There may be no better known killer and that more permeated the general culture than Jack the Ripper. A case that, due to its irresolubility, continues to fascinate more than a century later, wrapped in an aura of mystery and, depending on the author of fiction, mysticism and fantasy, playing with all kinds of theories. The latest incarnation is brought to us by Eilif Skodvin and Anne Bjørnstad in Season 2 of ‘Beforeigners (The Visitors)’.
When this series was released in the summer of two years ago, we were very pleasantly surprised. A good cocktail between police and fantastic touches come from Norway and that promised confirm that great taste in your mouth in these new episodes, arriving from this Sunday to HBO Max. Gets it.
This season 2 kicks off with Lars (Nicolai Cleve Broch) trying to stay sober and returning to the police, this time as a consultant. Thus, he meets with Alfhildr (Krista Kosonen) in a murder case in which the murderer is suspected of being none other than Jack the Ripper.
We are not going to anticipate events, beyond this small premise but, as you can imagine, there is much more than meets the eye. In fact, if the original case was already complex, this one also has more ramifications than it seems initially in which we continue to enter factions like the Luddites.
Gaining strength in the fantastic
In addition, without neglecting the criminal plot, which gains strength in this season 2 is the most fantastic side of the series. Having confirmed that Alfhildr was originally from our era and that he is one of the few people to have crossed back in time, the script attempts to explore what that means.
One of the things that are most noticeable when you get to season 2 is that the series is aware that its world is already widely established and there is not so much exploration of the cultural-temporal differences and the “chronophobia”. It still exists, of course, but it is more environmental and more thematic in how the characters relate to each other.
It also continues to take good care of the balance between the fantastic elements (much more empowered in this second round) and the purely police. Although he is still a somewhat manual policeman, his writing is efficient and is carried with power by the cast.
Perhaps one of the great keys to ‘Beforeigners’ is that it is a series that doesn’t take herself too seriously. And it shows in the comic reliefs (there are a couple of great moments with Alfhildr) and how he strays from certain conventions of Nordic noir, throwing off a grateful lightness.
In short, season 2 of ‘Beforeigners’ is up to expectationsor. The Norwegian HBO series Max makes a strong comeback with an intriguing case, enhancing in passing those virtues that dazzled us two years ago.