‘The Devil's Hour’ Season 2 Review - It’s Fine But Not as Breathtaking as the Previous Part

It's almost impossible to imagine The Devil's Hour without Jessica Raine's presence. This has nothing to do with the obvious fact that she plays one of the most important characters in the series. Raine is crucial because her performance leaps out of the screen with energy. She is so dedicated to her role that she immediately sucks us into the world of her character, Lucy. As a social worker, Lucy exudes maternal warmth that softens her face and fills her with vulnerability. She exists on - or, let's say, moves between - the extreme edges of politeness and melancholy, both of which possess a delicate quality. You see a woman who wants to put up a fight but at the same time is also tired of all the bad things and just wants to play games with her son, Isaac (Benjamin Chivers), and lie on the bed with the love of her life, Ravi (Nikesh Patel). When the timeline converts Lucy into a detective, she emanates a powerful, brooding air permeated with feelings of longing. Her nose sticks out sharply in profile - her countenance is almost rigid. This detective doesn't like to leave things hanging. Raine plays both characters convincingly. Acting is not just about waiting for your cue to deliver your lines. It's also about reacting. Raine is so good that others respond to her greatly, and passionately. Because of her, there is no bad performance in this series.

It's not like the other actors are not that good individually. As Gideon, Peter Capaldi, in this season, gets to add slight comic flavors to his scenes, and his lines. His eyes are always wide open, and his weathered, unsmiling face makes him an apt representation of that second D-word in the title. All this, along with those red clothes, really sold him as evil incarnate in Season 1, though this time, we are aware of his real motives, so he doesn't seem too threatening. Patel has a sweet, charming presence in the second season. Beard or not, he looks dashing and provides emotional weight to Ravi and Lucy's relationship. "Green flag" is probably how people on social media would describe him. Chivers and Barbara Marten, as Lucy's mother Sylvia, get chuckle-worthy scenes (Issac, in his cute purring voice, tells his mother to kiss a man, and Sylvia acts like a sick, lost patient to fool somebody). The humor in The Devil's Hour is subtle yet perceptible. It gives me so much pleasure to report that Season 2, like Season 1, has space for short, sweet mother-son moments. Remember that scene from the first season where Lucy wore a cap and pretended to be a police officer to cheer Issac up? Here, Isaac draws a tattoo on Lucy's arm. They also play a board game in one of the episodes. These small moments infuse much love, much credibility, and much vigor into the Isaac-Lucy bond.

You sense a strong emotional detachment from stories where death is rendered disposable. How can you care for characters who will just pop up again after committing suicide or getting murdered? Superhero movies have filled us with weariness regarding such narrative devices. The Devil's Hour brings life into these tricks by treating them with seriousness. Lucy and Gideon can kill themselves and reset everything, but the show makes it clear to us how much work they would need to do all over again to complete their objective. It's not all fun and games - the lives of innocent citizens are in danger. The Devil's Hour is a very clever show. The puzzle pieces satisfyingly fall into their places. I liked how the explanation regarding the existence of Lucy, the detective, and Lucy, the social worker, is delivered to us. But cleverness can only take you so far.

There are plenty of scenes in Season 2 that give you the impression that you are simply watching characters dispensing dialogues and exposition. There is a lack of dramatization, which reduces most of the information to mere footnotes. Season 2 has the same pace, tone, and momentum as the first season, which doesn't work well in its favor. We knew nothing about the story while watching Season 1. Everything looked mysterious. Lucy's nightmares and other strange events placed the show in a state between reality and paranoid dreamworld. The bright neon colors further seduced our senses and elevated the material. The second season sings the same tunes but doesn't have that potently mysterious factor. The elements here are generic in nature: A stranger in a yellow hoodie, false jump scares, and a woman who hears voices and sees things. None of them intrigue you or excite you as vigorously as the "what the hell's actually happening?" events of the first season. The questions that are raised this time come across as sorely unoriginal. Even those seductive neon colors look bland here. The shiny packaging, though, may lead you to believe you are watching something different. Season 2 is what you might call "not bad" and "watchable." It fails to match up to the great expectations raised by the first season. Nonetheless, it's not a total disaster. It's fine. There is nothing to go gaga about.

Final Score- [6.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times