The Lazarus Project season two
The finale of season one saw George (Paapa Essiedu) break protocol and manipulate time to finally save his Sarah (Charly Clive) and give her a serum that will restore her memories, but in the process of doing so, end up stuck in a time loop and bring about the end of the world again and again and again. Season two presents something very similar yet extraordinarily different at the same time. As well as figuring out how to end the continuous time loop, George and the Lazarus agents discover that someone has invented a real time machine that has sent rogue agent Janet (Vinette Robinson) permanently into the past.
The Lazarus Project is a mixed bag. On the one hand, you have more fantastic writing from Joe Barton, who feeds the viewer with a series of twists and turns, flashbacks and time-travelling sequences that are enough to make the world spin on its head. You wonder how he must have maintained a clear vision himself with all of the complexity that comes with the show. The storyline offers the perfect concoction of escapism combined with a level of realism to make the action on screen believable, and not so sci-fi that it doesn’t all escalate to an unpalatable level of stupidity. It’s just all-round thrilling drama.
On the other hand, amongst some superb performances, including the ever-charismatic Essiedu and some riotous scenes featuring a returning Tom Burke as Rebrov, there is some very questionable acting that remains a bugbear throughout. It is as if some of the actors themselves either didn’t believe in what they were saying or completely oversold their lines and chewed the scenery.
However, this doesn’t really take the shine off a series that arguably delivers more the further it progresses. There is an unspoken sense of jeopardy, away from the fact the world keeps ending, that you can feel in the air, stemming from the possibility that this time our heroes may prevail, but anyone who dies in the process won’t be brought back to life the final time. It is a delicious conundrum to behold and constantly keeps the audience guessing as to whether this is the time the Lazarus agents find a solution.
The Lazarus Project is like Doctor Who meets Groundhog Day meets espionage adventure targeted at adults. The science isn’t piled on too heavily, allowing us to breathe and not be lost in a pile of confusing dialogues and extra side plots. It is the story that makes this second series juicier and even more gripping than its predecessor; a feat we see achieved less and less in today’s oversaturated world of streaming services and content.
Guy Lambert
The Lazarus Project season two is released on Sky on 15th November 2023.
Watch the trailer for The Lazarus Project season two here:
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