‘The Gentlemen’ Season 2 Review: Polite Society Has Never Been This Treacherous

Two years after its debut, The Gentlemen Season 2 has finally returned, bringing with it a tighter and more linear narrative, bringing our leads across the planet to Italy and then back again.

The Gentlemen follows Eddie Horniman (Theo James), the heir to an illustrious estate that also doubles as the headquarters of a wide-spanning criminal empire founded on drug dealing and murder. He is joined in his escapades by partner Susie Glass (Kaya Scodelario), his gamekeeper Geoffrey Seacombe (Vinnie Jones), brother Freddy Horniman (Daniel Ings), associate Bobby Glass (Ray Winstone), and others. Read the Season 3 synopsis below:

It’s been one year since Eddie and Susie joined forces to work together in Bobby’s criminal empire overseas. As they drive to expand their enterprise, the decisions Bobby is making seem to be increasingly unsound. Now Eddie and Susie must decide whether to take action or risk losing it all, but unfettered ambition never ends well …

The Gentlemen Season 2 starts off strong with a great premiere that thrusts audiences back into the talky talk (the amazing negotiation sequences) and the walky walk (in the case of the first episode, an e-bike chase). It starts off brutal whilst maintaining that Guy Ritchie comedic angle and makes for damn fine viewing. Theo James is brilliant in the lead role, and his dynamic with his supporting cast is what makes this show so juicy to watch.

I particularly enjoyed some of the moral dilemmas his character is forced to face throughout the season, giving the audience insight into the ethics of The Duke, from selling out someone who is trying to scam him, to giving a sleazy douchebag the chance to apologise before he is beaten, all culminating in a moment in the finale that could define the rest of his life. It’s really good and nuanced writing for characters that need that type of nuance in order to be compelling.

The mid season of this sophomore outing struggles in being as memorable as the start and end, particularly because of what happens in the first two and last episodes being infinitely more memorable than what comes between. It provides a mental contrast that in retrospect elevates three or four episodes specifically without actually dragging down the others. I would go even as far to say that this season as a whole works far more effectively in telling a story and theme than the prior one does.

The premiere is excellent and is absolutely top two episodes of the show thus far (with a planned Season 3 on the way!). It is also one of the more action packed episodes, with high speed chases, torture scenes, mauling, and much more.

The supporting cast isn’t as striking as last season, where Daniel Ings and Giancarlo Esposito both play smaller roles, sitting in the backseat for a majority of their runtime. It’s not all doom and gloom though, with Vinnie Jones as Geoff being brought into a larger role. He is fantastic in the screentime he gets, especially in the latter half of the season, where everything he does has me at the edge of my seat.

The Gentlemen Season 2 is a return to the slick and kinetic greatness of Guy Ritchie’s best projects, allowing audiences to immerse themselves in the ambition and tragedy these characters experience. With a wide assortment of zany characters, and characters equally as stoic, yet doubly as badass, this season was a delight to watch and I am very much looking forward to MobLand Season 2 as well as The Gentlemen Season 3.

The Gentlemen Season 2 was created by Guy Ritchie and stars Theo James, Vinnie Jones, Daniel Ings, Kaya Scodelario, Ray Winstone, Joely Richardson, Giancarlo Esposito, and Cosimo Fusco. The season is now streaming on Netflix.

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