, and Fanning clearly delights to take a stronger role this season. Sara is leading the charge for most of the research, which makes a good change of pace from Season 1. Laszlo is compelling, but a little is very helpful.
Also back from season 1 are the charming brothers Marcus and Lucius Isaacson (Douglas Smith and Matthew Shear, respectively) to run some forensic analysis on the growing pile of bodies that appear, Robert Ray Wisdom like Cyrus, and Ted Levine as former New York Police Commissioner Thomas Byrnes. Levine, in particular, is delightful, chewing on the scenery and literally twirling her mustache as one of the show’s effective antagonists. As with season 1, Angel of Darkness It delves into issues related to social status, corrupt police, and the spread of politics in, well, everything, with varying degrees of success. In fact, while the heart of the show is in the right place, it somehow stumbles to find a fancy way to tackle all the problems you want. Sara simply said, “I am a strong and independent feminine woman!” it wouldn’t feel completely out of place.
Kata Vermes / TNT photo
Most of the creative team is new this season. Stuart Carolan assume as showrunner, and Peaky Blinders alum David Caffrey effectively assumes the position of principal director of the program. The transition is relatively smooth, this still seems The alienist, it is less a continuation and more of “another story”. Again, Angel of Darkness it’s much more like a sequel than season 2, but the production value is still high.
It’s also not significantly better or worse than the show’s first season. The alienist never joined the ranks of The Americans or even Boardwalk Empire as a “great” period drama series, and Angel of Darkness You really don’t see the show taking that leap in quality. But sometimes all you want is a really compelling murder mystery with high production value and compelling characters, and in that way The Alienist: Angel of Darkness Delivery It should also be said that as we get closer to Month 5 of quarantine, a little bit of quality goes a long way. It is Angel of Darkness Excellent? Not really. Will I keep watching to find out who committed the murders? I absolutely will.
Degree: YES-
The Alienist: Angel of Darkness will premiere on TNT on Sunday, July 19, with two episodes streamed consecutively beginning at 9 p.m. ET / PT.
Kata Vermes / TNT photo
