‘The Night Manager’ EP Breaks Down “Empire Strikes Back” Season 2 Finale

While it may have taken a while to see the second season of The Night Manager (10 years, to be exact), the new batch of episodes starring Tom Hiddleston’s spy didn’t disappoint. The new season first premiered with three episodes on January 11, followed by a new episode every week until the devastating season 2 finale on February 1. Unlike the first season, which had a definitive ending (given that it adapted the entirety of the novel it is based on), this new season ended on a note of ambiguity and darkness for its lead characters. Thankfully, the executive producer behind the series has helped to make sense of the tragic undertones of the season finale.

Speaking to Gold Derby, Night Manager executive producer Georgi Banks-Davies revealed that the second season of the series was meant to serve as the darker middle chapter. Given that the series has already been confirmed for a third (and final) season, it makes sense that the creative team would harken back to one of the most famous middle chapters of a trilogy of all time: the second Star Wars film, The Empire Strikes Back:

“We knew early on when David was writing this season that it would essentially be the first part of a two-part ending. It’s The Empire Strikes Back— the middle of the trilogy where the bad guy wins. Pine has one on the board and now Roper has one on the board. The score is like 1-to-1 going into the final part of the trilogy. There was always the knowledge that there would be a final part written. Tom would describe it as knowing the size of our runway and that we’re only halfway at the runway before we can properly take off. So it influences the season, but it also means you can be braver and that’s exciting.”

Fans Won’t Have to Wait Long For ‘The Night Manager’ Season 3

Prime Video

Season 2 of The Night Manager ended with two surprising deaths, Oliva Colman’s Angela Burr and Diego Clava’s Eduardo “Teddy” Dos Santos. Although it is a sad way to end the season, viewers can at least take solace in the fact that the story of Hiddleston’s Jonathan Pine isn’t over yet. Moreover, Davies would also let Gold Derby know that fans won’t have to wait as long for the next season as they did this second chapter, promising that closure would come sooner rather than later:

“There’s no start date yet, but I can say you definitely won’t have to wait 10 years! Also, it’s still to be confirmed if I’m directing. It feels right, because it’s a six-hour movie. It’s not structured, shot or built to feel like a six-part limited series for television. It’s constructed like a film and that’s why you have to be patient. So yes, it does feel right to me; anymore would feel baggy and any less would be devastating.”

It’s always exciting when a series knows not to overstay its welcome. With The Night Manager season 3 set to be its last, the definitive conclusion will hopefully have a more optimistic conclusion than its second season.