He may be dead but Bloodline season two is still all about Danny

NEVER has a dead character loomed so large over an entire series. Bloodline season two is back and it’s still all about Danny.

REVIEW

WHAT’S that old saying? You can’t pick your family.

You can bet there are some members of the trouble-plagued Rayburns who wish they could.

Netflix’s gripping family drama Bloodline returns for a second season on the streaming service today, with the slightly shortened 10-episode run picking up exactly where the first season left off over a year ago.

You may even need to go back and revisit the last couple of episodes of season one because this new instalment plunges headfirst into all the dangling threads.

In stark contrast to last season, it keeps up a breakneck pace for the first half of the episodes, providing little reprieve from the ball of anxiety you’ll turn into from all the tension and paranoia swirling through the story.

The challenge for the series was always going to be how to sustain its winning dynamic after its most compelling character, Danny Rayburn (Ben Mendelsohn), was killed off last year. The show confirmed very early on that Mendelsohn would still appear this season but it was always going to be in a lessened capacity, which he does primarily through flashbacks.

He may be dead but season two is still all about Danny. Pic: Netflix.

Even in death his presence is looming through the whole season in large part because John and Meg are still struggling to deal with the clusterf**k he left behind.

Complicating matters is the sudden appearance of people from Danny’s secretive life in Miami, including a mysterious son, intent on stirring up more trouble. As one character notes, “Son of a bitch may be dead but he’s making my life miserable”.

They have their own agendas and represent another threat to the already under pressure Rayburns. John Leguizamo’s addition to the cast is likely designed to partly fill the hole left by Danny’s absence and while his character’s erratic and unnerving presence brings that element to the series, it’s no match for the complex Danny.

Kyle Chandler’s John Rayburn has been tapped to carry the main burden of the narrative. The well-meaning John has been repositioned this season as a more compromised character as he’s increasingly cornered by mostly the choices other people make.

No one is having a good time this season.

John isn’t just flirting with the grey area any more, he’s plunged right into it. It’s an ongoing theme for the whole season, exposing the many flaws of the Rayburns, even the so-called upstanding members. As the pressure mounts, the cracks do more than just appear. The ever-present sheen of sweat on John’s face belies his attempts to stay composed.

While completely understanding the writers’ desire to keep the spectre of Danny a central part of the season, this focus also drags Bloodline down from what it could be. Rather than this feeling like season two, it feels a little like season 1.5. There are also a couple of plot points that are virtually repeated from last season, a wasted opportunity for further story or character development.

And that’s the main problem with season two, it doesn’t feel like there’s any forward momentum or growth. Nor does it give you a clear sense of what the series could be without Danny.

But then again, if it’s just more of season one, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s still a welcome return to the stifling and repressive heat of the Florida Keys.

Bloodline season two is available to stream on Netflix from Friday, May 27 at 5pm AEST.

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