The Gentlemen season 2 is darker, meaner and more 'brutal' than its Netflix debut — but shock new storylines haven't compromised on style or satisfaction

When I spoke to star Theo James a few months ago for Sky TV movie Fuze , he teased that The Gentlemen season 2 would be "even darker" than its Netflix debut.

At the time, I wrote this off as something he might say simply to create buzz and a good headline — but it turns out, he wasn't kidding.

I think that it takes a lot to shock the modern viewer, given how immediately exposed we are to everything in the world thanks to social media.

Somehow, The Gentlemen season 2 (which is out now) manages exactly that, and I spent a good deal of time while watching its eight episodes with my mouth wide open.

The sense of crazed chaos established in its first season, which debuted back in 2024, is only heightened, which in itself feels like an extraordinary feat.

If you strip it back, Eddie (James) is following the classic 'chosen one' archetypal storyline, but his unhinged family and work colleagues add layers of deranged complexity... and a fair few obstacles along the way.

Eddie is still working directly with Susie (Kaya Scodelario) and Bobby (Ray Winstone) as the action picks back up, but the trio's new business partners come in the form of an Italian crime network.

Cue some questionable under-the-table deals, alliances and betrayal, and a tiger kept in a questionably small cage.

At the Halstead manor, things aren't exactly quiet either.

Freddy (Daniel Ings) has been quietly sent to a rehab centre while Lady Sabrina (Joely Richardson) tentatively tries to keep him in check from a distance.

Bobby's decision-making takes on a more spiritual approach, while Susie genuinely seems like the only person around with her head screwed on.

The groundwork is set, then, for a Shakespearean level of drama that's tinged with signature Guy Ritchie-style brutality to unfold.

But whatever you think that looks like, times it by 100, and add in a chainsaw.

The Gentlemen season 2's darker storylines are the ideal step forward — and make for a tasty season 3 setup It's odd to think of The Gentlemen season 1 as superficial or even jovial, but compared to season 2, that's how it feels in hindsight.