'The Night Manager' Season 2 Episode 4 Review: As the dead man awakens, can Tom Hiddleston's Jonathan Pine protect his identity?

Are you one of those who has been wondering what’s wrong with the pace of The Night Manager Season 2? Have you been missing the adrenaline kick, the thrill that was present in Season 1 because of the constant cat-and-mouse chase, and the fact that Jonathan Pine was always on the edge of being discovered by Roper? Well, well, well, Episode 4 is here, and the pace is back, baby.

Let me offer a fair warning first. If you have not watched the series yet, especially Episode 3, STOP right now. We will be discussing a key spoiler, because the twist at the end of the third episode is where everything changes.

No wonder the stakes are now re-calibrated, because someone has just woken up from the dead (I’ll keep trying not to give spoilers, but it’s all going to be very telltale). The dead man rising has serious consequences, because Pine now has to recalculate who really is on his side in this mission and whether anyone can be trusted at all. More importantly, will his identity now be out in the open? If you’ve watched Episode 3, you already know the answer, because who really runs away from the dead, anyway? And if Teddy felt like a formidable foe until now, a much bigger danger awaits Pine as he struggles to deliver on his promises while keeping the people crucial to his mission safe.

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Watch the trailer of Episode 4 here:

The episode also deepens its exploration of power dynamics. Trust here is transactional and temporary, and Episode 4 makes it clear that loyalty is a currency that depreciates fast. The antagonistic forces are no longer looming abstractions; they are active, present, and increasingly perceptive. The danger does not arrive with explosions or chases, but with realisation, the slow, creeping sense that Pine may finally be visible in ways he cannot undo.

The episode oscillates between maintaining the restraint it showed earlier and picking up pace when it matters. Tom Hiddleston, at the centre of it all, plays Pine with admirable control, letting calculation replace charm. He remains flawless, as does his chemistry with Diego Calva, who plays Teddy. What exactly are the makers attempting here? Is there more to Pine and Teddy in the episodes to come, or will the return of the dead man dominate the narrative? The latter feels unlikely, given how carefully this season has been unfolding, much like the first.

Episode 4 brings a towering figure back into the picture, and in doing so, opens up more than one avenue. It throws a series of questions at the audience: will Jonathan Pine be able to safeguard his true identity? Will the visceral urgency, which was one of the biggest USPs of Season 1, return in full force? And now that the battle is about outsmarting enemies rather than outrunning them, can Pine even manoeuvre his way out while continuing to support the side he’s chosen, especially when everything around him threatens to crumble?

_The Night Manager_ Season 2 is streaming on Prime Video. Four episodes are currently available, with the remaining two set to release weekly, one every Sunday at 10.30 pm IST.