SAS Rogue Heroes season 2 review: Rollicking war drama's return is delightfully imperfect

When SAS Rogue Heroes arrived on screens in 2019, then, it felt like something of a roll of the dice. Which version of Knight were we going to get?

Thankfully, his Peaky persuasion prevailed, and the show was an unmitigated success, a war drama which felt like a successful blend of modern sensibilities with old-fashioned action-adventure storytelling. It quite simply worked, and therefore it was hardly a surprise when a second season got commissioned.

However, this wasn't to be a same-old, same-old follow-up. Changes were afoot, in both the cast and setting. The potential for a let-down once again reared its head.

Given this, I am very happy to report there was no need to fear - this is clearly a series on solid grounding, with season 2 proving to be a worthy continuation of the story season 1 laid out, and an entertaining watch through-and-through.

First, some set-up - following the end of season 1, Connor Swindells's David Stirling has been captured, and despite reservations from GHQ, Jack O'Connell's Paddy Mayne is left in charge of the SAS, or SRS as they are to be re-badged. The war effort shifts from the North African front to Europe, with an incursion into Italy planned.

Payne and his men are left under the direction of Bill Stirling, David's brother who is played by new addition to the cast Gwilym Lee. If David wasn't entirely Paddy's cup of tea at first, Bill is even further from his anarchic temperament. He's a stuffed shirt trying to manage a raucous rabble, and the result is a whole lot of tension.

It's got to be said that this season doesn't start off on the best foot. Beyond a fun opening in which Paddy causes a riot, there's then a whole lot of table-setting. Scenes establishing character dynamics, both between the SAS members themselves with a group of newcomers, and between Paddy and Bill, feel overlong and repetitive.

The fun-loving, irreverent tone is still there, but the first episode feels like it's treading water until the action can begin. Then the action begins.

The second half of episode 1 is a breathtaking feat whichever way you look at it, whether it's the scope and scale of the production given its on a BBC budget, through to the efficient yet hugely exciting staging of the action itself.

This isn't to say action is all the series has to offer - the emotion is right there, bubbling away at the surface, with a sequence involving boats (you'll know it as soon as you see it) putting the men's own moral codes to the test.

From there on out, the rest of the series is all-out entertainment. Sure, the pacing is a bit choppy, the efforts to highlight the "rogue" nature of the heroes a bit on-the-nose, and the characterisations sometimes a bit broad. It's imperfect, but so are its heroes.

It often feels like a cop-out to suggest flaws are warranted to match up with themes or characters, but there's do denying that some of the shabbiness here does genuinely feel like an unintended yet charming reflection of its irreverent tone and its characters' boisterous natures.

Speaking of the characters, attention must, of course, first turn to Paddy Mayne. In the first season, Paddy was the livewire second-in-command, a support act who worked because where you could follow along with David Stirling's motivations, Paddy was all-the-more unpredictable.

Here, he's become the lead, and the show doesn't shy away from this disconnect - it's said plainly on many occasions that Paddy isn't suited to leadership.

What he is suited to is providing compelling drama, and that's in no small thanks to O'Connell. His choice of accent for the character may continue to be interesting, and Paddy may at times fall into the realm of caricature, but O'Connell still manages to make him an empathetic lead, particularly in the quieter moments where he is left to sit and contemplate.

In Paddy's elevation, and with the welcome addition of Bill, something had to give, and some of the characters get shorter shrift than they did in season 1.

For instance, Dominic West is barely present, popping up for the occasional scene, but adding little to proceedings. Sofia Boutella's Eve gets more screen time, but her character feels as though she's treading water somewhat, and is given a less compelling story this time around.

The same can absolutely be said for Swindells, whose storyline proves to be the weakest link in the season's narrative.

Swindells is a charismatic force as David, and with his character being such a fan favourite in season 1, it made sense to bring him back. However, with little to actually go on when drawing from the real history, his exploits inside a prisoner of war camp feel aimless and, quite frankly, a little perfunctory.

One wonders whether his role should have been slimmed down, only taking place over the last few episodes as part of a surprise appearance, rather than having the actor recur throughout, and be billed as a central character.

Strangely, given the phenomenal work he did in leading season 1, his presence in the group scenes isn't too missed this time around, and that is because other members of the squad take up the slack.

Jack Barton does wonders as new addition to the squad John Tonkin, who ends up on his own journey which helps to give deeper insights into unexplored aspects of the war.

Meanwhile, the stand-out has to be Theo Barklem-Biggs as Reg Seekings, who is given the most emotionally resonant storyline of the lot, which also stands out as perhaps the darkest of the series thus far.

Balancing of tones has always been crucial to SAS Rogue Heroes, given that it's exploring real-life tragedies and the horrors of war, but also giving it a rock-and-roll edge. It's perhaps in Reg's storyline that we see how this can be done most effectively, proving that action, humour and fun can all co-exist with pain and torment.

Elsewhere, the style of the show, one of its key selling points, has been retained. The needle-drops are still present and frequent, as are the distinctive graphics and the instructive use of archive material.

The opening crawl has been updated from season 1's, which said, "Based on a true story, the events depicted which seem most unbelievable... are mostly true," to a new one which reads, "Inspired by true events... But be aware... This is NOT a history lesson." Take from that what you will, but as with any narratively cohesive drama, some liberties have certainly been taken.

The change of scenery of course does impact things, with season 1's North African setting proving particularly striking, and giving the series a real sense of departure from many other wartime series.

However, the vistas this year are still pretty impressive, with Croatia doubling for Italy. It might not be quite as distinct as the desert, but this season still has a clear visual identity, in large part thanks for the location work.

It's no spoiler to say this season doesn't reach the end of the war, and there is still plenty of story to tell. The final episode ends on what is perhaps the cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers, although not in the sense where you'll be left guessing - you will be under no illusion where things are heading.

Here's hoping Knight and the team get the opportunity to delve into it, as so far they have crafted a riveting and fresh take on a genre and a period in time which has been explored in almost every way you can imagine.

Perhaps most impressive is the sustainability of it all, given that history dictates, at least to some extent, when characters come and go, and when some sadly lost their lives.

By balancing the weight of storyline given to each of its characters so deftly, and making them each uniquely well-drawn, Knight has afforded himself the opportunity to follow the true stories and make those changes to the cast list without losing what makes the series work.

It seems the BBC have faith in the show's future, considering it has been given the much-sought-for prime-time New Year's Day slot, which has previously been given to the likes of The Tourist and Happy Valley.

This confidence seems warranted. The SAS Rogue Heroes may not yet have reached the same height of popularity as the Peaky Blinders, and maybe they never will. But if this season is anything to go by, they will give it a damn good shot.

SAS Rogue Heroes season 2 will air at 9pm on New Year's Day on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, while season 1 is available on BBC iPlayer now.

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