See Season 2 Ep 1-3 Review: Gory action between Jason Momoa & Dave Bautista's Voss brothers takes center stage

See

See Cast: Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, Alfre Woodard

See Creator: Steven Knight

Streaming Platform: AppleTV+

See Stars: 2.5/5

While the first season of See left us with the right amount of questions, the second season of the show takes off on a good pace as we see Baba Voss (Jason Momoa) gearing up to return to Trivantis to have a face-off with his brother Edo Voss (Dave Bautista) who was merely mentioned in the first season finale but finally makes an appearance in the second one. The show which is set in the post-apocalyptic era didn't earn as much praise for its first season given its similarities to Game Of Thrones, particularly on the visual front. See despite of boasting of a stellar cast, had failed to become a show that would become unmissable, mainly due to its plot that consisted of ample loopholes and some outrageous twists. As for the second season, given the first three episodes of the show that were provided for critics screening, one can say that the show still seems to focus on creating visually hard-hitting action but is lacking in terms of character development.

The second season of See kicks off with Baba Voss' (Jason Momoa) daughter Haniwa (Nesta Cooper) being held captive by Edo (Bautista). Chained in Edo's dungeons, her capture is the perfect trap set by Edo to finally lure his brother to return to Trivantis and have a face-off that he always hoped for and to avenge their father's death. Haniwa (Cooper) is unaware of the Commander General that she sees being her uncle. As seen in the first season's finale, Princess Maghra (Hera Hilmar) still has the army looking for her family consisting of husband Baba Voss, and her twins Haniwa (Cooper) and Kofun(Archie Madekwe). In the first three episodes, we also see Haniwa and Kofun learning about the true identity of their mother, as well as the fact that she's alive. Although with the Voss brothers it remains uncertain if will neither of them survive or who will outlive the other is what's left to be seen.

One of the highlights of the second season is that the show takes no time to suck you back into the post-apocalyptic world and it's almost like you never left. The first episode begins with the gory action that the show is synonymous with as blood is spilled and we see Jason Momoa's character teaching his son Kofun to kill with his eyes shut because the sight doesn't make you feel the kill, it's the sound of the gut, the piercing of flesh that makes it a kill one will remember. Seeing Kofun's disgusted expression, most of us will feel the same. It's not just this scene though, there's a lot more gore spilled across the three episodes that could make you retch.

In terms of the cinematography, it looks like the second season continues to find itself in the same space where it has a GOT hangover when it comes to its snow-laden landscapes. Although the good visual bits truly lie in the empty spaces, dilapidated constructions, and mansions that don't look palatial but rather dingey. The idea that without sight, the dull setting and gloom remain the main theme works for the most part.

What the show does continue to lack though is its character development. While the first season itself didn't leave us far too invested or rooting for anyone in this hunting down each other adventure, the same continues with the second one too but one can hope that beyond the first three episodes, there lies a clear idea about where the characters and headed and mainly why. One of its biggest setbacks is that See visually looks like a period piece but when it comes to its original plotline, it's a dystopian world. The mixture of the two never seems to seamlessly blend leaving viewers nothing but confused about swords being flailed and prisoners tucked in dungeons.

The action sequences without a doubt remain the highlight as people get ruthlessly chopped down and throats are being slit. For those who enjoy the genre of gory action, it's a treat as these sequences are well crafted and look authentic enough with some sleek sound effects.

In terms of performances, it's truly an epic face-off as Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa come together in a frame. They seem perfectly cast as the Voss brothers with a bitter shared history. Bautista makes a strong debut into the series and I expect it's after the first three episodes that things truly pick up for his character as he once again tries to hunt down his brother after losing him alive once. There's a major showdown waiting to happen and if the makers follow a regular template, it could be in the mid-season episode. As for Alfre Woodard's Paris, we don't get to see her much in the first few episodes but its certainly one of the characters that has something key to offer to the storyline.

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From what we have seen, See's second season doesn't come across as a must-watch, but for those who were left intrigued by its first season, some answers will be answered but the show's trajectory more or less remains the same as the first time around.