Newspaper illustrator John Moore meets with criminal psychologist (alienist) Dr. Laszlo Kreizler to investigate a serial killer in New York during the late 19th century.
I never got to see the first season of “The Alienist” but the great thing about season two, titled “Angel of Darkness,” is that while it is a continuation from season one, it stands on its own two feet, it is a standalone chapter that does not require you to have seen the previous season in order to enjoy this one. We are introduced to Sara Howard (Dakota Fanning), a young society woman who has just opened her own all-female private detective agency. Her friend, John Schuyler Moore (Luke Evans), is a reporter for The New York Times and is about to be married to his sweetheart, Violet Hayward (Emily Barber), the goddaughter of William Randolph Hearst (Matt Letscher), one of New York’s biggest newspaper publishers, and finally, Laszlo Kreizler (Daniel Brühl), the show’s titular character, a psychiatrist who helps people suffering from mental illnesses.
In season one, they uncovered a series of gruesome murders of street children that gripped the city. In season two, they team up again to assist the Spanish Consulate after the ambassador general, Narciso Linares’ (Diego Martín) infant daughter is kidnapped. When all roads lead to the Lying In Hospital, a facility where wealthy New York aristocrats leave their pregnant mistresses to have abortions and then forget about them, Sara, John, and Laszlo investigate the hospital’s director, Dr. Markoe (Michael McElhatton). But when they hit a dead end, they turn their attention to some of the nurses who initially seem willing to help but are then silenced by the hospital’s Matron (Heather Goldenhersh). Sara decides to send one of her female detectives, Bitsy (Melanie Field), undercover, to befriend some of the nurses and try to find out if the ambassador general’s baby ever made an appearance at the hospital.
When one of the nurses, Libby Hatch (Rosy McEwen), comes forward to Sara and tells her that she will help them with their investigation, she manages to acquire the file of Martha Napp (Hebe Beardsall), a woman who was a patient at the hospital and who stated that after she had her baby, Dr. Markoe and the Matron informed her that her baby died during delivery. Refusing to believe them, she swore to tell the authorities but soon thereafter, Dr. Markoe informed the police that she killed her own baby and was subsequently sentenced to death. Strangely enough, the body of the baby was never found so now Sara has even more reason to believe something unconscionable is going on behind the walls of the Lying In Hospital.
As Sara, John, and Laszlo hit an impasse when it comes to the Spanish Consulate’s missing infant, Laszlo informs Sara and John that because the ambassador general’s wife and mother to their child, Señora Isabella Linares (Bruna Cusí), was the last person to see the child before its abduction, he insists on using an unorthodox method of mind control called hypnosis. Initially reluctant, Sara and John comprehend that because they have nothing else to go on, they have no choice but to allow him to proceed and take their place alongside him as he probes the secrets of her mind. As an artist, she is able to paint the events of the day that transpired in the local park before her child’s kidnapping and tells them that she felt someone was watching her the entire time. After completing her painting, they realize there was a photographer in the park that day taking photographs of some of the city’s upper-class elite. They track down the photographer and have him reprint all the photos from that day and upon further investigation, Isabella is able to find the face of the person who was following her in one of the pictures. Shocked, Sara, John, and Laszlo recognize the face and immediately set off for the hospital.
What surprised me most about “The Alienist: Angel of Darkness,” is that while the show takes place in New York City in 1897, not one scene was filmed in the United States. The entire show was actually filmed in Budapest and production designer Ruth Ammon does an exquisite job in replicating much of New York City as it stood then, along with its ever-expanding skyline. Granted, some scenes utilized good old fashioned CGI, the Brooklyn Bridge in its entirety or the sprawling New York streets that can extend for miles and even Central Park without the towering skyscrapers that have become synonymous with the city, but much of the show utilized actual locations throughout Budapest and they give a legitimate ambiance and atmosphere with regard to what New York must have been like back then.
The cast is uniformly excellent in their respective roles and while the central characters portrayed by Dakota Fanning, Luke Evans, and Daniel Brühl are captivating, the show is not afraid to highlight some of the more secondary characters and give them a spotlight to shine and believe me, they all emit admirable performances. TNT has not announced a third season yet but I would be very surprised if they didn’t. The numbers for “The Alienist” and “Angel of Darkness” were very impressive so it would only make sense to move forward with a third season. Observing New York City develop at the turn of the 20th century was mesmerizing, and while the acting and the storylines were first-rate, I couldn’t help but concentrate on the background, watching famous landmarks and buildings rise from their infancy, knowing what they would eventually look like once completed. Very Highly Recommended.
Available on Blu-ray & DVD May 18th
