A decade on from its critically acclaimed first season, The Night Manager has returned to screens; the spy thriller series heading to South America for season two.
Tom Hiddleston stars as the titular character, Jonathan Pine, who once again finds himself dealing with billionaires and international criminals, this time in Colombia. After taking down debonair antagonist Richard Roper (played masterfully by Hugh Laurie) in season one, he now faces a new, much younger foe in Eduardo Dos Santos (Diego Calva of Babylon and Narcos: Mexico).
Initially adapted from John le Carré’s novel of the same name, the first season was met with widespread acclaim — Hiddleston, Laurie, Olivia Colman, and Tom Hollander all deservedly picked up major awards for their performances. Returning without some of its big hitters, The Night Manager’s sophomore season is initially less convincing. Although Hiddleston does well in a more mature, powerful role, the supporting cast fall short of their predecessors by some margins. Then again, the second season marks a departure from Le Carré’s original story, so it might be down to the writing. The second half of the season however, picks up in pace and throws us into a nail-biting finale. While the plot does get exciting, I’m inclined to believe that the heavy lifting is done primarily by the return of a key character from season one, who steals every scene.
Camilla Morrone (Daisy Jones & The Six) is impressive as Roxana Bolaños, who sits on the fence between the two principal characters. While it takes a few episodes to be convinced by other performances, Morrone is great from the get-go. Hiddleston is still the star of the show, though. I was sceptical at first given the power dynamic between Pine and Dos Santos — an old-fashioned, chino-wearing villain is replaced by a seductive, hot-headed man in his early thirties, making for a completely different target to take down. Over all six episodes, though, Hiddleston demonstrates a range unseen in the first season, and was particularly good in the finale.
All in all, the second season of The Night Manager exceeded expectations. It’s a tough gig to live up to the first series, especially after so long, but I was pleasantly surprised. A slow start doesn’t stop this season from providing an exciting, unique story. Moreover, the finale’s ending sets up the recently announced third season rather nicely — hopefully I won’t have to wait another ten years.
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