The Night Manager follows British intelligence agent Jonathan Pine in his mission to take down crooked arms dealer, Richard Roper. In the first series, Pine seemingly destroys Roper and his entire operation, with the season ending in him being carted off by Syrian hostage takers to pay off his debts. However, season two proves this to not be the tidy conclusion we thought.
Set 9 years later, Roper makes an unceremonious return as his arms operation is revealed to be more alive than ever. We are introduced to his son, Eduardo Dos Santos (Teddy), who has been leading this operation whilst his father has been presumed dead. Pine infiltrates their plot to start a Colombian civil war by gaining Teddy’s trust and turning him against Roper. Ultimately, the plan fails with the season concluding with death and chaos and Pine being more lost than ever.
The most compelling part of this season was the dynamic between Roper and Pine, whose rivalry’s tension reflects the dramatic ending of the previous series. Hugh Laurie’s chilling performance as Roper merges good-humoured charisma with sociopathic greed and violence. Tom Hiddelston’s Pine is consistently calm and collected, however by the end of the series, we see his total unravelment as his plan fails so spectacularly. It is for this reason that their rivalry is so intriguing, and this series so immaculate.
The increase in budget from series one is evidenced by the more dramatic visual effects. Whilst historically a budget increase of this scale can lead to spectacle overtaking subtle storytelling (as in Stranger Things, etc.), this is not the case with The Night Manager series two. Increased action leads to increased stakes.
Whilst the new series of The Night Manager’s conclusion is not tied with a neat bow like series one’s, it is rewarding nonetheless. The artful writing and stellar performances cement it as one of BBC’s greatest productions to date.
