The Last Thing He Told Me Season 2 Review: A Hollow, Absurd Sequel

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The Apple TV+ series The Last Thing He Told Me begins with Hannah (Jennifer Garner) desperately trying to understand the disappearance of her husband, Owen (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), while also trying to connect with his guarded daughter, Bailey (Angourie Rice). The first scene shows Hannah reacting to Owen’s picture on her phone by destroying the device and immediately searching for Bailey, who is also missing. The story then jumps back in time to show happier days, hinting at the mystery that unfolds.

Season 2 doesn’t measure up. While Season 1 wasn’t flawless – the clues often appeared too easily for Hannah and Bailey, and the reveal of Owen’s backstory felt jarring – it did succeed in building a heartwarming relationship between a stepmother and stepdaughter, evolving from tension to genuine affection. Season 2 lacks that emotional core. After the final episode, viewers are likely to question the nearly three-year wait for a story that strangely favors mob families and portrays the FBI as unnecessary.

The Last Thing He Told Me Doesn’t Understand Who the Villains Are

Season two jumps ahead five years and is based on Laura Dave’s 2025 novel, The First Time I Saw Him, which follows up on The Last Thing He Told Me. Owen returns with a bigger part, giving Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who is a naturally engaging actor, more to work with. He’s focused on getting his family back together, but that means taking down the dangerous Campano family. At the same time, Hannah and Bailey are getting to know Bailey’s relatives, including her grandfather, Nicholas Bell (played by David Morse). It’s important to note that Nicholas has a strong connection to Frank Campano, the powerful mob boss, as his lawyer.

The season begins with Hannah and Bailey enjoying Nicholas’s birthday party, but things quickly become strange. Bailey seems completely unfazed by her family’s criminal connections, while Hannah only gets upset when Frank arrives. This moment signals to the audience that they’ll need to accept a lot of unbelievable events to get through the season.

The show deserves credit for immediately signaling that it’s anything but ordinary. It quickly establishes that the various storylines don’t quite connect, and things only become more chaotic as Hannah and her friends get increasingly involved in the Campano family’s issues. This makes for a surprisingly entertaining experience, as long as you accept its absurdity and follow its rules. Otherwise, you might find yourself in a difficult situation like Owen’s.

Adding to that, The Last Thing He Told Me takes an unexpected and strange turn, but ultimately fails to land convincingly. While The Sopranos portrays criminals as flawed but still reprehensible people, this show avoids that complexity. The Bailey family isn’t portrayed as complicated, but rather as simply good people who’ve been misunderstood, despite their criminal actions. This becomes particularly noticeable as Bailey investigates her mother’s death, with almost everyone—including herself—refusing to acknowledge the most obvious suspect.

Throughout the series, the most genuinely unsettling character is Frank’s son, played by Luke Kirby, due to his unpredictable and illogical actions. Interestingly, the show’s creators seem more willing to listen to criminals—even those who commit terrible acts like murder and drug dealing—if they remain calm. Amidst all the chaos, Owen consistently stands out as the only rational and grounded character.

Hannah and Bailey Complicate Season 2’s Story

This raises questions about the show’s goals for the characters of Hannah and Bailey. The series has hinted at a potentially interesting direction – exploring how ordinary people can be driven to become flawed or even villainous due to difficult circumstances. A story like that, told from a female perspective, could be really compelling. However, the show doesn’t seem to be heading that way. Instead, it appears determined to portray Hannah and Bailey as purely innocent heroes, focused on maintaining a perfect facade. This lack of complexity makes them feel distant and hard to connect with as real people.

Hannah has definitely grown since last season. She’s much more self-sufficient and prepared to protect herself and her daughter, Bailey. However, this newfound strength comes with a constant sense of paranoia and makes it hard for her to trust even the people she loves. This creates compelling drama. Plus, Anna Garner delivers a fantastic performance, portraying Hannah not just as a protective mother, but as a woman who demands more from life. When the script allows her to explore Hannah’s past, Garner truly shines.

Bailey has thankfully moved past the angsty teen phase from last season, but her character has become surprisingly flat. Now in her early twenties, she’s almost entirely focused on uncovering the truth about her mother, and she hasn’t grown at all from the events of the first season. She repeatedly overlooks important clues and misplaces her trust in people, which is clearly meant to create conflict with Hannah. However, Bailey’s choices end up being more annoying than helpful to the story, which is disappointing given that the actress, Rice, is very talented.

Bailey isn’t alone in behaving as if she’s experiencing the world for the first time. The story frequently features characters who act with a sense of invulnerability, even though they say they understand the risks. A key element of the plot is Bailey’s ability to remember things from when she was a very young child, which becomes increasingly important to her investigation, but also raises questions about how reliable those memories actually are. Surprisingly, the characters often try to solve problems simply by talking to the very people who pose a threat to their lives.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Is Wonderful In a Bigger Role

Owen is a complex character, and his reappearance brings old conflicts to the surface. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau seems to bring a lingering sense of mystery to the role, likely due to his long-running part on Game of Thrones, suggesting Owen is still keeping secrets. The show is hinting at a deeper backstory, but it’s unclear if they’re deliberately pacing the reveals. What makes Owen interesting is the idea that his flaws stem from his strong desire to protect his daughter, giving him depth and believability.

The cast also features strong performances from Josh Hamilton as Charlie and Augusto Aguilera as Grady Bradford. Grady was a standout in Season 1 and continues to be a valuable character, even with a smaller role this season. It’s great to see Hamilton more involved, although the show could explore Charlie’s personal struggles with his complicated family further. Meanwhile, Lily Greer plays Quinn, Frank’s oldest daughter, who claims to disapprove of her family’s criminal activities, but she clearly has secrets and a darker side that’s compelling to watch.

While the show’s move to France and solid acting are positives, it lacks the weight to maintain suspense throughout the season. The central mystery isn’t as compelling as it was in Season 1, largely because the relationship between Hannah and Bailey has become more stable and less complex. Season 2 of The Last Thing He Told Me isn’t dull, but it doesn’t quite reach the level of a sophisticated crime drama, even though it clearly attempts to feel like one.

The Last Thing He Told Me Season 2 is available to stream on Apple TV.

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2026-02-20 11:07