The first season of Paatal Lok premiered all the way back in 2020, and the acclaimed Indian series is finally back with another crime to investigate in season 2. Mira Nair hailed it as one of her favorites when we spoke to her in December of 2020âdoes season 2 warrant the comeback after the long hiatus?
PAATAL LOK – SEASON 2: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening Shot: Fresh toast pops out of a toaster oven, placed delicately onto a room service tray. The young worker is on the phone with a loved one, explaining that he prefers the night shift because of the better tips, when he arrives at the door for delivery. He rings the bell a few times and after no one answers, he ventures into the room to find his customer beheaded in the tub.
The Gist: After the events of Season 1, the second season of Paatal Lok finds Hathiram Chaudhary (Jaideep Ahlawat) back to handling lower-profile cases. Heâs approached by a frantic young mom who is searching for her missing husband, a working class man who often traveled to Nagaland for work.
At the same time, Chaudharyâs colleagues are handling a case revolving around a murdered Nagaland business leader, which has garnered significant media attention. As these two cases are investigated simultaneously, the detectives find that their cases are intertwined.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Crime thrillers are the bread-and-butter of Indiaâs streaming content, and Netflixâs recent prison drama Black Warrant may scratch the itch if youâre looking for another dark but grounded crime story.
Our Take: In the fractured television environment we find ourselves in, a sequel season to a critically acclaimed show can pop up seemingly out of nowhere (see also: Severance season 2). These second iterations always beg the question of whether we needed this continuation of a story; whether the characters and setting and plot warrant spending time in a world in which time has become so scarce.
The questions around âneedingâ a new season of Paatal Lok can be answered individually, but the series sure makes a compelling argument for its existence. Similar to the first season, the new batch of episodes are expertly plotted. Time isnât wasted in Paatal Lok; both cases are set up swiftly with relevant threads unspooled at the right times, and thereâs still leftover time to linger with our leads to uncover drama both at home and in the police precinct.
The converging crime investigations makes for a rich setting: characters from season 1 are forced to work together reluctantly, and the high and low socioeconomic statuses of each victim respectively provides room for contemplation about class structures and how it manifests in crime and punishment. The acting continues to be stellar, with Ahlawat continuing to lead the series with heart.
Paatal Lok Season 2 gives us plenty to consider in its eight-episode returnâitâs worth adding to your list.
Sex and Skin: Primarily a crime thriller, this is safe for the whole family (minus some bloody crime scenes).
Parting Shot: By episodeâs end, the connection between the two cases is clear and the season premiere leaves us on a shot of the âmissing personsâ board at the precinct and the camera slowly pushes in a photo of the woman central to both cases: Rose Lizo.
Sleeper Star: Far from a sleeper, Ahlawatâs performance at the center of the story sets the emotional and physical stakes for the series.
Most Pilot-y Line: âSir, isnât that the same girl for whom a lookout notice was sent from headquarters?â a lower level police officer assisting Chaudhary says in the closing moments of the first episode, connecting the two cases.
Our Call: STREAM IT. After a five year hiatus, Paatal Lok makes a strong case for a second installment.
Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Paste Magazine, Teen Vogue, Vulture and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.
The post Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Paatal Lok’ Season 2 on Prime Video, An Expertly Plotted Hindi-Language Crime Thriller appeared first on Decider.
