Compare How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, Season 1 vs The Gentlemen, Season 2

The closing hook creates interest in another season, but it also frustrated one reviewer because renewal was uncertain. The tease works as a continuation device more than as a fully comforting stopping point.

The season-ending cliffhanger is described as massive and shocking, creating strong forward momentum into the already confirmed third season.

The finale earns credit for a clever turn and for resolving major questions, but the reaction is far from unanimous. Other reviewers found it perplexing, tonally split, or less satisfying than the stronger start.

The final episode is praised for violent payoff, a major character transformation and a provocative setup for the next season.

McGee's rapid-fire dialogue is a major strength: sharp, profane, layered, and often devastatingly funny in the same breath. Its speed can demand concentration, but reviewers repeatedly say the banter crackles.

Dialogue is divisive: some praise its clipped, zippy confidence, while harsher reviews call it clumsy, over-written or trailer-like rather than natural.

The dramatic material can be intimate and emotionally sharp, especially when grief, memory, and friendship take precedence over spectacle. The main criticism is that the serious mystery sometimes sits awkwardly beside the show's zany default mode.

The move toward straighter, darker drama works for many reviewers, who find the higher stakes and character consequences more compelling than before.

The best twists repeatedly overturn expectations without feeling arbitrary, and several reviewers praised how earlier assumptions are reframed. Their sheer frequency can create whiplash, but unpredictability is a major part of the fun.

Betrayals and shocks add momentum, but some reviewers feel major turns arrive before enough emotional groundwork is laid.

Booker stands out as an enjoyably vivid threat within the oddball ensemble. Her menace, visual presence, and blunt attitude make the antagonist side of the caper memorable without losing the show's comic flavor.

The new Italian threat works better for some reviewers than others. Marco brings menace and scale, but one critic finds the season’s new kingpin far less intriguing than earlier antagonists.

The script draws emphatic praise for its wit, character conflict, and ability to make chaos feel natural. Even when the plot is criticized, the actual scene writing and comic construction are often treated as first-rate.

The screenplay draws the harshest criticism from negative reviewers, who call it over-written and under-revised. Positive coverage focuses more on character arcs than script polish.

Performance quality is one of the safest bets here. Reviewers repeatedly call the ensemble excellent or brilliant, with the actors selling both the manic comedy and the heavier emotional turns.

Acting is a major strength overall, though one dissenting review found several performances wooden or one-note. Most praise centers on the leads and a deep supporting bench.

The humor is frequently described as laugh-out-loud, quick-witted, dark, and unmistakably Irish, with the trio's insults doing much of the work. A smaller group felt the laughs thinned out as the series became busier and darker.

The dry, absurd humor remains a strength, but the darker shift means there is less comic energy than in Season 1. Several critics specifically miss Freddy and Jimmy’s lighter chaos.

For many reviewers, the comedy-mystery-thriller blend is exactly the appeal: strange, dark, funny, and unpredictable. The dissenters found the same mixture overstuffed, uncertain of its identity, or weaker when the crime mechanics took over.

Fans of stylish British gangster drama are likely to find plenty to enjoy. Enthusiastic reviews call it a refreshing and highly satisfying return to Guy Ritchie’s crime territory.

The early run is commonly described as propulsive and addictive, while the later stretch divides opinion. Some liked the escalating road-trip energy; others felt the mystery stretched, repeated itself, or lost momentum near the end.

Pacing is one of the clearest fault lines: many praise the strong back half, while several reviews criticize a tentative first half, meandering detours or rushed subplots.

The leads' messy flaws are part of the design, and many reviewers found their chaos endearing or outright lovable. Others found the bickering trio difficult to believe as best friends or not likable enough to sustain another season.

Susie and Geoff attract especially warm responses, with Susie called iconic and Geoff a secret weapon. Their competence, loyalty and humanity make them standouts even in a morally compromised ensemble.

Having all eight episodes available at once suits the bingeable story, but one reviewer worried that the drop-everything release could also make the series easy to miss. The concern is discoverability, not the viewing flow itself.

The roughly two-and-a-half-year wait is widely treated as a problem, with writers linking it to weaker launch viewership and welcoming plans for a shorter gap before Season 3.

The central mystery reaches a real resolution, and several reviewers found the ending effective or satisfying enough. Others thought it was tepid, anticlimactic, overly perplexing, or too eager to leave certain characters available for more.

The finale earns strong approval for completing a major stage of Eddie’s transformation while delivering a memorable, violent setup for what comes next.

The larger action set pieces add momentum without having to carry the series. One reviewer specifically liked that the comedy and character clashes remain the main attraction even when the show gets bigger.

