In season two of The Responder, officer Chris Carson reaches a new low – and with it, the series reaches a new high Two years ago, The Responder got off to an impressive start. The first season told the story of Chris Carson (Martin Freeman, Sherlock), a police officer who has to be the first on the scene during the night shifts. We see how the nights start to bother him more and more and how he consciously makes mistakes. This painfully slow series won't be everyone's favorite, but for me Martin Freeman's acting was the big attraction. I am therefore very happy that there has been a second season, and this season is also very strong.
In season two, Chris is still in the doldrums. His wife has left him and threatens to take his daughter away from him if he does not improve his life. He tries hard to get a day job. His superiors do not seem to grant him this and he is forced to do dubious jobs in the criminal circuit. Here, however, Chris is confronted with the fact that he had a hand in the death of a dangerous criminal.
Martin Freeman is again very strong as troubled police officer Chris Carson
If you think that Chris' life will only get better after the first season, then you are wrong. The valley he finds himself in deepens with each episode and his group therapy doesn't seem to be working. Yet the series chooses to shape this depth in a different way than in the first season and I find that refreshing. While in season one you could say that Chris does not realize that he is making mistakes, here he openly admits that he knows he is wrong, and knowingly decides to make the same decisions over and over again.
This is a very risky move from a story perspective, because as a creator you risk losing the sympathy of the main character. But fortunately Martin Freeman's acting is so good that my annoyance with his character and his decisions largely disappeared. The storyline also fits very well with the development he is going through. Writer Tony Schumacher understands very well how to make a story serve the characters, and not have characters make illogical decisions because the story needs to be steered in a certain direction.
The Responder's priority is mainly to deepen characters
The other actors are also good. For example, MyAnna Buring (Ripper Street) and Adelayo Adedayo (Timewasters) are very strong as Chris' wife and direct colleague respectively. It is also nice that Emily Fairn (Mary & George) and Josh Finan (The Gentlemen) return as petty thieves Casey and Marco. Their storyline is entertaining, but it's a shame they don't have much interaction with Chris this season. Another great role is played by the recently deceased Bernard Hill (Wolf Hall) as Chris's father.
Even in season two, The Responder is not a nice series to watch in a relaxed manner. But underneath all the misery is an excellent character-driven story, where Martin Freeman can fully show what he is capable of. The BBC has not yet announced whether there will be a third season. If there is a third season, then we at least have something great to look forward to.
