I watched "War of the Worlds" because I do have an affinity for the work of creator Howard Overman. Because of its grim nature, I would have said that I admired it, rather than enjoyed it and this second season is more of the same - though I do feel like it takes a step in the right direction by becoming more plot focussed.
With the discovery that the aliens who attacked Earth look just like humans, the war between the invaders and survivors continues. Chloe (Stephane Caillard), Jonathan (Stephen Campbell Moore) and Sacha (Matheiu Torloting) make it to London and set about finding out if his family have survived. An attack on the observatory in the Alps leads to an interaction with a dying alien for Catherine (Lea Drucker) who gives her a book of equations and tells her that she must get it to Bill Ward (Gabriel Byrne). Alongside her sister, they too make the dangerous trip across France to try and cross the channel.
So, what can I say. Do I honestly enjoy the show? It's a technical marvel, regularly shooting in a convincingly abandoned London. The visual effects are good. The performances are generally pretty solid and as I said in the first paragraph, I do think that the story of this second season, focussing on Bill's attempts to create a virus that will target the aliens is an improvement over the first. I also liked how it ended, I'll keep this spoiler free, but it really seems like this should be the end of the show altogether, rather than running to the already confirmed third one. There are some story strands that can be pulled on, I guess - but it feels like the perfect end to the narrative.
Do I enjoy the show though? Not really. It's very grim stuff a lot of the time, characters are regularly killed and anything we see of life for other survivors is very downbeat. Not everything has to be sunshine and roses, but so much of Overman's early work was shot through with a sense of humour, it's strange that it's so absent here.
Will, I watch the 3rd season. Probably, I'm invested now - but I hope they don't throw away this perfect conclusion, for something less satisfying.
