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It took some time for audiences to warm up to season one of Nicole Kidman’s psychological melodrama Nine Perfect Strangers, another work adapted from a Liane Moriarty novel. That worked with Moriarty’s Big Little Lies, but showrunner David E. Kelley, typically a master at handling offbeat stories and odd capers—Boston Legal, American Horror Story, Anatomy of a Scandal, Pose—could not capture the right vibe in Nine Perfect Strangers. The consensus was that it would be a one-season endeavor.
So here we are, with an unlikely season two. Nine Perfect Strangers is still a mess of a series, but at least it’s a far more interesting mess in season two, thanks to a magnificent setting and a solid cast that includes Murray Bartlett, Annie Murphy, Christine Baranski, Dolly De Leon, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, King Princess, Aras Aydın, Lucas Englander, Henry Golding, Mark Strong and the fabulous Lena Olin, whom we don’t see enough of here. This season revolves more around Kidman’s Masha Dmitrichenko, an eccentric wellness expert who is unable to fully escape her traumatic past.
Same Premise, Different Setting
As in season one, season two finds visitors arriving at a posh resort, this time in the Alps, for a transformative wellness journey led by Masha. At first, she appears to be psychologically stronger than last season, but she’s still haunted by the death of her young daughter. Those wounds haven’t truly healed—why would they? It’s fun watching Kidman unravel—and one of this season’s twists involves the lengths Masha will go to fully mend the past and find justice. This filters into how she treats her visitors, too: Masha invites them to experience “revolutionary” treatments that include psychedelics for medicinal and transformative benefits. The wellness outpost in the Alps has been set up for that purpose, as well as serving as a safe haven for Masha as federal agents investigate her work back in the States.
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Helena (Lena Olin) and her ambitious son Martin (Lucas Englander) run the spa. Masha sees Helena as a savior, while Martin isn’t keen on Masha being there. The tension builds. One by one, we meet the “strangers,” beginning with Murray Bartlett’s befuddled Brian, whom we later learn is a washed-up children’s show host whose career was ruined by an on-set breakdown. The series likes to pair strangers, and Brian and Agnes (Dolly De Leon) are drawn together: Agnes is a former nun, and destined to serve. She’s the calm. Brian is the storm.
Other offbeat characters include Imogen (Annie Murphy) and Victoria (Christine Baranski). Look for some serious mommy issues between those two. Meanwhile, Tina and Wolfie (singer King Princess and Maisie Richardson-Sellers) have supposedly arrived to unwind; in truth, Wolfie led Tina to the spa in the hopes that she might reclaim her talent as a pianist. Meanwhile, Peter (Henry Golding) awaits the arrival of his billionaire father David (Mark Strong, channeling Elon Musk). Then there’s Mateo (Aras Aydın), Victoria’s younger lover, who tags along with his beloved but will have to confront his own issues. Woo-woo musings ensue, although this season’s therapy sessions are intriguing than, as in season one, overly annoying.
The Way Out is Through (Literally)
Murray Bartlett stands out as the hypo-manic, super-anxious fallen puppeteer. Mastering a broad range of emotions,
he is, at least initially, the most interesting in this crop of characters. Flashback scenes show us his mental breakdown, and there’s something relatable about Brian’s torment: He’s fallen over the emotional cliff, and Kelley seems to suggest that many of us have as well. Dolly De Leon, thrilling to watch ever since Triangle of Sadness catapulted her celebrity, is exceptional as Agnes, who experienced a traumatic event in a war-zone hospital and can’t shake what happened there. Brian and Agnes’s backstories are the most intriguing of this bunch.
As for everybody else, it’s psychobabble a-go-go. Murphy’s character is a “misunderstood daughter” trope, and Baranski is similarly ill-served by her role. Golding’s Peter fares better, as Golding adds nuance to a role that could have devolved into a “poor little rich kid” stereotype. Meanwhile, King Princess and Richardson-Sellers are put to the test as Tina and Wolfie, but they provide the most believable relationship of the group, and songwriter King Princess nails her role as the traumatized Tina.
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Secrets unfold along the way, of course, and this season has fun with big plot twists that create sharp pivots in the storytelling. Psychedelics play a major role, too, as they are Masha’s way of helping her guests get to the core of their true trauma. This would all have gone down more smoothly if Masha had been a more likable character. It’s one thing to offer unconventional methods of therapy, but when the route to healing means the “healer” is allowed to sidestep boundaries, it makes for some far-fetched plot twists. And yet, somehow it all works better here than it did in season one. Masha’s storyline works, the setting is stunning and Kidman is in fine form. But it’s Bartlett, De Leon, Strong and Olin who truly sparkle here, creating something fresh, mysterious and intriguing.
Season two of Nine Perfect Strangers premieres May 21 on Hulu. Watch the trailer below.
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