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When I spoke to star Theo James a few months ago for Sky TV movie Fuze, he teased that The Gentlemen season 2 would be “even darker” than its Netflix debut. At the time, I wrote this off as something he might say simply to create buzz and a good headline — but it turns out, he wasn’t kidding.
I think that it takes a lot to shock the modern viewer, given how immediately exposed we are to everything in the world thanks to social media. Somehow, The Gentlemen season 2 (which is out now) manages exactly that, and I spent a good deal of time while watching its eight episodes with my mouth wide open.
The sense of crazed chaos established in its first season, which debuted back in 2024, is only heightened, which in itself feels like an extraordinary feat. If you strip it back, Eddie (James) is following the classic ‘chosen one’ archetypal storyline, but his unhinged family and work colleagues add layers of deranged complexity… and a fair few obstacles along the way.
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Eddie is still working directly with Susie (Kaya Scodelario) and Bobby (Ray Winstone) as the action picks back up, but the trio’s new business partners come in the form of an Italian crime network. Cue some questionable under-the-table deals, alliances and betrayal, and a tiger kept in a questionably small cage.
At the Halstead manor, things aren’t exactly quiet either. Freddy (Daniel Ings) has been quietly sent to a rehab centre while Lady Sabrina (Joely Richardson) tentatively tries to keep him in check from a distance. Bobby’s decision-making takes on a more spiritual approach, while Susie genuinely seems like the only person around with her head screwed on.
The groundwork is set, then, for a Shakespearean level of drama that’s tinged with signature Guy Ritchie-style brutality to unfold. But whatever you think that looks like, times it by 100, and add in a chainsaw.
The Gentlemen season 2’s darker storylines are the ideal step forward — and make for a tasty season 3 setup
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It’s odd to think of The Gentlemen season 1 as superficial or even jovial, but compared to season 2, that’s how it feels in hindsight. Without giving the game away, new episodes are integral to Eddie’s development, transforming him from a criminal network cog into a brutish, no-nonsense leader.
Because we already know that season 3 has been renewed, the only clear path for The Gentlemen to follow is charting the rise of Eddie’s own illegal underground empire, or at least his individual role within that world. Susie describes him as a dog desperate to be free of his leash in episode 1, and by episode 8, there really is no turning back.
In essence, the brutal underbelly that we’ve always known was there — both in the wider network and within Eddie himself — comes to the surface. Whether it’s mental manipulation, underhand strategy or outright physical force, everyone should be scared of what is actually capable of happening… including Eddie.
For us, that means getting stuck into scene after scene of wildly outlandish chaos. People die in ways that I didn’t actually think people could die, cruelty and deception translate into delicious onscreen tension, and where do I even begin with the physical and emotional torture? Ball-achingly good, to put it one way.
It’s no surprise that Jame and his gaggle of core co-stars are as impeccably brilliant as they always have been, and it’s a relief to know that each person involved in The Gentlemen can be so solidly relied on. But at the same time, a huge shoutout must go to our new cast members, none of whom feel at all out of place.
Hugh Bonneville’s eccentric aristocrat feels like Downton Abbey on acid, and is worth tuning in for alone. First-time actors Maya Jama and Chris Eubank Jr. are astounding in a completely different way, never letting their lack of experience get in the way of a convincing performance. They’re somewhat playing fictional versions of themselves (or at least share characteristics), but still: credit where credit is due.
Style and satisfaction are still number 1 priorities
The more of The Gentlemen season 2 you see, the more you perversely want to watch, yet the best way to describe a single episode is that it feels like a sumptuous feast. You feel full digesting one, able to sit apart as a full, complete story.
I like the fact that the Netflix show feels so rich that you don’t — or perhaps can’t — binge it all in one go, and the devil really is in the detail. Given how heavy-handed the streamer usually is with how its TV shows look (read: they all look the same), The Gentlemen is able to adhere to this while being incredibly stylish at the same time.
Through shrewd editing, handwritten effects, sound and narrative structure, new episodes feel playful and unserious despite its often sombre and hard-hitting undertones, with Ritchie’s tonal balance across it all being nothing short of impressive. Clearly, the best way to deal with the bad things in life is to sprinkle in as much absurdity and humor as possible, and Ritchie never lets us forget that.
Do parts wane in interest and have pacing issues? Absolutely, but what modern TV show doesn’t suffer from that? In fact, I doubt that The Gentlemen season 2 actually cares about this: it exists in the world with wanton abandon, and you’re going to like it however it’s packaged, or else.
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