Spoilers ahead for “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.”
What do floral gardening gloves, a microphone, headphones and a board of clues have in common? Season 2 of “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” finally made its entry on streaming on May 27, inspired by the events of “Good Girl, Bad Blood,” the second book in Holly Jackson’s series.
It’s safe to say that Season 1, which was released almost two years prior, was lacking. The Pippa Fitz-Amobi (Emma Myers) we meet seems like a shadow of her book counterpart, and the clues are almost handed to her with no real challenge to her intellect—something readers fell in love with in the books. The major plot points dutifully followed the pacing of the book and the show was easy to understand, but the complexity, the imperfect characters and the consistent need to point the finger of blame at five people at once was gone.
However, there was one change that made viewers much more optimistic about Season 2. Jackson had joined the team of writers. What followed was a season filled with easter eggs, a darker tone, wonderfully messy storylines and the same punch that reliably delivers in every Jackson novel.
Season 2 revolves around several main storylines that intersect at many points throughout the story, picking up immediately after the conclusion of Season 1. First, there’s the fallout of the previous season. We see Cara Ward (Asha Banks) cope with the sudden attention brought about by her father’s arrest, and Max Hastings (Henry Ashton) is put on trial. In the midst of all of this, Jamie Reynolds (Eden H. Davies), the older brother of Pip’s friend Connor (Jude Morgan Collie), goes missing. So begins the frantic search to locate him, all while wondering who could be involved.
Pip as a character has far evolved from the innocent student trying to finish her senior project, and in this season we watch her mature and grow into the witty but assertive detective reminiscent of the books. She’s seen the delivery of justice first hand, and watched law enforcement fail at their job, which only encourages her urge to remain a vigilante. Despite the danger she had put herself through in the last season, she reluctantly agrees to spearhead the search, and we watch as she gets absorbed into the investigation, absorbing some of the darkness with it. She also becomes incredibly invested in the Max Hastings case, worsening her dynamic with him. This stress and her desire to bring forth justice causes her to deteriorate, which only intensifies in those final devastating moments. Myers conveys this transition beautifully, allowing the audience to clearly see Pip’s internal conflicts and struggles, a major part of the novel that is otherwise impossible to display on screen.
Then there’s the chemistry between our Sherlock and Watson, that is to say Pip and Ravi (Zain Iqbal), which only strengthens with the events of the season. Their relationship has been given time to mature and they stand as lifelines throughout the events of the season. Part of the plot surrounds their attempt to define their relationship amidst the chaos which allows viewers to receive a small piece of happy romance floating through the darkness.
Max Hastings’ trial had a great effect on all of the events of the story, but it also sent a clear message about the law and how it can be evaded. Myers shows this driven side of Pip once again as she attempts to bring him to justice. Ashton perfectly conveys the dark and twisted nature of Hastings, making each trick he plays to evade the guilty verdict all the more horrible. We enter his home, and realize where he gets it from—access to a well-paid lawyer ready to prove him innocent and a father flush with cash that just wants everything to blow over—and that to the law, he feels untouchable. The proceedings that take place throughout the season are heartbreaking to see, yet just as important to reality’s twisted sense of justice.
The soundtrack needs to have its own honorable mention, as it is a work of art within itself. If the many emotionally packed scenes were not enough, every single song choice made viewers all the more invested in what was happening, from pure feminine rage to suspense and apprehension. The soundtrack featured many notable artists, from Billie Eilish to Hozier to Lizzy McAlpine, as well as an original song made by Davies’ band: “So Long Silver.”
At the same time, many changes have been made from the book’s original plotline, and much of it was intended to bring the story closer together. Jamie’s disappearance is more closely tied into the Max Hastings trial, and the trial itself is much more at the forefront of the story than before. Stanley Forbes, the once antagonistic journalist and obstacle in Pip’s investigations, was reduced to a security guard after being nonexistent in Season 1. Pip and Ravi first meet him at the golf club to try and prove Max Hastings guilty, and he continues to pop up in places he shouldn’t be. While it would have been better had we have met Stanley sooner, his character gives the exact payoff readers were looking for.
Readers and fans of the novels will know what is waiting for them in Season 3, and it is the time for us to begin the appropriate emotional preparations. If this season was not clear about how dark this story could get, Season 3 will be the one to show it. What’s even better is that we may not have to wait that long. Mere weeks after the release of Season 2, Jackson announced that Season 3 is ready to be released, a tight season with only four episodes rather than six, with no increase in episode length. Myers has also joined the team of executive producers. What awaits us in this concluding season? It will take a sleuth worthy of Pip herself to solve that mystery.