Review | The Bridge (Season 2)

The first season of this remake of the Nordic crime series was refreshing and full of surprises. For one, the choice of Johor and Singapore as main locations turned out to be spot on. The sweeping drone shots of a broody JB were especially cool and became a character of its own.

The casting was pretty solid too with credible representations from Malaysia and Singapore in the form of Bront Palarae, Rebecca Lim, Susan Lankaster, Tony Eusoff, Adrian Boon and others.

Unshackled from local censors, season 1 was bold and brutal, and the engaging storyline kept the audience intrigued till the very last shot of the show. And the writers weren’t averse to getting rid of key characters as well. (The only negative bits we can recall were the rather cheap-looking special effects and some parts of the production design, as well as a couple of weird accents).

It was no surprise then that series producers Viu, in association with HBO Asia, announced a second season. Episode one was first aired on 15 June and all 10 episodes are now available on Viu and HBO Asia’s network of channels and services, including HBO Go, HBO, and HBO on Demand, across 24 territories.

Season 2 sees a more expansive production, from its cast members to locations, along with a more intricate and layered storyline. But they did keep the theme song, ‘Decadence of my Love’ by Zee Avi, one more thing we like about the show.

The story picks up a year after the end of season 1. A yacht registered in Singapore drifts ashore in Johor with a dead Indonesian family on board. Investigating the slew of serial killings that follow, the characters become mired in a web of treachery, deceit and personal tragedy.

As mentioned, the new season sees a bigger cast that includes some of Malaysia’s finest screen and theatre performers like Patrick Teoh, Wan Hanafi Su, Chew Kin Wah, Louisa Chong, Douglas Lim, Pete Teo and Zahim Albakri. It’s certainly something to see them in roles and the type of production we barely get to see here in Malaysia.

Joining the fray this time around too are Indonesia’s Ario Bayu, Lukman Sardi, Amanda Manopo and Miller Khan, and Joseph Marco from the Philippines.

Bront Palarae who plays Megat Jamil delivers again with a gritty and assured performance, this time around as someone on the other side of the fence after leaving the International Crimes Division (ICD) following the tragic death of his daughter in the prior season.

Meanwhile, Rebecca Lim (Officer Serena Teo), feels a little overshadowed by the slew of new characters and doesn’t quite click with new addition Ario Bayu (Lieutenant Heriyanto Salim from ICD Indonesia). But Adrian Pang gets to shine instead with a meatier role as Commander Lim.

As for the baddies, much of the story centres around Dato’ Ishak (Wan Hanafi Su), an underworld kingpin with a repentant wife (Aida Aris), an ambitious son (Fikry Ibrahim) and a band of loyal underlings and bodyguards to execute his sinister plans.

What has he got to do with the gruesome murders? That’s the question our ICD officers need to solve, one that takes the audience on a twisty and violently bloody ride throughout the binge-worthy 10 episodes.

Rating: 4/5