“It ends in quite a surprising place, I think and hope.”

By Morgan Cormack

Published: Wednesday, 15 February 2023 at 12:00 am


Warning: This article contains spoilers for Better season 1.

Although it was only released at the start of this week, Better has quickly become the crime thriller that everyone’s talking about. The BBC drama initially aired on Monday 13th February and is available to stream in full on BBC iPlayer.

Naturally, those of us who have watched it all already are now left wondering about the possibility of a second season – especially after that cliffhanger ending.

But is Better season 2 on the cards? Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, writer Sam Vincent said much of it is down to what the reception to season 1 is like.

He explained: “Well, I think it’s an open-ended question. Like everything, you have to see how it goes down and that’s fair enough; that’s the way it should be. 

“I think the ending of season 1, we are really excited and satisfied with the two episodes that close the season. But at the very end, it ends in quite a surprising place, I think and hope. In a place that the audience will not expect it to end but as to more? We’ll just have to wait and see.”

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Sam Vincent and fellow Better writer Jonathan Brackley.
BBC

The finale most certainly leaves us in a surprising place, with Lou (Leila Farzad) and Col (Andrew Buchan) ready and waiting to confess to their crimes at Lou’s police station. However, with nobody around to take their statements and left waiting in the reception area, their decision starts to loom over them.

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However,  just as we begin to lose hope that anyone will appear at the end of this redemption tale, the door to the waiting area opens. But who is on the other side? Neither look particularly pleased or surprised, so it leaves us wondering whether they will actually get to confess after all.

Or perhaps, it’s more of a tale of Lou and Col having the intention to confess, rather than the actions of morality. That finale is one that was intentionally “high drama“, according to Vincent.

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Leila Farzad as and Andrew Buchan as Col in Better.
BBC/Sister Pictures/Simon Emmett,Simon Emmett

Speaking to RadioTimes.com, the writer said the last couple of episodes “particularly” escalate to “a place of high drama” due to Lou and Col having “a lot of stuff bottled up”.

He explains: “A lot that they’re not quite dealing with, and they eventually will be forced to confront everything and each other. Their souls are on the line, their lives on the line. And yes, not everybody makes it out alive this season.

“We do get to a place where the stakes couldn’t really be much higher for our characters in the show than towards the end. It’s really exciting.”

As for any news of Better season 2, we’ll just have to wait and see.