Invisible City Season 2 Review – Rushed follow-up lacks the magical spark

Episode Guide

Episode 1 – | Review Score – 3/5
Episode 2 – | Review Score – 3/5
Episode 3 – | Review Score – 2.5/5
Episode 4 – | Review Score – 2/5
Episode 5 – | Review Score – 2.5/5

When Invisible City dropped back in 2021, it brought with it an exciting and unique look at Brazilian folklore and myths. With a gripping and effective story, the show solidified itself as one of the hidden gems on the platform. Brazil is certainly no stranger to fantasy success on Netflix though, with The 3% in particular standing out as a great post-apocalyptic romp, running for three seasons.

Invisible City though may not make it that far. The show returns with a much shorter run of episodes this time around, a changed dynamic to focus on a simple, bare bones narrative and less exploration of the myths that made the first so endearing. Don’t get me wrong, there are still glimmers of witches and fantasy creatures brought to life, but the magic and awe is replaced by more of a thriller vibe – to mixed effect.

Season 2 picks up several years after the events that took place the first time around. Eric is gone, while Luna and Ines are desperately searching for him. Their hunt inevitably brings them back to the Amazon and, specifically, the outskirts of Marangatu. Whilst there, Luna ends up making a bargain with the tricksy witch Matinta, who brings back Eric…but with a catch.

At the same time, an illegal mining operation picks up steam, fronted by Castro and Debora, two siblings who will stop at nothing to break into the sacred city and hoard the gold there. Debora is no ordinary hunter though, she just so happens to have powers of her own.

As the season progresses, there are a couple of plot twists and a few revelations but with only 5 episodes to play with, Invisible City bumbles along and eventually falls flat in the second half, trying hard to squeeze too much in too short a time and coming up, well, short. The finale in particular is super rushed and at its worst, reveals some big character changes that don’t work with so little time to explore the motivations behind what goes down.

It’s always a fine balance getting the timing right to tell a story effectively and not rushing or dragging the narrative, and that’s something this second season fails to get right. If that wasn’t enough, the story relies on a fair number of contrived scenarios for all the pieces to move effectively, while the characters don’t get much in the way of development either.

Season 2 of Invisible City is an unfortunate misfire. It’s a show that rushes through its story leaving little breathing room for characterization or investment in the tale. You’ll easily get through this in an evening or two but given how long we’ve waited for this, one can’t help but feel a bit more care and a tighter script would have benefited this one tremendously. What a shame.

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