Over the course of The Gentlemen season 2, both the billionaire Stanley Johnston (Giancarlo Esposito) and cannabis kingpin Bobby Glass (Ray Winstone) explain that Duke Eddie Horniman (Theo James) must suffer to achieve his full potential. Unfortunately, viewers have to suffer with him as Guy Ritchie tosses aside most of the humor and quirky characters that made his Netflix series so much fun in favor of doing a beat-for-beat retelling of The Godfather and The Godfather Part 2.
Ritchie is known for convoluted plots that sometimes come together in tight twists, but most of the diversions this season feel especially pointless since the story just loops back around to the same core conflict as season 1. Ritchie is at his best when exploring the criminal underworld of the U.K. Expanding the series’ scope to Italy does little beyond allowing him to lampshade his Godfather references and provide some admittedly gorgeous lakeside backdrops where beautiful people can drink Campari and make icy threats.
After spending most of season 1 desperately trying to free his family from its obligations to Glass, who has set up a cannabis growhouse on their ancestral estate, Eddie has decided to embrace criminal pursuits with a reckless gusto. He’s frustrated with Bobby’s leadership given the aging gang leader seems to be taking advice from a mythical sauna sprite, one of the season’s best recurring gags. So Eddie takes it upon himself to seize the reins of power as a criminal and a hereditary peer in the House of Lords. All that pressure leaves James’ face constantly locked in a brooding scowl.
Bobby’s daughter Susie (Kaya Scodelario) served as a perfect foil for Eddie in season 1, but she has precious little agency in season 2 as she’s mostly torn between which man to follow. She does get to at least shine in her dealings with Joe (Tyler Conti), an old flame turned cocaine dealer who offers Susie a third option for steering the business. Scodelario and James continue to have a smoldering chemistry, which is certainly why Ritchie is teasing fans by pulling them apart in both their business and personal lives.
For a season meant to show Eddie suffering, most of the consequences are ephemeral. He recovers from a brutal beating without any lasting mark. An attempt to replicate one of the most devastating moments in The Godfather feels hollow because Eddie never feels genuinely attached to what he loses. Instead, Eddie is presented with an endless sequence of straw men he can easily dismantle while some sworn foes arbitrarily decide to back him. Johnston was a dangerous rival in season 1, but this season he’s entirely relegated to giving Eddie eloquent pep talks about his noble lineage.
Season 2 also sidelines the show’s funniest characters. Susie’s chief weed grower Jimmy Chang (Michael Vu) previously provided plenty of goofy stoner humor last season, but gets only one episode to really shine as he deals with a growing labor movement and some questionable experimental product. The consequences of both are tied up far too neatly, even as Susie and Eddie take actions that should make their labor problems worse. Eddie’s unreliable older brother Freddy (Daniel Ings) is holed up in a rehab facility for the entire season, and his chaotic presence is sorely missed.
In Freddy’s absence, the Horniman family expands with the addition of Eddie’s brother-in-law Nanny (Benjamin Clementine). Nanny is status-obsessed and oblivious to both Eddie’s criminal enterprises and the real complexity of the Horniman family situation — his wife Charlotte (Jasmine Blackborow) is actually the daughter of the groundskeeper Geoff Seacombe (Vinnie Jones). That makes it pretty hard to like Nanny as he serves as a wet blanket, interrupting the tender scenes between Charlotte and Geoff with snide dismissal of the man he sees as household staff.
By trying to make this season more serious, Ritchie pulls focus away from the show’s simple delights. There are still some hilarious scenes like money launderer Chucky Kubra (Guz Khan) explaining his scheme to open a chain of Japanese-Pakistani restaurants and an entire episode where Eddie needs to track down a missing prized falcon to curry favor in the House of Lords. Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville plays a far greasier nobleman as Lord Hawthorne, who is all too eager to be seduced. Both Eddie and Ritchie should have spent more time focusing on the business in the U.K. rather than the international expansion that never really pays off.
The Gentlemen is visually stunning, filled with luxurious sets, gorgeous costumes, and the high-energy chase scenes and chaotic shootouts Ritchie does so well. But the director also has too many close-up shots of cast members speaking directly at the camera that fail to take advantage of all the sumptuous scenery.
The Gentlemen season 2 sets up season 3
Season 2 at least ends well, setting up a new chapter for the Duke, his family, and Bobby Glass’ criminal operations. After all the talk throughout the season about how Eddie is evolving, hopefully the series won’t become too unrecognizable in season 3. Eddie learns the hard way about the perils of ambition and Ritchie should take the lesson to heart himself. He doesn’t need to make The Godfather; he should stick to making another great season of The Gentlemen.
The Gentlemen is now streaming on Netflix.