Alex Rider: Season 2 Finale

 

Based on: Alex Rider book series by Anthony Horowitz

Created by: Guy Burt

Directed by: Andreas Prochaska & Christopher Smith

Starring: Otto Farrant (Alex Rider), Stephen Dillane (Alan Blunt), Vicky McClure (Mrs. Jones), Brenock O'Connor (Tom Harris), Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo (Jack Starbright), Charithra Chandran (Sabina Pleasance)

I felt real anticipation over this show!! For each episode that ended, I really yearned and craved to know what happens next. For as many shows as I watch, that's actually a pretty rare feeling for me. 

I'm mostly impressed at how the series got its core characters: Alex, Jack, Mrs. Jones, and Mr. Blunt are all exactly as I remember. And that's important to me because those four are something of the backbone of the entire franchise. Each one of them (obviously Alex) appear in every book and represent the core of Alex's whole life, with Jack being his plumbline for normalcy, Mrs. Jones being the protective mother figure, and Mr. Blunt being the symbol for morally gray, dubious decisions. These were all portrayed perfectly and it made me giddy with each episode to see those roles fulfilled. 

Mr. Smithers (Nyasha Hatendi), pictured here second to the right, was also a great member of the cast. His inclusion represents some significant changes from the book, where he was very background and corpulent, but to me it's a welcome change. He's a great character to bring forward into more light and I think his personality was good to the original. 

The ride over the course of the series was so much fun. I loved seeing Alex prove himself useful despite a continually skeptical Blunt, who was determined to keep him off the mission. My favorite moment in the season was when Smithers revealed to Mrs. Jones that he had been getting several pieces of critical information from Alex. Her face as she realizes how involved Alex has been, completely outside of MI6's radar, was one of complete understanding and frustration. "Of course he's been involved the whole time, SIGH." 

I also appreciate how Burt strove to keep Jack relevant. In the books, she was often sidelined because she's only part of real life. She doesn't go on missions and she's not part of the spy world. But she's an amazing character and this season was never on official MI6 business, so Burt had an excuse to keep her around. I don't think she was actually involved as close to the book's villains as this season had her--working in proximity to the main antagonist--but it was a great way to keep her in focus and put her in a little danger. 

The only complaint I would have is that the actual finale episode felt a bit rushed. Everything came to a head in one single episode and was solved in that same episode. I would have preferred a two-parter; one episode bringing the plot to its climax and leaving us in suspense and then a part 2 to both solve the issues and give us a little epilogue with room to breathe. The other parts of the season felt like they moved naturally, organically, and slowly, so I was disappointed that this one episode was more rushed. 

Damian Cray (Toby Stephens) was excellent. One episode--it was either the finale or penultimate--began with a poignant flashback where Damian walked through his old, childhood home, and relived the moment when he discovered his father (?) had died of overdose. It was executed with the proper depth and stillness to convey the gravity of the situation and the monumental impact it had on Damian. Stephens was excellent in this moment and in the role overall. He gave an amazing edge of madness throughout as well: when things didn't go exactly the way he planned, there was a wideness to his eyes and an edge to his voice that let the viewer know he might not be all there inside. 

I see rumors floating around Google that a season 3 is in production, which gives me a lot of hope. Nothing from a source I consider legitimate, but enough to make me happy. There's certainly plenty of book material for several more seasons!