Action is consistently praised as propulsive, nerve-wracking and well staged, especially the chase and late-season home assault. The violence-heavy set pieces rarely feel monotonous to positive reviewers.

Eight episodes is the most repeated structural complaint. Multiple reviewers independently suggest the story could lose one or two installments—or simply be six episodes—without sacrificing its core mystery or character work.

Eight episodes feel manageable to some viewers, but one critic argues the season is still longer than its material needs because several side quests drag.

A sizeable group finished wanting more time with the trio and explicitly hoped for another season. That enthusiasm is tempered by a few reviewers who either disliked the characters or worried that the final tease could become frustrating if the story stopped there.

Interest in more episodes is high: several reviewers say they cannot wait for Season 3, and news coverage treats the early renewal as reassuring and deserved momentum.

The tonal juggling is the season's biggest fault line. Some reviewers admired how comedy, dread, grief, and absurdity flow together; others felt the series became stressful, inconsistent, or like two different shows by the finale.

The darker tone is mostly welcomed as a meaningful evolution, though some miss Season 1’s breezier comedy. The best reviews praise how seriousness and absurdity still coexist.

Quick cuts are used deliberately for comic effect and were praised as part of the show's energetic technique. The editing helps reinforce the frantic rhythm rather than simply documenting it.

Editing is praised for playful energy and feverish momentum, particularly when events spiral quickly or the show shifts into heightened action.

The 40- to 50-minute format gives the mystery room to expand, but one reviewer found that length less inviting for casual comedy rewatches. Shorter episodes would have made it easier to throw on again.

Hour-long episodes divide opinion: one review finds the series overlong, while another calls the overall commitment manageable for a weekend binge.

The foul-mouthed slang and dense local wisecracks are treated as part of the show's comic identity rather than a drawback. One reviewer recommends subtitles simply to catch every fast-moving line.

Crude British slang and strong language are part of the show’s identity. Some reviewers enjoy that texture, while the mature language helps keep the season firmly adult-oriented.

One reviewer specifically praised the thriller for avoiding gratuitous spectacle, with emotional consequences carrying more weight than violence. The darker material stays secondary to character rather than becoming an endurance test.

The season is much bloodier, with beheadings, torture and brutal finales. Positive reviewers say the gore remains exciting rather than over-the-top, while mature-audience warnings are consistent.

Flashbacks, road-trip detours, and overlapping clues often keep the mystery lively and reveal character along the way. Repeated scenes and a recurring trouble-clue-escape pattern made the structure feel formulaic to some binge viewers.

The best episodes are praised for making separate threads serve the larger plot, and late turns can elevate otherwise merely solid chapters.

Rather than recreating the Troubles directly, the series brings their cultural aftereffects into the present through memory, language, borders, Catholicism, and inherited caution. Reviewers praised that contemporary framing for being both specific and understated.

The House of Lords and legalization storyline gives the show room for sharp class-and-power commentary. One episode recap especially praises how criminal money collides with inherited political privilege.

The adult friends are given meaningful midlife frustrations, old wounds, and evolving self-understanding, with Saoirse especially well developed. Some reviewers wanted more depth for Dara, Greta, and a few supporting figures.

Eddie’s evolution from reluctant participant to ambitious crime boss is one of the most consistently praised elements. Reviewers also note stronger growth for several supporting characters.

The crime plot is often proudly absurd, yet reviewers found the friendship, arguments, and emotional reactions surprisingly authentic. Even improbable situations can feel grounded when the women start talking like people who have known one another for decades.

The show remains heightened and occasionally implausible, but its best episodes preserve immersion even when graphics, mysticism or outrageous criminal logistics enter the frame.

The mystery is engaging but often asks a lot of the viewer. Some found the knots involving, while others needed notes or complained about identities, side plots, false leads, and late-season complications becoming confusing.

Clarity is uneven: some reviewers find the season easier to follow than Season 1, while others say the many deals, factions and MacGuffins overload the story.

The central friendship and buried-secret mystery give the season a strong narrative engine, and most reviewers stayed invested. The recurring caveat is sprawl: side plots, identities, and escalating conspiracy can become more complicated than the emotional core needs.

Story reactions range from ecstatic to sharply negative. The strongest consensus is that Eddie’s darker arc works, while the sprawling criminal web and side quests can make the season feel uneven.

The show often moves at a breathless clip, which many reviewers found electric and addictive. Others reported a sluggish middle, overstimulation, or moments that needed more room to land.

