Reeling from the events of the first series, the John Luther of BBC’s second run of Luther is a shell of the man he once was. In its return, Luther takes on the form of a serial killer and brutal crime police procedural with a few unique diversions making it a respectable follow-up to its grim first series. It’s tricky business making such a brutal change to your protagonist at the close of a first season of television, as it means the character audiences came to know the first time around will be fundamentally different when they return. Luckily for Luther, Idris Elba is an incredibly capable leading man. By the time the credits roll on the season’s final episode, anyone who has seen the second season of Luther will have no doubts of Elba’s talent and that serial killer storylines receive mixed blessings by taking place over a brief episode span.
The serious loss Luther recently suffered eats away at him emotionally and mentally, but it’s only going to get worse. Rejoining the police force as part of the Serious and Serial unit, his first day on the job sees the start of a killing spree by a man who identifies with the legendary Spring-heeled Jack. The body count climbs quickly and before long even one of Luther’s partners becomes a victim of the killer’s game. Further complicating Luther’s life is a woman who hires him to kidnap her daughter from the vengeful hands of pornographic snuff producers, leaving Luther with an unexpected flatmate. A killer on one side and angry filmmakers on the other, Luther walks a fine line with his conscience weighing him down further at each step.
The major catch of the series is that it’s less one cohesive whole than it is two dual-episode arcs placed back to back and called a single season. You can’t help but feel that the story of the first serial killer could have been managed better and easily have spanned four episodes if the villain had received a deeper character than what ultimately showed up on screen. With that reservation about the season noted, the speed with which it unfolds its two main stories makes for some compelling television.
Elba’s performance is far beyond reproach as the expert profiler John Luther, who appears simultaneously vulnerable and stoic to the madness surging around him. He’s a brilliant actor and his turn in every episode makes you wish Luther went longer than 4-episodes in its second season, especially since the first was fantastic for a solid 6-episode run. Hopefully the superb end product of the second series will prompt a longer third season.
If you watched the first season of Luther, continuing should be a no-brainer. For those who missed out on the first series, it’s definitely worth pursuing, and you may as well buy the second season while you’re at it. However, if this is the first time you’ve ever heard of this but you’re a fan of films about serial killers or similar police procedurals (like Criminal Minds), Luther’s second season shouldn’t be missed.
DVD Bonus Features
There are none.
"Luther: Season 2" is on sale October 25, 2011 and is not rated. Crime, Drama. Directed by Sam Miller. Written by Neil Cross. Starring Idris Elba, Paul McGann, Ruth Wilson, Warren Brown, Nikki Amuka Bird, Michael Smiley.
