TV Review: Warrior Nun Season 2 Returns To Kick Some Religious Ass
Christianity is weird. It can be one of the most made fun of religions, but also be one of the strictest. It image torn between being bullied and blindingly exalted. Hence, Warrior Nun is fascinates me because it returns a mythos to a religion that, by all means, is very mystical. Hello! Resurrect From The Dead! A Three For One God! A Virgin Mother!
We pick up Season 2, with Ava bartending somewhere and trying to hide from thew Fallen Angel: Adriel. Having wrapped the world with belief that he is a literal, healing force, Ava (Alba Baptiste) is trying to keep a low profile so as to train with Sister Beatrice (Kristina Tonteri Young). When I tell you Beatrice steals the show, I am not lying. She provides such a nuanced, emotional connection with a Ava that I was pulling for them; I am talking Villanelle and Eve chemistry, but built on a tenderness and faith that the world can and should be saved.
One of the most motivating aspects of this series is how it genuinely finds humanity worth saving; something that if you scroll through social media is not always a prevalent attitude. Yet, this season of Warrior Nun brings a level of coolness to faith, and a badassery that feels smoothed and amplified by genuine character development. If last season fell like a lot, this season feels like much. It is gorgeously shot through Spain, with some of the funnest, elaborate action sequences I have seen in a show. After all, a highly choreographed fight between karate chopping nuns and demon priests is very hard NOT to watch. Yet, it is the mysterious new, potentially archangel Michael (Jack Mullarkey) that has all wondering whether Heaven is actually paying attention.
If last season was about finding God and trying bring His presence back to earth, this season felt like Heaven trying to call down and say, ¨Hey, we hear you! You do not have to fight bad guys alone!¨ The feeling that Heaven is on Ava’s side allows for some really cool Christian relics to be incorporated on her adventure, and some more heartfelt, redemptive storylines via Tristan Ulloa´s Father Vincent and Lorena Andrea´s Lilith. Both become emblems of how we feel God abandons us when we, too, abandon ourselves. In a way, this season becomes an entertaining look on whether faith is as much a religious theme as a personal issue: how you believe always matter in how you follow. Warrior Nun Comes Out On Netflix November 10.
