Here we have the opening episode from season two of the British crime/detective series Luther. As you can see from my rating, I believe that the start to this season was as good as the previous season ended (and started). The only criticism I as a fan of Luther have is that they were really not giving us too much. Season one had six episodes. This one here has four episodes only. The good news, however, is that these are at least almost an hour long and not just 45 minutes or even less. There was a bit of a time gap between the events of the sixth episode of season one and the first episode of season two, but if you watch these two episodes one right after the other, then you hardly recognize there was a season break. Zoe is gone of course and so is Reed. We also recognize the absence of Saskia Reeves who did not die like the two others I just mentioned, but whose job went to a familiar face from season 1, namely Crowley's Schenk. As this character seems to have ambitions in politics, you can wonder for how long he is gonna stay there and if Reeves' Teller might return or if somebody else will fill the position. A bit strange though that Crowley on imdb got second credit on this episode one spot ahead of Elba's title character Luther, but even more surprising that Alice (Ruth Wilson) got first credit here as her character is only included briefly here and it feels a bit as if they are not sure where they should be going with the character. In any case, apparently because of shooting Reed she got admitted to a hospital for people with mental issues. Or did she admit herself there? I don't think so. She still has plans for her and Luther to get away at some point towards hotter territory. I assume that if she is really not in the hospital because she wants to be, then she expected Luther to help her with legal proceedings after killing Reed because she felt that deep down it is what he wants her to do. The apple scene, especially when they are separated, was interesting too. Almost an Adam & Eve reference and there has always been talk about these two understanding each other like nobody else does. Also take a look at how Alice launches the season with the exact same "Now what?" that Luther ended the previous season with.
Anyway, if we return to the side of the law and not the one breaking it, there is a new female working under Luther who seems to have big ambitions career-wise and while appreciating to work with such a distinguished officer, she does not want Luther's shenanigans to get in the way of her own progress. Not too much to say about her except what happens at the very end then when she enters a house to comfort another female character and it is shown in a way where you might think that she could get murdered there. There was big build-up from the moment when said character asked her to bring her in, especially then during this moment when she is really scared because of something she sees in the dark. Then the action moves outside and we realize that her colleague is really in danger. This is the man who was loyal to Luther like no other, maybe even saved his life I the previous episode. They simply could have left the character out like they did with Teller, but they brought him back, or, more precisely, Luther brought him back, so if he really gets killed now (as is implied at the end), then once again an act by Luther may result into one of his closest, maybe the person he trusts more than any other in his life, losing their life. We will find out during episode two. However, if this is the case, then Luther's plan to quit the force as soon as he can may not come into effect before he catches the killer. I mean such a revenge path (if you wanna call it that) would certainly be more important to him than how Schenk fought to get him reinstated.
I just mentioned Ripley's attacker, potentially killer played by Lee Ingleby. You have to understand that back when this episode came out in 2011, the hype surrounding the Joker was still as gigantic as it could have been, also fueled by Ledger's untimely death briefly after the performance and at the latest since then, no other character in the Batman universe came even remotely close to being considered as much of an arch enemy to Batman as the Joker. So maybe the antagonist character we have here is not the most original antagonist, but it does make sense. I liked how they included British mythology to give the character a name and if you think about it, it does make sense. Luther is constantly fighting his inner demons, lost loved ones and you do not really see him wear anything other than black too often. I mean he was never considered to play Batman, but rather to play James Bond, but yeah the parallels between Luther and Bruce Wayne are really obvious. There I am also curious how this continues in the next episodes. From the previous season, you are used to the individual cases being dealt with in one episode and then they move on to the next and this is also what I initially expected from this British Joker, but I was wrong here, but then again it does make sense because Alice (Wilson), the first antagonist from season one, also stayed a recurring character, at times the biggest supporting player, until the end of the first season. We will see if it turns out the same with Inglewood's character and season two although the one thing that is sure here is that there will be no sexual tension from him towards Luther the way there is from Alice.
But these two are very different anyway from the perspective that she killed her parents because what they did to her (and Reed because of what he did to Luther), but not really anybody totally random, while the new antagonist is a prime example of a serial killer. You cannot even argue that he killed the second woman perhaps because she rejected him as I guessed initially, but all he wanted was her to come with him to a place where they would not be seen. She declines and he finds another approach then to pull through. Mask and blade have always been ready. Said photographer (or rather the actress) was totally stunning though. Not gonna lie. As for the antagonist, it can also finally be said that his strengths are the geographic knowledge he has about London and also his tempo. He may not be physically strong or a worthy opponent to Luther from this perspective, but it is also his unpredictability that makes him so dangerous. The moment he was talking about the show he was gonna put on that night may not only have been about what happens after somebody opens the door with him ringing the bell, but may also involve DS Ripley. Then there is also Afferson's Calvert and you can surely only guess at this point if she is still in the killer's life and maybe was supposed to separate the two cops or if she really has the intention to kill the new cop inside. Her being bait in the first place to distract us from the police car does not mean she is safe in there. However, it is also possible of course Calvert is completely innocent. The question what she was thinking when telling the officers that the suspect never hurt her, but had something in his eyes or a face expression that implies he would have liked to will be solved in the next episode(s).
Finally, there is another subplot here that involves Paul McGann's Mark North, the man Zoe was romantically interested in and a key reason why she no longer wanted to be with Luther. He also played a crucial role when season one ended and seems as if they are not done yet with the character, even if the story with him and the rescued or "rescued" girl felt very much like filler material. Still interesting to see him and Luther growing a bit closer now. Said girl even asks on one occasion with a surprised expression if the two are buddies now. We will see what happens with North. I guess at this point it is safe to say that he will be a factor for at least until the end of season two although he is also one of the characters where I would not be surprised if they get killed at some point. I mean he does have more enemies now than before Luther brought him the girl. But also he could easily be killed off at some point because he does not have a professional connection with Luther whatsoever. A great deal of speculation resulting from this opening episode here. So much seems possible. The only thing that doesn't seem likely at all is Luther actually committing suicide as is implied very early on here during the scene in which he puts a gun to his head. Perhaps Neil Cross, the show's creator and also the writer of this episode, went slightly too far there. This episode here was directed by Sam Miller by the way, who has an interesting career, started off as an actor when really young, then turned to directing and he directed more episodes of Luther than anybody else. Double-digits even. He was also on board for the two middle episodes of season one. And speaking of the people behind the camera, you can also mention lead actor Elba himself, who is credited as a producer here. Anyway, I think this is gonna be all then. This episode gets another enthusiastic thumbs-up from me and I cannot wait to continue watching. Let's hope the level stays the same oh and you can also once again say that this episode, just like all the previous ones, does not have a title, but they were simply taking the mathematical route there, probably would have with the movie that followed the series as well if they could. Seems more of a British than an American thing to me. Alright, this is really it. Do not miss out on this brilliant episode, one of 2011's finest. The best scene from 2.1 was perhaps Luther chasing the man to his hideout closely before the ending sequence when they arrive outside the woman's home, a scene that did not include the protagonist.
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