“How many lives have you lived?” “None, really.”
We’re at the end of season 2 of Banshee, and what a ride it has been. After a few slower-moving episodes to open the season, “The Truth About Unicorns” marked an essential turning point in the story, one which led to some of the most thrilling television I’ve seen; I’m bummed that we won’t get anymore episodes until next year.
The first season of Banshee stumbled right out of the gate, but it slowly grew into one of the most entertaining shows on television; the plot was absolutely ludicrous, but there was a manic energy that injected life into the proceedings, whether it be the brutal violence or the steamy sex scenes. Surprisingly, the show tones it down for the season 2 premiere, and it still delivers a great, more contemplative start to the season.
The big change in season 2 is the introduction of the fantastic Zeljko Ivanek’s Agent Racine, a chain-smoking, cancer-ridden, no nonsense guy whose main purpose is to find Rabbit; to do this, he’s willing to use the people of Banshee as bait. Right off the bat, his character is an intriguing antagonist, a guy hellbent on revenge who’s still a bit bound by the constraints of the law. Yet, there’s something simmering there, and Ivanek brilliantly portrays a man just about ready to crack. In fact, he also succeeds in sticking his nose into the Banshee police department, raising questions about what exactly they’re doing; why are they following the will of a few people? Why hasn’t everything tumbled down yet? Those look to be intriguing questions heading into the rest of the season.
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