I hold in my hand a copy of “The Alienist: Angel of Darkness“, which serves as the second season of the crime-thriller series from TNT, set to be released on May 18, 2021.
Let me start with the box itself which has an almost metallic sheen and features an image of the three main stars, Daniel Brühl (Rush), Luke Evans (Midway), and Dakota Fanning (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), flanked by red wings dripping with blood. The box is quite beautiful and honestly, pictures don’t do it justice. It would make a fantastic piece for any collection.
“Angel of Darkness” features eight one-hour episodes on three discs. The season picks up a year after the team’s first investigation where Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a pioneer in forensic psychiatry, tracked down the brutal serial killer John Beecham with the help of a team of trusted companions and a revolutionary application of the principles of his discipline. Kreizler and his friends–high-living crime reporter John Schuyler Moore; indomitable, derringer-toting Sara Howard; the brilliant (and bickering) detective brothers Marcus and Lucius Isaacson; powerful and compassionate Cyrus Montrose; and Stevie Taggert, the boy Kreizler saved from a life of street crime–have returned to their former pursuits and tried to forget the horror of the Beecham case. But when the distraught wife of a Spanish diplomat begs Sara’s aid, the team reunites to help find her kidnapped infant daughter. It is a case fraught with danger since Spain and the United States are on the verge of war.”
The series is filled with taught tension, mystery, action, and emotion. It takes the time to truly explore the characters and give them real development, as well as giving the stories real depth. It also features great timing, leaving no big lulls in the story and keeps you hooked and on the edge of your seat from episode one to the final moment of the season. It also makes statements about the ways of the world and culture that are just as valid today as they were in the 19th century. “Angel of Darkness” does not shy away from gore and the ugliness of humanity and the city, and for that, I thank them.
Between Stuart Carlan, the showrunner, director David Caffrey, and writers Alyson Geltes, Pavlina Hatoupis, Ben Rosenblatt, Eric Roth, Cary Joji Fukunaga, every single cast member, and crew member should be proud of what they’ve created. All I can say is Bravo!
The DVD and Blu-ray come with several great bonus features including Inside The Alienist: Angel of Darkness, The Hunt for a Killer, Building the World, Dressing a Modern Woman, and Walking the Set 2.0 with Luke Evans.
Inside the Alienist which is on the first disc, the cast talks in-depth about this season, the story, and their characters. On disc three, Building the World delves into how the set was designed and filming locations were dressed to fit the era. Luke Evans gives viewers a tour in Walking the Set 2.0 and discusses the beauty of the area.
The series is produced by Paramount Television Studios, with Anonymous Content’s Rosalie Swedlin.
If you’re a fan of mysteries, crime series, and period pieces, you need to stop what you are doing and run out and buy both season one and “Angel of Darkness” on May 18th. They are both brilliant and a bit addictive, bingeable would be a good term. “The Alienist” is at the top of my favorite series list. It has everything you could need to make a great show. Well, the only thing that could make it better is a third season (hint, hint TNT I’m talking to you).
