*Warning \u2013 this review contains spoilers for the first episode of Blue Light season 2*<\/strong><\/p>\n Blue Lights<\/a> burst out of the gates last year fully formed and ready to prove some people wrong.<\/p>\n Some people like this critic, who thought that we didn\u2019t need any more police dramas and that everything there was to be said about the profession had already been said.<\/p>\n Not only was this wrong from a critical standpoint, with the show exceeding all expectations, but it was also wrong in terms of viewer appetite \u2013 the series was a huge success, getting a quick season 2 renewal and a further renewal for both seasons 3 and 4<\/a>.<\/p>\n So, there\u2019s a lot more Blue Lights coming our way. And, based on the first few episodes of this season, that is certainly a very good thing.<\/p>\n Blue Lights season 2 kicks off one year after<\/a> we last saw the PSNI team in Belfast, with Grace (Si\u00e2n Brooke)<\/a>, Tommy (Nathan Braniff) and Annie (Katherine Devlin) now more established in their roles.<\/p>\n Grace is living with Annie following the security breach she suffered last season, and she and Stevie (Martin McCann) have decided to a put a halt to their potential romance due to the complications they could face in their line of work (although she seems more committed to this course of action than he does).<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the whole team is still mourning the loss of Gerry (Richard Dormer) at the end of last season, including his wife Sandra (Andi Osho), who is considering leaving Belfast altogether.<\/p>\n We\u2019re then introduced to Lee Thompson (Seamus O\u2019Hara), a pub owner paying protection to a loyalist gang leader, and the violence which threatens to rear its head between multiple gangs around the city.<\/p>\n While the season 1 premiere was assured, throwing us into the action and deftly setting up the world, the first episode of season 2 is even more sure-footed, and that\u2019s all thanks to some excellent character work.<\/p>\n The opening sequence, in which an apparent attack on a police vehicle turns out to actually be a training sequence, is absolutely breathless, in part because we now care about these characters. We can see the fear in their eyes and the pace at which they\u2019re having to think of a way out.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the interpersonal drama steps up a notch throughout the episode, to the show\u2019s definite strength.<\/p>\n There are still plenty of call-outs to tense situations and gangland plot machinations running underneath, but in many ways, the scenes where the team simply chat, either about their personal lives or the toll their work is putting on them, are some of the best.<\/p>\n Tommy and Annie\u2019s dynamic continues to be a fun brother-sister-like pairing, while both of them have new scene partners in the form of returning character Murray Canning (Desmond Eastwood) and new recruit Shane Bradley (Frank Blake) respectively.<\/p>\n Each of these pairings prove intriguing in their own right, as there are hints towards Tommy being lured away from ground policing, and towards something personal developing between Annie and Shane.<\/p>\n Grace and Stevie\u2019s strong, entertaining dynamic also continues to be a big selling point, while their will-they-won\u2019t-they drama is thankfully kept to a minimum. It\u2019s a strong story element to have bubbling under the surface, but it\u2019s good to see that writers Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn haven\u2019t allowed it to overwhelm the narrative.<\/p>\n Grace continues to be the real heart of the series, even if she has hardened somewhat between seasons, and Si\u00e2n Brooke continues to excel in the role, proving to be an excellent audience surrogate while also making the character distinct.<\/p>\n The one storyline which so far is yet to bare fruit is Jen\u2019s narrative at her new workplace, the law firm. While it\u2019s nice to see Hannah McClean back after she did such stellar work with the character last year, she can\u2019t help but feel like a bit of a spare part at this point.<\/p>\n Though her scenes are sure to link up with the show\u2019s central storylines at some point, her placement outside of the central police team leaves them feeling somewhat superfluous at this point, and leaves you wanting to get back to the action.<\/p>\n Thankfully, the central gang plot for this season, revolving around the characters played by Seamus O\u2019Hara and Seana Kerslake, is more gripping, and proves the show\u2019s ability to put a new spin on old tropes, and reinvent itself following the McIntyre family\u2019s storyline ending at the culmination of season 1.<\/p>\n If you weren\u2019t a fan of the first season, then this new outing won\u2019t change your mind. It\u2019s more of the same, just in the best way, carrying on with what worked so well last time.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also not going to change the genre in any tangible fashion, and for some it might continue to feel somewhat safe.<\/p>\n But what it does do is it sure does make compulsive, gripping viewing, with the final dramatic sequence this week, involving Grace finding herself in a face-off with a knife-wielding criminal, proving to be heart-stoppingly tense.<\/p> In choosing to focus on more character-led stories this time around, and hints that we\u2019ll get to see deeper into the personal lives of the characters, Blue Light season 2 leans into its strengths and is all the more watchable for it.<\/p>\n It\u2019s still just a shame that it continues to have one of the most generic titles of any programme on TV right now \u2013 but I guess you can\u2019t have it all.<\/p>\n![\"Stevie](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/02\/blue-lights-season-2-first-look-34f41f9.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"blue-lights-season-2-first-look\\"\/")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>![\"Si\u00e2n](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/04\/467225-2e8d7a5.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"467225,Blue")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>![\"Nathan](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/02\/467091-47ba15e.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Blue")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>![\"Seamus](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/04\/467223-bb34d11.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413\" "\\"467223,Blue")
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