Almost 10 years ago, "The Night Manager" drew plenty of us into an ever-deeper game of deceit, wherein Tom Hiddleston's charming undercover gent Jonathan Pine grappled with a menacing international businessman.
Eight years after it turned John le Carre's novel into a twisting, Emmy award-winning six-part AMC/BBC spy drama, we learned that the show would be returning for two further instalments on the British broadcaster and internationally on Prime Video — and you're not going to want to miss Pine's latest mission.
See, I'm based in the U.K., and while"The Night Manager" season 2 only just came to Prime Video, we've had the pleasure of streaming the show on the BBC a little earlier. Episode 1 premiered on New Year's Day, with new episodes dropping on subsequent Sundays, so I've already managed to cram the first two episodes into my streaming rotation.
Based on those first two episodes, I am confident that "The Night Manager" season 2 is about to be another must-watch spy thriller; you can find out why below.
What is 'The Night Manager' season 2 about?
If you’re struggling to remember what went on last time out, I don’t blame you, since it’s literally been a decade. In the first season, we were introduced to hotelier, Jonathan Pine, who was recruited by intelligence officer Angela Burr (Olivia Colman) to help bring down international arms dealer, Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie).
Season 2 picks up years later, and Pine — now living as Alex Goodwin — has continued to work for the intelligence service, though he's stuck it out at a lower level with the "Night Owls" surveillance unit. When one of Roper’s old associates is sighted, he leaps back into action and embarks on another globe-trotting mission where he's to infiltrate the inner circle of another dangerous player, Colombian businessman Teddy Dos Santos (Diego Calva), with the (reluctant) help of Roxana Bolaño (Camila Morrone). Cue another covert operation that sees Pine on the cusp of exposing a conspiracy designed to destabilize a nation.
Alongside the above stars (and other returning cast members), “The Night Manager” season 2 cast also includes Indira Varma, Paul Chahidi, and Hayley Squires.
'The Night Manager' season 2 looks to be a thrilling, if familiar, return for Jonathan Pine
With only a third of this adventure under my belt, "The Night Manager" has already managed to build up another thoroughly compelling case, and one that's staged in suitably stylish fashion. If you like your spy thrillers stuffed with suspenseful exchanges and sly meetings, you're in good hands, and, so far, it feels like this mystery's unraveling at just the right pace.
One of the main reasons so many viewers were enthralled the first time around was the cast, and I've a feeling this will remain true here. As Pine is now a veteran of this kind of mission, Hiddleston's leading man feels like he's evolved — more confident, maybe — but he's also just as watchable here as before. Whether Diego Calva's antagonist will prove to be quite as memorable as Laurie's Roper remains to be seen, but from these first two eps, we've had hints that he'll be a worthy adversary.
The presentation's still slick, too. Longer, lingering, close-up shots lend this claustrophobic feel to much of the action, and the score always manages to creep in and enhance the tension just that little more. Generally speaking, I'm confident that "The Night Manager" season 2 will be a worthy sequel, come the series finale.
Perhaps the only thing counting against the show for me right now is that it's playing a little close to the setup of the first season. Pine's new "role" for season 2 at least suggests the type of powder-keg situation he's walked into will be different, but that similarity has kind of hampered the early intrigue.
That "freshness" issue aside, though, "The Night Manager” remains thoroughly entertaining. With what's in motion already, I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how Pine plans to put a stop to Teddy’s schemes, and I'm sure there are plenty of surprise twists still lying in wait throughout the rest of the season.
The first three episodes of “The Night Manager” season 2 are now streaming on Prime Video and on BBC iPlayer in the U.K. New episodes will air in the same places on Sundays, through to the finale on January 25.
Need something else to stream between episodes? Check out our round-up of the best spy thriller shows on Netflix or our definitive breakdown of the best Prime Video shows for tons more streaming suggestions to add to your watchlist.
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