Individual episodes vary sharply. Some action-heavy chapters fly, while the falcon side quest and a few middle episodes are criticized as slow or meandering.

Opinion splits sharply here. One critic saw familiar shows being reworked and rehashed, while another argued that McGee turns the genre mash-up into an exception through meta storytelling and a distinctive comic voice.

The season earns praise for reinventing itself into something darker and more focused, though one harsh review sees it as too derivative of Ritchie’s familiar formula.

Ireland is photographed with real atmosphere, from lovely scenery and striking locations to vibrant or ominous visual shifts. Even mixed reviews often acknowledged how good the series looks.

The season is widely praised for lush, beautiful photography, from English estates to northern Italy and Lake Maggiore. Several reviewers rank the visual presentation among its strongest assets.

The central trio's chemistry is the clearest point of agreement. Their bickering, affection, old grudges, and effortless rhythm make the decades-long friendship feel lived in and often carry the show when the mystery wobbles.

Eddie and Susie are repeatedly called the show’s beating heart, with Theo James and Kaya Scodelario praised for charged, layered chemistry. Reviews are most enthusiastic when the pair share the screen.

Direction drew direct praise for keeping the chaos visually lively and emotionally legible. Michael Lennox is singled out as captivating, while another review applauds the fish-eye choices and comic quick-cut technique.

Direction is praised for retaining Guy Ritchie’s kinetic visual grammar while allowing darker material to breathe. Eran Creevy and Nick Rowland are also credited with fitting smoothly into that style.

The show scatters enough danger, clues, eerie imagery, and withheld information to keep most reviewers curious. Suspense is strongest when tied to the women's past; the more labyrinthine conspiracy material can blur that focus.

Suspense is a consistent strength once the season gets moving, especially in the forest action, the home assault and the back half’s betrayals. Several reviewers describe late episodes as tense or heart-pounding.

This is widely described as a hard show to stop watching, and several reviewers tore through all eight episodes quickly. The main drag on the binge is repetition and a season some felt could have been shorter.

Multiple reviewers describe the eight-episode run as easy to tear through in a weekend. Even critics of the plotting expect viewers to keep watching quickly.

The leads stay recognizably themselves even while making disastrous choices. Reviewers appreciated that later scenes tend to explain apparent contradictions through history, personality, and the long habits of friendship.

Costume choices and performance details are used to keep evolving characters visually coherent with their worlds. Eddie’s transformation is especially praised for feeling gradual rather than abrupt.

Beneath the jokes, reviewers found a meaningful emotional current about grief, regret, friendship, and the lives the women did not end up living. Small lines and exchanges often linger after their immediate punch line.

The season lands harder emotionally than its predecessor, with betrayal, grief and Eddie’s moral decline adding weight. Some rushed relationships, however, blunt moments that might otherwise hit harder.

Friendship, memory, guilt, identity, trauma, midlife disappointment, Catholic inheritance, and the stories people tell about themselves all give the caper extra weight. Reviewers often found the emotional and cultural ideas richer than the literal whodunit mechanics.

Season 2 goes deeper into ambition, class, power, legacy and moral corrosion. Even reviewers who miss the lighter comedy often acknowledge the richer thematic intent.

The visual package is bold, atmospheric, and often beautiful, shifting from Irish landscapes to neon and ominous imagery. That stylization is also divisive: some found it cartoonish or a case of style overwhelming substance.

The season’s glossy, tailored visual identity remains a major draw, with lush landscapes, stately interiors and expressive wardrobe choices carrying much of the atmosphere.

The show gets strong marks for polished, detail-rich environments, especially the early-2000s material and the money visibly put on screen. Period touches and Irish locations make the world feel textured rather than generic.

Production design is a standout, pairing manor houses, villas, wine, art and criminal spaces with a polished old-money aesthetic. Reviewers repeatedly praise the sets and locations.

The pubs, roads, villages, police stations, cultural references, and eccentric locals create a vivid Irish world. Some reviewers wished the increasingly large conspiracy and supporting cast had been explored as deeply as the setting itself.

The story expands across Italy, politics and new criminal factions with mixed results. Many find the growth organic and exciting, while others think the international scale spreads the show too thin.

Costuming gets its biggest boost from Saoirse-Monica Jackson's escalating comic looks. Her wardrobe is singled out as part of what makes the character's appearances so memorably funny.

Wardrobe remains a signature strength, using tailoring, watches and accessories to communicate rank, confidence and changing identity. Season 2 is described as an elevation of an already distinctive look.

Most reviewers found the series highly enjoyable and easy to recommend, with several calling it a must-watch or hoping it finds a larger audience. A minority saw its sensory overload and tonal excess as likely to make it a love-it-or-hate-it watch.

