User Reviews

Review By Kamal K

Season 2 of Luther is shorter, a little clumsier, but gorgeously dark. The cast is as good as ever and there are some seriously fantastic cases. But I found myself wanting more screentime for Ruth Wilson.

Season two of 'Luther' is just as great as season one, despite being two episodes shorter.

Idris Elba remains outstanding in the lead role. Ruth Wilson (Alice) doesn't feature as highly, while Warren Brown (Ripley) is likeable once more. Saskia Reeves (Teller) isn't involved, which I'm happy about; nothing personal whatsoever, I just didn't enjoy her character in S1. Dermot Crowley (Schenk) has a bigger part, which I'm a fan of.

As for newcomers, it's a tad iffy. I like the acting of Nikki Amuka-Bird (Gray), but her role isn't written all that well in my opinion - despite Gray's objectives, she comes across annoying which I assume isn't intentional? If it is, that's weird. Elsewhere, Aimee-Ffion Edwards (Jenny) is solid but David Dawson (Toby) & Co. aren't interesting, but at least the storyline that they are involved with is.

Overall, I again thoroughly enjoyed this show. Some very good plots in there.

Luther has two massive problems to deal with, and this time he doesn't have Alice to call on.

It's such a shame that Series two was so short, but if ever the phrase quality over quantity was appropriate, it's here, four terrific episodes, Part four, an excellent conclusion.

The test, could the show work without Alice, the answer, yes.

The pattern has been, gruesome, heavy, crime visible first episode, crime solving, engaging, toned down second episode, that formula worked well, we did get less violence, but the showdown was astonishing, almost like one from a Western.

I absolutely love Nikki Amuka-Bird, and I like how wholesome her character is, particularly when contrasted with the great man. The acting fabulous throughout, but be fair, it's Elba you tune in for.

9/10.

When season 2 was announced it was said to be two 2-hour specials and my first thought was "why?" because I didn't see what was salvageable from the mess apart from just doing more of the same. When it came to the screen it had become a short season of 4 episodes, although the first and second pair of episodes are fairly separate in terms of the main plot, so I guess it is 2 specials. I wasn't sure if I was going to watch it and even my girlfriend (who loves a bit of rubbish TV) didn't seem fussed – but I heard some positive things and decided to give at least the first episode a go.

It starts a little sluggishly because we have to tidy up the mess left by season 1. It does this as best it can while also being as brisk about it as possible – Alice is shifted away, demoted officers reinstated, Luther briefly suggests suicidial tenancies etc but ultimately once the first murder happens we're moving away from things as fast as possible. This clean break is where the show gets much better than the first season and it does it by focusing on the strengths of the show and not doing too much that stretches it. The two main plot lines are serial killers of different sorts but they both have a random brutality in common. This has left the show open to accusations of being very violent – almost sadistic, and in a way I sort of agree because Luther is very brutal this season and some of the crimes are impacting, saddening and bloody – often to the point where it doesn't feel like entertainment.

However this feeling is worth it because it is preferable to murders in, say, CSI, where there is no emotion to it. With Luther the two serial killer plots see the public targeted at random, with no "justice" or reason for why any specific individual is killed. It raises the tension in the show and it makes it brutally engaging and quite chilling. It helps that it is well filmed to maximise this impact and scenes in which a blank-faced killer walks into an office and starts killing and maiming with random abandon is chilling because ultimately most of our day-to-day "safety" exists because nobody wants to make it unsafe – but it could be easily done; the murders in Luther carry that chill and the show benefit from it. Outside of these two threads, we have a smaller thread involving Luther in trouble over helping a girl out of sexual exploitation – it links to the first season but it doesn't really matter. This plot is not over played and allowed to build well – but most importantly it is not made the whole deal in the way Alice was. This means that although this subplot is not particularly good, it never has to carry too much weight.

In combination with this, the characters are made simpler and the plots more manageable. In season 1 the motivations of the characters changed with the wind and never made sense, while the plots involved family, new partners etc and just got messy fast. Season 2 keeps it clean – Luther is played much straighter and Elba benefits by being able to deliver consistently even if there is nowhere near the meat he has had before (you know where). I was glad of this because it felt like the writers were acknowledging that complexity, characters and the like are not their goal and doing them just causes problems –I agree and the tight focus and solid plots help cover up the weaknesses in writing from season 1 – not by improving them, but just by avoiding the same holes.

The supporting cast match this by being solid and doing what is required but never being asked too much. Brown returns and is welcome as he underplays and is never more than support. No offence to McGann or Wilson, but the show did the right thing in showing they exist but then getting them out of the picture with minimal fuss – long may they remain so. The addition of Amuka-Bird is a good one – she is a good actress and she was a good moral foil for Luther. Edwards is decent but her character was a necessary plot device for the subplot rather than a great addition. Robertson and Ingleby both do really great jobs as the killers – they are chilling and effective in different ways. Mostly everyone does well because the plots, motivations and actions are all simpler and more focused this season – which benefits cast and show.

Overall, I came to this season with low expectations but actually it performed very well. The writers seem aware of where the show was weak before and have mostly avoided the subjects on which they could stumble and instead focused on the aspects of the show that work. By doing this they produce two dramatic, tense and chilling story lines that move fast enough and hard enough to cover up the weaknesses in the telling. The bridging subplot is simple but effective and again pace and impact stops the viewer questioning too much. Not perfect but significantly better than the first season and more than enough to put me there when the third season comes.