An official adaptation of the original show by the same name, Part 2 of The Night Manager picks up from the same point where Part 1 had ended with the protagonist tightening his presence amongst a wanted arms dealer. Will he be able to stop him? The story here might not be too novel but it is cerebral and compelling in so many ways. The subtle mind games that are on between characters does make for an enthralling watch. The screenplay(of Part 2) comprising of 3 episodes of roughly 1 hour each has a little more urgency as compared to Part 1 which was a slow and steady buildup for the action to follow.

The drama jumps straight into the action(given how things are already setup) with the protagonist making his way tactfully in the gang of the antagonist who is an arms dealer. There are seeds of mistrust initially but the actions of the protagonist are enough to see him hold a very important position. Some of the subplots involving the Indian officials tracking the movement of the antagonist is pretty compelling as well. Elsewhere, a budding attraction is also shown to be blooming. All of these events are well controlled in a drama which unfolds at a leisurely pace. The pacing here serves two purposes – it helps you catch up with the previously setup drama in terms of the character dynamics, and secondly it adds texture and layer to the drama.

The proceedings are engaging and engrossing and make for a rather exciting watch. The subtle twists and turns in the screenplay make you curious on the next steps of the antagonist. At a point, you are also fearful of the fact that he may have switched sides which does add a whole new dimension to the drama. But there is a sense of purpose to the drama which is flavourful and wonderfully restrained in many ways. I did like how the writing did maneuver itself to the same location wherein the drama had started. After a couple of detours, this was indeed an interesting move.

The final act is enthralling for more than one reason as the writers do well in getting all the characters under one roof. That does ensure for fireworks, literally and figuratively, with respect to the setup. And because the characters are well established as well, you are emotionally invested in their journey. Just imagine, had Hotstar released all episodes in a single go, what the impact of the series would have had on you! I still did feel that the finale was a touch underwhelming considering that there could have been a couple more twists and turns including a little face-off, but overall the screenplay here is well written and adds the much needed urgency in the proceedings from Part 1.