Servant - Season 2
apple tv+The M. Night Shyamalan produced series, Servant, immediately became one of the breakout projects of the then-infant Apple TV+ streaming service with its blend of psychological thriller and human drama, which felt both engaging and thrilling. Even with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting production, season 2 of the show has finally been released and doubles down on both the positives and negatives of the first season. This season sees Dorothy Turner (Lauren Ambrose) put into the driver's seat as she hunts for her former nanny, Leanne (Nell Tiger Free), who Dorthy believes has kidnapped her son while her husband Sean (Toby Kebbell) and brother Julian (Rupert Grint) know the truth and have to deal with the repercussions of Dorthy's actions.
The immediate thing to stand out as clear while watching season 2 of Servant is simply how different it feels at times from the first season of the show. While the first season felt like a grounded psychological thriller up until the final few episodes when the show begins to re-contextualise its own world and soul as a project, season 2 can frustratingly feel lost when it comes to identity and direction. Where the increasingly desperate motives of the characters always feel rather clear – at least outside of Leanne and the mysterious cult she has a connection to – the series feels designed to be treading water as it figures out what direction it wants to take.
It easily could be seen as a failure that 20-episodes into the series, there still has been no sort of resolution or answer to any of the show’s main questions, with season 2 specifically lacking in progress. Seeing shadows move and creepy small images such as glass mysteriously cracking in the night only will keep audiences engaged for so long as there seems to be no real repercussion for any actual event that happens – despite the show clearly trying to sell every development as a turning point in its story. It also doesn't help that it continues to push further and further into the realm of the supernatural which, above and beyond anything else, feels more like an excuse to do small creepy things rather than actually serve some larger purpose.
This is particularly frustrating as the show continues to thrive the most in its more grounded elements. As a psychological thriller, Servant continues to feel well crafted and well executed with the directing and cinematography throughout really shining. The series is cold and thoughtful but also has an energy and life to it that allows the audience to become more sucked in without taking away from the more dark meditations littered throughout the series. Simple things such as the Turner's physical house itself feels nearly iconic by this point, with every room and hallway being luxurious enough to hold the various characters and monsters of the series while also feeling claustrophobic, not allowing anyone to escape the other as the vast majority of the show traps the audience in this limited physical space.
The character work is also rather fantastic within this season, with the cast all continuing to shine even if their characters feel a bit more forgettable. This season allows the relationship between Dorthy and Sean to be pushed deeper than previously allowed, with both Lauren Ambrose and Toby Kebbell giving truly fantastic work. Ambrose specifically has to walk a delicate tightrope of being eccentric and almost manic in her growing desperation to restore her family which both can feel goofy and deadly serious. A lesser actor would lose themselves almost immediately in this role, but Ambrose holds firm with a clear vision and control that is really wonderful to see. Rupert Grint also continues to shine as easily the most personable of the cast with his larger-than-life attitude, which also plays well in contrast to the coldness of Kebbell and the growing insanity of Ambrose.
Despite Nell Tiger Free having one of the more interesting characters when it comes to an arch this season, her portrayal of Leanne is the only performance of the show that feels a bit forgettable. Largely held back by the more mysterious and restrained nature of her character, Free has struggled to make her impact felt when placed next to so many loud and memorable performances, but this season she begins to find her footing and show a bit more personality, which was nice to see.
Strangely enough, even 20-episodes into the series it is hard to judge the full quality of Servant, as the show clearly is still in the building stage to a larger point or purpose. With the third season of the show on the horizon, the true quality of season 2 won't be seen until its context in the larger Servant picture is realised. Whilst it is hard to imagine that the general public will find enough rewarding in the show to tune in every week, it also feels clear that even for those who are able to lose themselves in the darker tone and style that the show takes on that the flame is dying as far as a passion to see where the show goes next. There really feels to be only 3 options for the future of the show, specifically in its third season.
Option 1 is that the purpose and meat of the series is realised and the build feels rewarding; Option 2 is that the purpose of the show is realised and the extended buildup feels unrewarding making the entire show feel like a waste of time; and Option 3 is that the show continues to push back any substance in favor of style and a slow build towards something unknown, but if Option 3 is realised, it feels like a clear mistake. Servant clearly is at the point where something substantial needs to happen in order to justify the hours of dedication it has taken to keep up with the show to this point and one can only hope that there will be substance at the end of this tunnel and that the audience won't be left in a dark void of style that is ultimately empty.
