M. Night Shyamalan's Servant Season 2 Is An Edge Of Your Seat Ride That You Need To Be On
You've probably heard me raving about the Apple TV+ series Servant multiple times over the past year and some change. The series, from M. Night Shyamalan, quickly became one of my favorite series ever about half way through the first season. In fact, when I reviewed the first season of Servant I said :
"Servant is a claustrophobic, exhilarating masterclass in suspense, focusing on the four main characters and almost exclusively taking place within the Philadelphia home of the Turners."
That quote holds true in Season 2 as well, but takes it to great new heights.
If you've never seen Servant, the basic premise is that a young Philadelphia couple tragically loses their baby Jericho and at the recommendation of a therapist friend, uses a life like doll called a Reborn Doll, to help them cope. The mother Dorothy (played by Lauren Ambrose) takes this too far, hiring a mysterious nanny (Nell Tiger Free) to help with Jericho. Without giving too much away, Season 2 picks up right where the jaw dropping Season 1 finale left us.
Some Season 1 spoilers ahead, so if you haven't yet watched Servant Season 1, skip the next 2 paragraphs.
From the very opening scene of the first episode of Servant Season 2, titled "Doll", we are thrown directly back onto the thrilling roller coaster we left off at in the Season 1 finale. Throughout Season 2, the focus shifts from the first seasons mysteries surrounding Jericho's death to the very real pain behind it. With Leanne now gone back to the cult, Dorothy is forced to deal with the reality that Jericho, her baby, is dead. Interestingly, Sean (Toby Kebbell) has been so wrapped up in helping to keep up Dorothy's fantasy, he himself hasn't had the time to truly grieve. On the other end, Dorothy's brother Julian (Rupert Grint) is willing to go "behind the scenes" to do whatever is necessary to find out the truth. In fact, all three of the family members are but all in their own ways.
Season 2 of Servant furthers the story as Dorothy goes from helpless, delicate victim to empowered - and potentially crazed - investigator in the search to find Leanne and find the living baby that she believed was Jericho. Julian's character is greatly (& welcomely) expanded, giving both a bit of subtle comic relief and revealing more of himself than we've ever seen before. Sean is on his own journey this season in dealing with his grief and wanting to find out answers of his own. Leanne, who we still don't know whether to love or hate, continues her journey from psychotic cult member to God-fearing hurt young woman.
Season 1 spoilers over.
Servant's second season asks many questions, one of the biggest being what it means to be a good mother. What is not enough? How far is too far? While many questions from Season 1 are answered throughout Season 2, a whole new host of questions are raised and mysteries arise throughout the season that will keep you glued. Darker, more claustrophobic and funnier, Season 2 takes all of the incredible things that made the first season so great and elevates them even further. All that I can say without giving away the house is to buckle up for the next part of this thrilling ride.
Servant Season 2 begins on Friday January 15th, 2021 at 3am EST exclusively on Apple TV+. The ten episode season will end in March. Servant Season 3 has already been announced. Check out my interview with the cast of Servant from last years New York Comic Con.
_______________________________________________
Check out Kyle Mcmahon's website, PopCultureWeekly.com and subscribe to the Pop Culture Weekly podcast. You can follow him on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Rizzle and Instagram.