We first met Suranne Jones\u2019 Anne Lister, aka Gentleman Jack, almost three years ago \u2013 in Halifax in 1832, as she returned to take over the reins of the Shibden estate and set her sights on wealthy heiress Ann Walker (Sophie Rundle).<\/p>\n
We watched, alternately shifting between tears and laughter, as the landowner, businesswoman and adventurer overcame many obstacles \u2013 from homophobia and business rivals to breakdowns \u2013 and strode her way to a happy ending, reuniting with Ann on a blowy Yorkshire hilltop and taking the sacrament together in a wedding (of sorts).<\/p>\n
Now the second season<\/a> is here, and has a slight hurdle to overcome: what\u2019s next for the couple who\u2019ve already got their happy ever after? It\u2019s a dilemma that writer Sally Wainwright (Happy Valley) overcomes by adding new energy and wit to the show. Season 2 picks up where the first left off, with Anne preparing to live with Ann at Shibden Hall as wife and wife and combine their estates.<\/p>\n She opens proceedings with a visit to Ann\u2019s disapproving aunt (Stephanie Cole), mouthing \u201cF**k her\u201d in the first of many Fleabag-esque asides (which nod to the real Anne Lister\u2019s diaries<\/a>), before cheerfully breaking the news that Ann is making a new will \u2013 of which, of course, she\u2019ll be the executor.<\/p> Jones remains terrific as the fearless and headstrong Gentleman Jack in the new season, while managing to convey her vulnerable side as well.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s not just Ann\u2019s bristling relatives this time that are threatening to rip the couple apart, but also Anne herself. As she reunites with Ann in York, where she\u2019s been receiving medical attention, she starts to have doubts \u2013 is Ann too boring, too insipid for her?<\/p>\n She\u2019s not the only one: Anne\u2019s old friend Charlotte Norcliffe (Jenna Russell) is incredulous that Anne could be with in love with such a dull creature. \u201cShe isn\u2019t really your sort, is she?\u201d she asks.<\/p>\n And it seems she might be right, as Anne pens a gloating letter to her old flame Mariana Lawton, informing her that Ann is moving into Shibden Hall, which lays the groundwork for the character\u2019s dramatic return<\/a>.<\/p>\n In some ways, it feels like Wainwright has missed a trick here by having Anne meet her soulmate right at the beginning of the first season, and then spend the next 16 hours distracting herself with obstacles and subplots, rather than kicking off the show with her earlier romantic experiences and wild adventures, which are constantly alluded to in the show (and which were chronicled in the real Anne Lister\u2019s diaries).<\/p>\n But that\u2019s not to say that season 2 is by any means dull by the end of the first episode \u2013 on the contrary, Mariana\u2019s re-emergence (which looks set to form the spine of season 2) imbues the show with new energy, and the smaller story arcs concerning Anne\u2019s daring business pursuits and the Thomas Sowden murder plot are also back with gusto.<\/p>\n What\u2019s more, none of season 1\u2019s well-drawn characters have been diminished. Gemma Whelan and Gemma Jones continue to give powerful performances as Anne\u2019s forlorn sister and tender mother figure, respectively.<\/p>\n In a moving exchange in episode 1, Anne shows her aunt (Jones) her wedding ring, making clear its significance by revealing she and Ann plan to change their wills and leave each other a life interest in their estates. Aunt Anne is horrified, but only because \u201c[Anne is] saying it could all still go off\u201d. As ever, the show manages to strike the perfect balance between sly humour and sorrow.<\/p>\n Lydia Leonard is brilliant at serving up the darker moments as Anne\u2019s jealous ex-lover, while new cast additions<\/a>, namely Anne\u2019s outrageous former lover Isabella \u2018Tib\u2019 Norcliffe (Joanna Scanlan), who tells Anne in the trailer that her beloved hasn\u2019t got a clue about \u201cthe\u00a0vast\u00a0tapestry of your\u00a0fruity past\u201d, look set to provide plenty of fun in upcoming episodes.<\/p>\n With a once again unapologetically romantic focus (but also a look at Anne\u2019s other ambitions, beyond her sexuality) and the same rollicking theme tune, the show has lost none of its brilliance, nor has Wainwright dislodged its heart and soul \u2013 she has only added to it. Gentleman Jack remains a bold and transgressive figure not just for a period drama, but mainstream TV in general, and season 2 another emotional ride.<\/p>\n Gentleman Jack will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 9pm on Sunday 10th April. Season 1 is available to\u00a0stream in full on BBC iPlayer<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Looking for something else to watch? Take a look at the rest of our\u00a0Drama<\/a>\u00a0coverage or check out our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0to find out what is on television this week.<\/strong><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n By Molly Moss Published: Wednesday, 06 April 2022 at 12:00 am 4.0 out of 5 star rating We first met Suranne Jones\u2019 Anne Lister, aka Gentleman Jack, almost three years ago \u2013 in Halifax in 1832, as she returned to take over the reins of the Shibden estate and set her sights on wealthy heiress […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":13455,"template":"","categories":[1,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/04\/gentleman-jack-season-2-review-suranne-jones-is-back-with-gusto.jpg",620,413,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/04\/gentleman-jack-season-2-review-suranne-jones-is-back-with-gusto-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/04\/gentleman-jack-season-2-review-suranne-jones-is-back-with-gusto-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/04\/gentleman-jack-season-2-review-suranne-jones-is-back-with-gusto.jpg",620,413,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/04\/gentleman-jack-season-2-review-suranne-jones-is-back-with-gusto.jpg",620,413,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/04\/gentleman-jack-season-2-review-suranne-jones-is-back-with-gusto.jpg",620,413,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/04\/gentleman-jack-season-2-review-suranne-jones-is-back-with-gusto.jpg",620,413,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Molly Moss Published: Wednesday, 06 April 2022 at 12:00 am 4.0 out of 5 star rating We first met Suranne Jones\u2019 Anne Lister, aka Gentleman Jack, almost three years ago \u2013 in Halifax in 1832, as she returned to take over the reins of the Shibden estate and set her sights on wealthy heiress…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/13454"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/02\/2.-Suranne-Jones-as-Anne-Lister-in-Gentleman-Jack-series-2-coming-to-BBC-One-and-iPlayer-this-Spring_final_24347502_24347490-b0c4951.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
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