‘Angel of Darkness’ is the second series of ‘The Alienist’. If you haven’t seen the first series, I would recommend watching that one first, find my review here. Otherwise, they don’t link plot wise, although the first series will give you the introduction of the characters and the setting, which is still important.
Moving on from the first season, a lot has changed in our trio of protagonists’ lives. We are still set in the 1800s, back to the familiar cinematography from season one. However, there is a prominent shift from Dr Laszlo Kreizler (Daniel Brühl) as the centre of the programme to Sara Howard (Dakota Fanning). Laszlo remains a similar character as the original series portrayed; his knowledge in the mind is astounding and progressive of the 1800s. Sara’s character is the best character within the entire show, I would argue. She stands as the leading role with her new detective agency. Her character embodies the entire notion of a powerful woman fighting against the oppression of women, standing up for what she believes in. She disregards the societal pressures and pushes to embrace more equality. Finally, John Moore (Luke Evans) has moved up in the ranks at the New York Times newspaper and instead writes his own columns, which obviously he cannot help but find the scoop along with Laszlo and Sara.
The case in which this series follows is one of a missing baby. We are thrown into the underbelly of New York where dark and sinister things occur. Similar to the first series, children are again victimised, which makes the show more disturbing and haunting as the innocence of a child is ripped away. ‘Angel of Darkness’ does not shy away from this cruel and twisted case. Alongside the case of a missing baby, societal pressures rumble in the background; rich and poor differences, the oppression of women, the potential of a war, and political games. All of these add to the complexities of this show; never at one point is ‘The Alienist’ one note, there is always so much more in the background.
‘Angel of Darkness’ has the same eeriness and gloom the first series has. The plot is so twisted and dark, yet it becomes so addictive to watch uncover the mystery. The acting is phenomenal, there is not a single character that is not played to perfection. The talent is extraordinary as the audience hang onto every word. The complexities of these characters are incredibly thought out, exploring the mind and it’s potential to break someone is haunting. This old world of 1897 is brought to life so perfectly through the outstanding cinematography. Even the costumes and the way the characters speak just adds to this different age. This second series really is as good as the first series. They are not afraid to shy away from anything; the violence, the eeriness and the mystery are all executed effortlessly, yet the audience are hooked into this unfamiliar lifestyle of the 1800s. Finally, if this is the last season of ‘The Alienist’, I think they’ve ended it perfectly, it was a fantastic show, but there doesn’t need to be anymore added to it.
Striking Film Reviews 