The old man Season 1 had one of the sharpest mid-season drops in recent television history. If it had maintained the level of depth and tension of the first two episodes, it would have been one of the best shows of 2022 (it was certainly great for FX, where it became one of the biggest debuts for a cable series in years). But it fell apart over time, getting bogged down in portentous monologues and confusing plot decisions before ending with a reveal so obvious I couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be surprising or not. In the end, it was a disappointing season. So The old man Season 2 has a lot of work to do to get the show back on track. The good news is that, at least for the first five episodes, Season 2 is better than the worst of Season 1. The bad news is that it doesn’t come close to delivering on the promise of the first two episodes.

The old manThe stylistic choices of create a tension that they cannot resolve. Its presentation – especially in the virtuosity of the performances of Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow and in the cinematic quality of the direction, camera work and editing – is that of a serious show like The Americans. But his overly explanatory dialogues and the characterization of the weather vane are those of a unserious show like The blacklist (I am not saying The blacklist is bad, except that it is a different kind of show that places less emphasis on thematic depth). This tension makes The old man doesn’t work as an intellectual drama about the inner workings of spies, nor as an entertaining action thriller about old guys kicking ass, but rather remains trapped in mediocre mediocrity.

Season 2’s plot picks up where Season 1 left off. Emily Chase (Alia Shawkat) has been kidnapped by her biological father, Afghan tribal leader Faraz Hamzad (Navid Negahban), leading her other “fathers,” moody ex-spy Dan Chase (Bridges) and methodical FBI Assistant Director Harold Harper (Lithgow), to team up to go to Afghanistan on an unofficial rescue mission to save her. But Emily may not need rescuing after all, as she forms a meaningful bond with her new family.

6.0

The Old Man Season 2

How

• Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow are excellent
• First-class direction

dislike

• The script does not match the level of the direction and some of the performances
• Some services are significantly weaker than others

Emily Chase aka Angela Adams aka Parwana Hamzad is the show’s weakest link, as Shawkat is unable to sell the inconsistently written character. When she behaves in a way that doesn’t make sense for the established character, she verbally reassures us, “I’m still who you think I am,” in a particularly egregious example of telling rather than showing. Later in the same episode, while trying to hatch a plan, Harper says, “We have to be really careful how we play this,” a line of dialogue that draws attention to how heavy-handed it is. It’s the kind of line that would be inserted into a bad action movie that doesn’t trust its audience to understand the stakes, rather than a supposedly sophisticated show like The old manIf viewers can stay with a show whose plot is as difficult to follow as The old man‘s, they don’t need characters saying obvious things. At least there are fewer monologues this time. (Proverb The old manThe fact that the plot is confusing is not a criticism, by the way; John le Carré-style spy thrillers like this one are meant to put character over plot. Not fully understanding what’s happening is part of the genre. They just have to be strong characters.)

Despite all the writing problems, The old man remains beautifully made. The action scenes are crisp, clear and hard-hitting. The composition is painterly and the camera movements elegant. For some viewers, the artsy vibes and chemistry between Bridges and Lithgow will certainly be enough. And those things make it worth watching. You’ll probably want more of Bridges and Lithgow together than you get. A whole show where these two are veteran secret agents who have to figure out how to survive in the field would be great. Lithgow in particular shines this season as the show delves deeper into the character of Harold Harper.

Ultimately, The old man is frustrating. There are things that prevent it from being as good as it should be and things that make it seem better than it actually is. It’s an OK show disguised as good.

Premieres: Thursday, September 12, 10/9c on FX, streaming the next day on Hulu
Who is there: Jeff Bridges, John Lithgow, Amy Brenneman, Julia Schaefer
Who is behind it: The creators Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine (Black sails)
For fans of: The Americans, homeland, The guy
How many episodes have we seen: 5 of 8