2016’s The Night Manager returned to screens this January, and it was almost definitely worth the ten year wait. Picking up nine years later, Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston) has taken another identity, this time to continue working in ‘the secret world’ alongside Rex Mayhew (Douglas Hodge). Running the Night Owls, Pine is leading a team who keep an eye on some of the busiest hotels in London, when a ghost from his past takes him to Colombia on the tails of ‘Richard Roper’s true disciple’.

Following a similar pattern to the first series, Pine ingratiates himself into Teddy Dos Santos’ (Diego Calva) operation with the help of an American woman of complicated allegiances, where he must prevent the sale of British weapons, this time to Colombian Revolutionaries.

Hiddleston puts in a very good performance, but it is perhaps not his best. After a certain point, he didn’t feel as though he still carried the weight of the first season the way he was shown to in the early episodes, but that is perhaps due to the writing or intensity of the plot. In contrast, Diego Calva continues to impress. The Mexican actor, who is relatively new to the English language mainstream, first getting a leading role in 2021, put in one of the most brilliant performances of the year as Teddy Dos Santos, this season’s main antagonist. He is a very different antagonist to Hugh Laurie’s Roper, much more emotional and reliant on those around him, but he is still an imposing presence.

Once again, the show is paced superbly, keeping you on the edge of your seat in the way a thriller series is supposed to. Ironically, this is what John Le Carre, author of the original novel, disliked about the show, which is likely why it took so long to get a second series. But it makes the show much more engaging, with the revelations placed at just the right moments, and I found myself holding my breath in suspense more than once.

That said, not all twists are created equal. Some of the later revelations, whilst exciting, felt to me as though they cheapened the first season. What was a triumphant ending becomes a more hollow victory. It made me think again about the necessity of reviving the show, given that it is entirely new material, not even loosely based on a novel. Perhaps the world did not need another series of The Night Manager. It’s an interesting question, perhaps not one I have time for in a short review, but in a world full of sequels and reboots, it is a rare thing for an older property to be left alone.

The returning involvement of yet another top level British agent in the plotting of illegal arms deals also felt quite repetitive. Not that corruption doesn’t exist, but it somewhat feels as though they’re just harping on the highs of the first season. It works with the plot, but it doesn’t make the season feel fresh.

Acknowledging that, it is undeniably a strong season. With some strong Empire Strikes Back feelings, the second instalment of The Night Manager manages to bring back a lot of the charm present in the first season, with a gripping story to boot. Whilst certain events might have disappointed me, they definitely make the story more exciting, and it gives the show closer links to the first season, something it needed, given the long gap.

Whilst I feel the series somewhat cheapens the first series, it is an incredibly exciting watch and well worth it.

Rating: 4/5

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