The first episode of season 2 of Apple TV+’s The Buccaneers drops next Wednesday on June 18th with weekly episodes until its finale on August 6th. Created by Katherine Jakeways, the show stars Kristine Froseth, Alisha Boe, Matthew Broome, Josh Dylan, Barney Fishwick, Aubri Ibrag, Guy Remmers, Mia Threapleton, Josie Totah, Imogen Waterhouse, Christina Hendricks, and Leighton Meester. This season finds the wealthy American girls established in London and navigating the complexities of their marriages and societal expectations.

When I got early access to all 8 episodes of the newest season, I decided to check out the entire first season for the first time. Even though I have watched nearly every Apple TV+ original show, especially as of lately, the genre here didn’t necessarily appeal to me. I did get through the first season and you can see the full review of that on my site. I’m glad I got through it, not just because I think the first season is a great first season of television, but because the second season is even better and near perfect.

Picking up moments right after the first season, this season wastes no time getting to where it needs to be in its story. We not just get reveals, but the first episode alone has resolution to some dangling threads from the first season’s finale. I think what they do here will satisfy fans begging for the second season for the last two years.

Like the first season, the second episode has a bit of a time skip that puts the characters in an interesting, and almost depressing, position in their lives. What transpires for the rest of the season is unpredictable and not at all what I think anyone would have expected. It’s thematically darker than ever before. Since this season is not really going off of any source material, it’s fair game for the writing to do whatever it wants. It will challenge viewers with what they want, but I think it will give something that will keep people talking.

One of the season’s darkest stories involves domestic violence. We saw this story develop in the first season. The way it plays out this season feels like something I’ve seen before, but I would have never guessed this show would go as far as it does. There are specific scenes in one episode that will stay burnt into my brain.

Aside from that story, every other story continues to do a great job with adding conflict to these complex characters. Each character is individually flawed. By giving more issues for these characters to deal with, it becomes more interesting to see how they manage to deal with it. It also allows these girls to work through their problems together and where it puts them at the end of the season.

The performances are great all across the board one again. We see far less of Christina Hendricks this season. When she does appear though, especially in one episode, the show continues to shed light on how this era of women helped pave the way for where the world is today. We’re still far from where we should be today, but this fictional tale almost feels lifelike due to its realism between the stories and the characterization.

Once again, the show continues to knock out of the park between its production & costume design and its cinematography. The season does a great job at immersing you into this period with its realistic presentation. I was warned that the effects were not finished and I could see that in moments throughout, but I won’t be surprised when they are improved in the final cut. This is a show that will do anything to ensure quality realism.

As for flaws, I think the pacing has drastically improved this season. There wasn’t a moment where I felt like it dragged. Instead, I think the writing can take some big swings that won’t work for everyone. For that, it may isolate viewers. Instead, I think some issues presented here could have been spanned out over more seasons. Then again, I’m not really sure how long this show can continue. I wouldn’t be surprised if the third season was its last. I think the fans would want much more.

Overall, the second season of The Buccaneers is an improvement on the first season in terms of its pacing. While I enjoyed the writing decisions here, I could see it challenging fans, especially giving their expectations with its almost two-year wait. It will be interesting to see how that plays out. Nonetheless, it’s still an immersive show through its design and look with amazing performances throughout. I’m interested to see what the future of this show holds.

VERDICT: 4.5/5 (Amazing)