The Alienist is based on the novels by Caleb Carr, following the late 19th century adventures of criminal psychologist Dr. Laszlo Kreizler (Daniel Brühl), a pioneer in forensic psychiatry. In the first season, Dr. Kreizler teamed up with newspaper illustrator John Moore (Luke Evans) to secretly investigate a serial killer murdering young boy prostitutes in New York City. Joining them in this effort were police secretary Sara Howard (Dakota Fanning)—the first woman employed by the NYPD—and twin brothers/police detectives Marcus (Douglas Smith) and Lucius Isaacson (Matthew Shear), who specialize in forensic science and crime scene investigation.

The second season opens in June 1897, one year after the events of the first season. Everyone has been trying to forget the horrors of the city’s first serial killer case. While some of them have made some big life changes, Laszlo continues to run his Kreizler Institute. Dr. Kreizler has been trying to help a woman named Martha Napp (Raise Beardsall), who has been sentenced to the electric chair for the murder of her child, even though she maintains her innocence, and the body of the baby has never been found. Laszlo promises Martha that no matter what happens, he will find her missing child, determine its true fate, and clear her name. Meanwhile, John Moore is now a proper journalist for The New York Times and is engaged to Violet Hayward (Emily Barber), daughter of William Randolph Hearst (Matt Letscher). He helps Laszlo in his quest for justice, writing what he can about the Martha Napp case for the paper.

Meanwhile, Sara has created her own private detective agency, along with assistant Bitsy (Melanie Field). Spain and the United States are on the verge of war, and there is a lot of anti-Spanish sentiment brewing. So when Senora Linares (Bruna Cusí), the wife of a Spanish diplomat, discovers that her baby has been kidnapped, she calls upon Sara to discretely investigate the situation. However, it turns out she primarily contacted Sara due to her connection to Dr. Kreisler. Initially Sara is a bit insulted but doesn’t react. Instead, she suggests that, as a woman, she would be better equipped to handle the case herself, and would seek the alienist’s help if needed. It quickly becomes clear that this child’s abduction is likely connected to the Martha Napp case, and so it isn’t long before the whole gang is back together again, though with Sara taking the lead this time. Their prime suspect is Dr. Markoe (Michael McElhatton)—the man who had Martha Napp convicted of killing her own child—but they are going to need proof, and retired police chief Thomas F. Byrnes (Ted Levine) is once again up to his old tricks, protecting the rich and wealthy, and throwing wrenches into their investigation. Time is quickly running out to find the missing child alive, and stop the killer before more babies disappear.

The Alienist is a tense, gritty, period drama that doesn’t shy away from the shocking or gruesome, often taking dark, twisty turns. This season makes for an excellent binge as each episode ends in a way that leaves the viewer eager to see what happens next. The creators have done an excellent job of recreating this era and transporting the viewer back to the late 19th century. What I like about this show is that each season is a limited series, following a different case from start to finish, reaching a satisfying resolution. Each season can be enjoyed on its own—there is nothing preventing a new viewer from jumping right in on this case without having seen the first season. At the same time, each season also further develops these characters, giving them their own growth and story arcs. This second season focuses a lot on Sara and her fight to prove herself as a woman in a man’s world. Besides starting her own detective agency (staffed with other women), she is also using her building to secretly host women’s suffragette meetings. Meanwhile, John is also struggling to prove himself as a journalist, which is difficult when your future father-in-law is William Randolph Hearst!

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has released this second season on both DVD and Blu-ray. I was sent the DVD version for review. For the most part, the SD presentation of the episodes looks quite good. However, as someone who generally only watches stuff in HD or 4K these days, there is definitely a general lack of sharpness, clarity and level of detail in comparison to the original HD airings. This is a beautifully shot series, and it deserves to be seen in HD—the Blu-ray also includes a digital copy, making it the more-preferred version of this release. The show’s 5.1 audio track provides clear dialogue and does an excellent job of giving the viewer an immersive experience, particularly during the thunderstorm that opens the season, or when the characters are out and about in the busy streets of New York, attending an engagement ball, and so on. The show’s exciting score also sounds fantastic. The second season is spread across three DVD discs, which are packed in a standard-size DVD keepcase with a tray in the center, which is places inside a carboard slipcase along with an insert detailing the contents of the episodes/discs. The discs contain about 11 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes that were originally produced to promote the season airing on TNT.

What’s Included:

Episodes: (6:31:15)
• All 8 episodes of the second season:
  Disc 1: “Ex Ore Infantium”, “Something Wicked”, “Labyrinth”
  Disc 2: “Gilded Cage”, “Belly of the Beast”, “Memento Mori”
  Disc 3: “Last Exit to Brooklyn”, “Better Angels”
• 480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
• Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH

Extras:

• Inside The Alienist: Angel of Darkness, The Hunt for a Killer (2:56)
  The cast and crew discuss the premise of the second season. Includes interviews with executive producer Stuart Carolan, and stars Dakota Fanning (“Sara Howard”), Daniel Brühl (“Dr. Laszlo Kreizler”), Luke Evans (“John Moore”), Douglas Smith (“Marcus Isaacson”) & Matthew Shear (“Lucius Isaacson”).
  
• Inside The Alienist: Building the World (3:29)
  The cast and crew discuss recreating late 19th century New York City in Budapest. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with production designer Ruth Ammon, VF supervisor Douglas Larmour, executive producer Stuart Carolan, and stars Dakota Fanning, Daniel Brühl, Douglas Smith & Luke Evans.
  
• Inside The Alienist: Angel of Darkness: Dressing a Modern Woman (2:43)
  Costume designer Rudy Mance and star Dakota Fanning discuss “modern” woman Sara Howard and her style. Includes behind-the-scenes footage.
  
• Inside The Alienist: Walking the Set 2.0 with Luke Evans (2:18)
  Star Luke Evans gives viewers a tour of some of the sites in Budapest, where the series was filmed.
  

Final Thoughts:

The Alienist is a gritty, sometimes very dark drama that transports viewers back to the late 19th century for a look at the dawn of forensic science. The series has a beautiful setting, interesting characters, and takes some tense, twisting turns. I enjoyed this second season just as much as the first. However, due to the limited series nature of the show, this season can still be fully enjoyed even withough having seen the first. This release comes recommended for anyone who’s a fan of crime mysteries or period dramas. While the DVD presentation is more than satisfactory, the Blu-ray release is definitely the way to go—for around $5 more, you get the season in HD plus a digital copy of the episodes—it’s a no-brainer!