Warning: Major spoilers ahead for The Gentlemen Season 2.

After a long wait, The Gentlemen is finally back on Netflix, and Season 2 wastes very little time getting Eddie Horniman back into trouble. Theo James returns alongside Kaya Scodelario as Susie Glass, with the pair now more established within the criminal world they stumbled into during the first season.

That change in Eddie gives the new episodes a strong direction. He is no longer spending all of his time trying to protect Halstead Manor or clean up Freddy’s latest disaster. He has ambitions of his own now, including expanding the business, building new connections and finding his way into the House of Lords. The deeper he gets, the clearer it becomes that this life suits him more than he would probably like to admit.

Eddie and Susie Are Still the Best Part of The Gentlemen

Theo James and Kaya Scodelario are still one of the biggest reasons The Gentlemen works so well. Eddie and Susie have an easy chemistry, but their relationship is never straightforward. They trust each other enough to run a criminal operation together while still keeping parts of themselves guarded, and that tension carries through much of Season 2.

James gets some of his strongest material as Eddie begins making choices that would have seemed unthinkable when we first met him. He remains calm and polished on the surface, but there is a harder side to him now. By the later episodes, he is no longer able to pretend that everything he does is only about protecting his family.

Scodelario is just as good as Susie. She remains practical, confident and usually one step ahead of the people around her, while her scenes with Bobby give her story some of its strongest moments. Her partnership with Eddie continues to carry the series, and the feelings sitting underneath that relationship are given plenty of room without taking over the crime story.

The Criminal World Gets Bigger in Season 2

Season 2 takes Eddie and Susie beyond the business they built in England, with an Italian crime network becoming part of their plans. Benedetta Porcaroli joins the cast as Bella, who quickly becomes important to Eddie both personally and professionally.

The move into Italy gives the series some great new locations, but Halstead Manor still remains a major part of the story. Season 2 finds room for expensive art, falcons, shooting parties, a tiger in a very small cage and some creative ways of dealing with people who become a problem.

The editing and visual flourishes are still very recognisably Guy Ritchie too. On-screen graphics, quick cuts and playful transitions keep scenes moving, while the locations make everything look suitably expensive. Even when the story turns grim, there is still plenty of humour in watching these characters make one bad decision after another.

The violence is heavier this time too. Some deaths are genuinely brutal, especially later in the season, but the humour is still there throughout. The Gentlemen has always worked well when serious criminal situations sit beside something completely absurd, and Season 2 has plenty of those moments.

The New Cast Fits Right In

Season 2 expands the world considerably, with Hugh Bonneville among the best additions as Lord Hawthorne. He is exactly the sort of character who belongs in The Gentlemen: outwardly respectable, unmistakably privileged and more than willing to bend the rules when there is something in it for him.

Maya Jama and Chris Eubank Jr. also turn up among the new faces and settle into the heightened world of the series surprisingly easily. With Giancarlo Esposito, Ray Winstone, Vinnie Jones and Joely Richardson returning alongside them, the cast remains one of the show’s biggest strengths.

Vinnie Jones deserves particular mention. Geoffrey could easily have remained the dependable man who quietly fixes whatever disaster has arrived at Halstead, but Season 2 gives him some of its warmer material. His relationship with Sabrina and his connection to Charlotte allow Jones to show another side of the character, and some of the quieter scenes involving Geoffrey are among the best in the season.

Giving Freddy Less to Do Actually Helps

Daniel Ings remains brilliant as Freddy, although he spends part of the season away from Halstead while receiving treatment for his addiction. His reduced presence gives Eddie’s story more space and stops the series from repeating the same pattern of Freddy creating another problem for his younger brother to fix.

That does not mean Freddy becomes unimportant. His storyline grows across the season and eventually becomes central to the final episodes, with his resentment towards Eddie becoming harder to ignore.

The reveal that Freddy has been working with Gospel John to remove Eddie is a strong turn for the story, especially after spending so much time watching Eddie protect his brother despite everything Freddy has done. Bella’s death then pushes Eddie into a place we have not seen before.

The final confrontation between the brothers is uncomfortable to watch in exactly the right way. Eddie does not kill Freddy, but forcing him to kill Gospel John with a chainsaw makes it clear how much he has changed. The killing itself happens off screen, but hearing the screams before Freddy walks out covered in blood carrying Gospel John’s head is still a pretty horrifying moment. It is one of Theo James and Daniel Ings’ strongest scenes together and leaves their relationship in a fascinating place for Season 3.

Not Every Episode Moves at the Same Pace

Season 2 is not flawless. Eight episodes gives the story plenty of room, but there are stretches where some plots take longer than they need to reach their destination. With so many criminals, business deals, family problems and new characters moving around Eddie, there are moments where the season feels busier than it needs to be.

A couple of episodes are noticeably stronger than others, and some side stories do not have the same pull as Eddie and Susie’s main storyline. Still, it rarely becomes difficult to watch. The cast carries the quieter sections, and the stronger episodes make up for the occasional dip.

The Gentlemen Season 2 Is Really About Eddie

For all the gangsters, schemes and expensive surroundings, the biggest reason Season 2 works is Eddie’s development. Early on, Susie describes him as a dog desperate to get off his leash, and by the finale that description feels pretty accurate.

There is still some humanity left in him, and that tension is what makes James so watchable. Eddie can convince himself that every decision is practical or necessary, even as it becomes increasingly obvious that ambition is playing a much bigger part.

Bella’s death changes him, but the signs were already there long before it happened. Eddie likes the influence his new life gives him. He likes winning. He is also becoming comfortable using violence when he believes it is necessary. The finale leaves him in a very different position within the criminal world, with Bobby backing him and Stanley Johnston continuing to encourage his ambitions. Freddy is still alive but clearly shaken by what Eddie forced him to do, while Eddie and Susie’s partnership survives another round of mistrust. Despite everything between them, they are still standing together by the end of the season.

Eddie has learned that violence can solve his problems, and he no longer needs anyone pushing him towards it. There is something very Godfather about where his story is heading too, and James has pointed to The Godfather Part II as an intentional reference point for Eddie: a man using his intelligence to defeat his enemies while losing part of himself along the way. Season 3 now has the question of how much further Eddie is willing to go, and whether he can stay in control without losing the last bit of humanity he still has. We are very interested to see what kind of Eddie Horniman turns up next.

For CultureCues, The Gentlemen remains such an easy show to enjoy. Theo James and Kaya Scodelario are excellent together, the returning cast is strong and Hugh Bonneville fits in perfectly. Season 2 does slow down in places, but Eddie’s story keeps things moving and the final episodes are some of the strongest the series has done. When it hits its stride, it is funny, stylish, violent and very entertaining. We waited long enough for this season, but thankfully, it was worth coming back for.

CultureCues Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)