Audience response is mixed in the numbers: Season 2 rebounded strongly in week two and topped charts, but several writers flagged a steep decline from Season 1.

One roundup highlighted a wave of four- and five-star notices and a very high critic aggregate, matching the generally enthusiastic tenor across much of the coverage. Critical dissent centers more on plotting and tone than on the cast.

Coverage notes that critics responded more favorably to Season 2 than Season 1, with strong aggregate scores and repeated praise for the darker character work.

Rewatch appeal is mixed. One reviewer thought a second viewing could reward the dense plotting, while another would not revisit it because the long comedy-thriller episodes are less casual than a short sitcom.

The darker, more brutal tone makes Season 2 less immediately rewatchable for at least one reviewer, especially compared with the lighter first season.

The dominant response is that the show is enormously entertaining, with reviewers calling it a belter, a rush of joy, great craic, and one of the year's best. Even several mixed reviews concede that the trio makes it very watchable.

Most reviewers find Season 2 highly entertaining despite structural complaints. The mix of crime, absurdity, style and escalation keeps even uneven episodes watchable.

Roisin Gallagher, Sinéad Keenan, and Caoilfhionn Dunne are repeatedly identified as the engine of the series. Their timing, emotional range, and ability to play off one another keep the story afloat through its messier stretches.

The central performances are a major consensus strength, especially Theo James’s darker Eddie and Kaya Scodelario’s controlled Susie. Ray Winstone also draws repeated praise for Bobby’s authority.

The bench is unusually strong, with several tiny roles earning specific cheers and guest performers making vivid impressions quickly. A few mystery figures are underwritten, but the performers themselves are rarely the problem.

The supporting cast is a major asset, with Vinnie Jones, Hugh Bonneville, Daniel Ings, Ray Winstone and others repeatedly singled out for memorable turns.

The music is a standout for many reviewers, with early-2000s pop and Irish-flavored selections called exquisite, perfectly timed, or tremendous. One critic did tire of repeated needle drops, so the enthusiasm is strong rather than unanimous.

The soundtrack is praised for helping exposition and action keep moving without overwhelming the show’s darker moments.

The Belfast and Donegal speech is part of the fun, with slang, wisecracks, and Derry-accented digs adding a strong sense of place. One reviewer even recommends subtitles so none of the craic slips by.

The friendship does more than trade insults: the women are pushed to own their choices and repair damaged trust. Reviewers found that reckoning genuine, especially when the story connects present behavior to older wounds.

The tight focus on Eddie, Susie and Bobby can keep the story clear, but several critics dislike how Season 2 sidelines Susie or beloved comic supporting players for long stretches.

At least one small continuity choice earned explicit praise: damage to the women's car remains visible instead of magically disappearing after the mishap. That kind of follow-through helped the chaotic road trip feel coherent.

The series is repeatedly praised for feeling unmistakably Northern Irish and Irish, from Catholicism and language to pop culture, geography, humor, and the lingering aftereffects of the Troubles. Several reviewers saw that specificity as one of its richest qualities.

Strong language, drug-related crime, beheadings, torture and adult themes make this a poor fit for family viewing, even when the comedy is playful.

Derry Girls echoes, cameos, mural nods, and Easter eggs delighted many fans without preventing this series from developing its own identity. A few critics thought the callbacks lingered too long or made the follow-up feel derivative.

New mythology and mysticism around Bobby and Stanley add unusual lore to the crime story. One positive review finds that weirdness surprisingly effective in clarifying the season’s larger vision.

The opening is an immediate hook: reviewers call it a doozy, sharply funny, and fascinating. It establishes danger, friendship, and mystery quickly enough to make several viewers want to keep going almost at once.

Luxury watches and rare wines are integrated with unusual attention to character and setting rather than simply dropped in as prestige labels.

The Eddie-Bella romance is a recurring weakness, often described as rushed, underdeveloped or unconvincing. A minority view finds Bella a fitting match, but Eddie and Susie’s connection draws far stronger enthusiasm.

The score is used effectively to intensify tense scenes, with one review highlighting its droning presence under volatile action.

One negative review finds the season oddly sexless despite its macho fantasy tone. Sexual material is otherwise not a major focus in the supplied reviews.

One enthusiastic review considers Season 2 not only better than Season 1 but also an improvement over the original film, strengthening the television spin-off on its own terms.

The season is clearly aimed at mature viewers comfortable with strong language, drug crime, violence and adult themes. Its content is presented as appropriate for that audience rather than younger viewers.