‘Angel of Death’, the menacing Polish thriller, is back for a second season courtesy of Walter Presents. Set in the Southern Polish town of Opole, birthplace of footballer, Miroslav Klose, we re-join the action after an incendiary end to season one which culminated in a terrible blaze. Season two begins with the trial of the evil serial killer and religious studies lecturer, Piotr Wolnicki. He’s pleaded not guilty, much to the bemusement of the authorities, who believed they had an ironclad case against him.
If you want to avoid all spoilers, please stop reading this now.
Key to their case is the evidence of Wolnicki’s teenage son, who was witness to his crimes in the fire. But will the boy testify against his father, or will a misguided loyalty to the man who raised him win out?
His mother does her best to convince him to tell the truth; but the cunning Wolnicki has devised a way to get messages to his son via the mysterious Lila. Lila and Piotr have a history, details of which we discover when she visits him in prison, looking like a blond femme fatale. Between them, they hatch a plot to get Lila into the Wolnicki family home, masquerading as an au-pair. Once ingratiated, she sets about convincing the boy that he should be a dutiful son, and that he should disregard his mother’s advice.
Throughout the trial, Piotr sneers like a malevolent superhero – his bookish exterior hiding the evil beneath the surface. And all the time, this silver-bullet – his son’s testimony – means the prosecution’s case is held in the balance.
You will have to watch it to see the outcome, but the tension and jeopardy are nicely ramped up throughout with some decent acting performances from Aleksandra Poplawska (as Police Commissioner Agnieszka Polkowska) and particularly from Maciej Stuhr as the evil Piotr W, doing his very best Hannibal Lecter impression. You may also recognise his face from The Teacher, another Walter Presents show.
Unlike many second seasons that stand alone on their own two feet, I really think you need to have experienced all of Season 1 before watching the second helping. There’s a useful (brief) rundown at the start, but – despite the flashback scenes – there’s a lot of baggage from the first outing that you really need to be aware of to fully enjoy the references in the second season.
The show was nominated for Best Fictional Series at the Polish Film Festival, so there’s some pedigree here – and the performances, script and direction are all of a high standard throughout. If I’m honest, I’m a little unconvinced by some of the plotting – but if you suspend belief and enjoy the ride, it’s a good watch.
One warning – there is a degree of violence against women, particularly in the first season when Piotr committed his atrocities. If you’re easily upset by such scenes, this probably isn’t for you.
But overall, if you’re a fan of the serial killer genre, you could do a lot worse.
Walter Presents: ‘Angel of Death’ Season 2 is available as a full boxset via All 4 now.
