Pagan Peak Season 2, on the Topic channel, reunites a broken Ellie (Julia Jentsch) and Gedeon (Nicholas Ofczarek) in Austria, chasing a killer who is the brother of a major local developer. In a risky choice by the creators, the two detectives don’t actually see each other until episode 5. After the events of season 1, both Ellie and Gedeon are deemed unfit for the job; Ellie mentally and Gedeon physically, as he is in the hospital recovering from being shot at close range. When a German woman is killed in Austria, the Austrian police request a German liaison officer. Ellie is on suspension for PTSD, so new detective Yela Antic (Franziska Von Harsdorf) goes. She’s not impressed with the police there, and decides to visit the legendary Gedeon Winter in the hospital. Gedeon and Yela work the case and make a lot of progress, but it’s not enough. A year later, Ellie and Gedeon must finish the job.
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The Gössens
Wolfgang Gössen (Christoph Luser) has a problem. His younger brother Xandi (Dominic Marcus Singer), who loafs around on his trust fund, is a murderer. Wolfgang is a prominent developer, carrying on the family name. He is plagued by the usual problems in real estate development, and now his brother’s crimes are interfering. Who will want to invest in an area with a serial killer? While helping Xandi clean up after a murder, Wolfgang convinces Xandi to get some help so he doesn’t ruin the family business, and name. That strategy works for a year. But the pressure builds, and Xandi explodes in a burst of killing and torture. Wolfgang tries to send Xandi to South Africa where they have a home, but Xandi won’t go. Now Wolfgang has a true dilemma.
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The Cops
Yela Antic is a new German detective. She is ambitious but is continuously denied being allowed to view interrogations, etc. She gets a break when she witnesses Ellie break down from PTSD and pull a loaded gun on one of her own men who startled her. Yela keeps that a secret, so Ellie brings her onto a case. But Ellie can’t hide her damage, and she ends up suspended for a year, while Yela heads to Austria to work on the murder of a German woman in the woods. Meanwhile, a newly sober Gedeon is going nuts, stuck in a hospital and not allowed to work. But then Yela walks into his room, case file in hand. Behind the scenes, Gedeon works the investigation via Yela. Turns out she is a natural detective-much too curious to settle for a suspect that lands in their lap. They make a good team, but the cops decide to accept the convenient suspect, and wrap up the case. A year later, after another murder, Ellie is brought in, and she and Gedeon work together to find the actual killer.
Our Take on Pagan Peak Season 2
Pagan Peak season 2 retains the sense of foreboding and beautiful cinematography of season 1. The case, although a serial killer, is different from the previous season, as Xandi has no societal statement to make. He’s simply a lonely, violent man who gets off on torture and murder. I’m not sure why the creators decided to keep Ellie and Gedeon apart for half the season. It was interesting to see them trade places, in a way. Ellie lost her cheery innocence from season 1, and Gedeon is far more sober and engaged than previously. The Xandi and Wolfgang story is interesting, but not new. On the whole, Pagan Peak season 2 is binge-worthy and satisfying.
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