Sharp suits, British aristocracy, sprawling country estates and a criminal empire hidden beneath their polished surface. The Gentlemen brought together many of the elements associated with Guy Ritchie’s distinctive style, and following the success of its first season, the Netflix series is back with a new batch of episodes.
Season 2 of The Gentlemen is now streaming on Netflix, with Theo James and Kaya Scodelario returning in the lead roles. This time, however, their characters are much deeper inside the world of organized crime than they were when the story began.
What is The Gentlemen about?
Edward “Eddie” Horniman, played by Theo James, is a member of a British aristocratic family who unexpectedly inherits his father’s title, becoming the Duke of Halstead, along with the family’s vast country estate.
He soon discovers that his inheritance comes with one major complication. A large marijuana operation is being run beneath the family estate by the powerful Glass crime family.
Eddie is gradually pulled away from the privileged world of the British upper class and into a network of gangsters, drug dealers and other figures from London’s criminal underworld. What he initially wants out of his life soon begins to hold an unexpected appeal.
The series is set in the same world as Guy Ritchie’s 2019 movie The Gentlemen, although it is not a direct sequel. It introduces a new group of characters and a separate story while retaining the mix of British humor, crime, eccentric personalities and polished visual style associated with the original film.
Theo James and Kaya Scodelario lead the cast
At the center of the series are Theo James as Edward “Eddie” Horniman and Kaya Scodelario as Susan “Susie” Glass, who runs her family’s criminal business on behalf of her father, Bobby Glass.
Daniel Ings plays Eddie’s troublesome older brother Freddy, while Joely Richardson stars as their mother, Lady Sabrina. Vinnie Jones also appears as Geoff Seacombe, one of the show’s most memorable supporting characters.
Ray Winstone plays Bobby Glass, and Giancarlo Esposito appears as American billionaire Stanley Johnston.
What happens in The Gentlemen Season 2?
Season 2 picks up roughly a year after the events of the first season. Eddie is no longer the reluctant outsider who stumbled into the criminal world almost by accident. Together with Susie, he is expanding the business and beginning to realize that life at the top may suit him rather well.
Their ambitions now stretch beyond England. The new season expands the world of The Gentlemen with new locations, aristocratic families and players from the criminal underworld, with part of the story taking place in northern Italy.
The cast also welcomes several new additions, including Hugh Bonneville, best known for Downton Abbey, musician and actor Benjamin Clementine, Italian actress Benedetta Porcaroli, TV personality Maya Jama and British boxer Chris Eubank Jr.
Like the first season, Season 2 consists of eight episodes, all of which are now available to stream on Netflix.
A unmistakably Guy Ritchie world
The Gentlemen is the kind of series where Guy Ritchie’s fingerprints are visible almost immediately. British aristocracy collides with organized crime, immaculate tailoring meets violence, and grand country houses become the backdrop for business dealings that are very far from legitimate.
But the series is not driven by crime alone. Much of its appeal comes from the contrast between the privileged world of Britain’s upper classes and the people operating on the other side of the law.
For viewers who enjoyed the first season, Eddie and Susie’s return brings them straight back into that stylish and increasingly dangerous world. Netflix has also confirmed that their story will continue beyond Season 2, with The Gentlemen renewed for Season 3.
Sources: Netflix, Netflix, Netflix
