If you thought the intrigue in The Devil's Hour would run out of steam by the show's second outing, you would have seriously underestimated its creator Tom Moran.
After a two-year hiatus, the Peter-Capaldi-led psychological thriller returns to deepen its mystery further, while fleshing out the wider story in a way that some might not have thought that it had the legs to do.
The gripping first episode is compelling in its ability to absorb its audience, while simultaneously creating an impatience for the answers that still hang in the air from the previous season.
The second season of the Prime Video show takes viewers away from the main action that dominated the bulk of season one. It chooses to delay that thread of the story, replacing it with one that allows us to better understand Jessica Raine's Lucy.
Still, the ever-pressing events of its debut season still burn in the back of our minds. This keeps the intensity of the suspense going; the answers are held back, but not for too long.
For the most part, Moran seems to know what he's doing with the overall pace (though episode one was a tad too long), and while baiting the story keeps us on the hook he still manages not to frustrate the audience.
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Once Gideon (Capaldi) and Lucy's mission resumes, their progress continues to be hampered but in a way that feels fresh. Obstruction comes from the complexities of the key relationships in her life, including Lucy's detective love interest Ravi (Nikesh Patel).
The bonds between the characters give greater stakes to the sacrifices Lucy is having to make, and underpin much of the emotional currency in The Devil's Hour.
Achieving their greater good purpose means endangering the people she cherishes, and you only appreciate this because of the excellent chemistry between the actors.
Lucy's relationships – whether with her son, her mother, or others – are interwoven and feel fragile, as though one wrong move could shift things perilously.
Gideon and Lucy's relationship remains kismet this time around too. If not for the shared mission that keeps them bound, they probably wouldn't even blink twice at each other in the street – and yet their importance to one another cannot be underestimated, and is the backbone of the show.
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Doctor Who's Capaldi and Call the Midwife's Raine do an excellent job of getting the audience to buy into Lucy and Gideon's mentor-mentee relationship as it matures this season. Theirs is a circumstantial relationship; not quite a friendship, or a pseudo father-daughter kinship, but a means to an end. And yet there is respect and admiration between the two, that allows them to soften towards one another.
Benjamin Chivers continues to be a marvel as Lucy's son Issac. He brings more colour to the character this season, without betraying Issac's perceived detachment. In fact, Issac isn't the placid character he has been painted out to be – he feels a tremendous amount and in season two, and you see the character grow as he tries to make sense of it all.
Chivers plays this expertly in small and quiet ways – a holding of a hand, a purposefully placed smile.
Aside from the first episode, which feels like it drags on a little longer than necessary, the mystery in season two ticks over nicely. You'll become more and more invested with each passing episode.
Lucy takes bigger swings and makes bolder decisions, which yield interesting results and should – we hope – hold your attention right through.
The Devil's Hour season 1 is available to stream now on Prime Video with season 2 launching on Friday, October 18.
TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
