The Frankenstein Chronicles Season 2 Review

Episode Guide

Prodigal Son
Not John Marlott
Seeing The Dead
Little Boy Lost
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
Bride of Frankenstein

Following the cliffhanger ending last year, Frankenstein Chronicles returns for a second season set 3 years after the first 6 episodes. Although it struggles to recapture the uneasiness and mystery that made the first season so endearing, the vengeance-fuelled storyline is a good change of pace and an interesting new direction for the show. Frankenstein Chronicles is a solid, well paced thriller and with an inspired Sean Bean driving the show forward to its intriguing finale, is well worth watching if you enjoyed the first season.

The story begins with a reflective episode touching on the events at the end of season 1. With a mentally unstable John Marlott (Sean Bean) imprisoned, this delirium-induced episode cleverly recaps the events that occurred at the end of last season whilst establishing the main plot line this year. With the culprit already revealed, season 2 revolves around a revenge-fuelled mission for Marlott to track down and get revenge on Lord Daniel Hervey (Ed Stoppard). A steady stream of mutilated bodies leads the police closer to tracking the true culprit too and there’s an interesting undertone of the church VS the state that helps give the narrative a necessary dose of tension with Marlott firmly rooted in the middle as the wild card. There’s a hint of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein book here but Chronicles largely marches to the beat of its own drum, especially so in this second season.

With Sean Bean revitalised in his scruffy, anti-hero role this year, the characters are largely what makes Frankenstein Chronicles such a gripping drama. The mysterious Frederick Dipple (Laurence Fox) is an excellent inclusion to the show this year and his presence is one that gives off an air of uneasiness and dread. Alongside Hervey, the formidable pair make worthy foes for Marlott as his anger and despair drives him toward the climactic finale.

Much like last season, Frankenstein Chronicles accurately portrays the 1800s with a great blend of colloquial differences in class, continuing the trend of depicting the differences in lifestyle between the rich and poor. Visually, the moody, blue-grey colour palette dominates much of the screen time but largely acts as a backdrop for the ensuing drama between the church and the state with Marlott acting as a wild-card as he tracks down Hervey in the middle of this conflict.

The second season of Frankenstein Chronicles continues the story of John Marlott in an endearing way, encapsulating the series in a tale of vengeance to drive the narrative forward. With the killer already revealed, the second season doesn’t quite have the same level of mystery it once had but it more than makes up for it with its change in pace. Sean Bean is inspired in his role as John Marlott and the desire to see him get revenge on Hervey is largely what makes this season so gripping. Although there are a few issues with pacing and a couple of lacklustre performances, Frankenstein Chronicles continues the great work done in the first season with another solid season of entertainment.