Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Kaley Cuoco, Zosia Mamet, Griffin Matthews, Rosie Perez, Audrey Grace Marshall, Mae Martin, Santiago Cabrera, Sharon Stone, Deniz Akdeniz, T.R. Knight, Michelle Gomez, Colin Woodell, Mo McRae, Callie Hernandez, Joseph Julian Soria, Yasha Jackson, David Iacono, Jessie Ennis, Erik Passoja, Shohreh Aghdashloo, James Seol, Bruce Baek, Briana Cuoco, William DeMerritt, Mary Ann Welshans, Cheryl Hines, Alanna Ubach.

Noir has its very own space in the appreciation of creative film making, a specialised set of laws seem to govern its existence, the sense that it is the genre we not only receive an unheralded amount of satisfaction from, but one that is fluid in its appearance that unlike for example horror or romantic comedy, it has never found itself at the forefront of debate on whether it has reached an ending, the fear that the crowds and audiences have had their fill.

Noir may have been heralded as the ultimate form of expression of film making when its character was fully understood and written about, but its descendants on television or in their cinematic form have gone on to brighter things, they have transcended arguably their original concept and given rise to a higher form of understanding of the complexity of the art; and in a society that has at times found itself staring down the barrel of the gun of absurdity and government backed damage, it is no wonder that television series such as The Flight Attendant have been received with open arms and open minds.

In its second series, the year-long declared sobriety of Cassie Bowden, played with her usual enormous charm and timing by Kaley Cuoco, is at the forefront of the action, the hoped-for accomplishment of seeing through the eyes of the newly ideal, of the temperance that comes with clear though, is soon stretched as Cassie’s life once more spins out of control as her situation of juggling the dual role of being a flight attendant and a civilian asset for the CIA starts to interfere with her ability to stay alive, to be a good friend, and stay sober.

It is in the erratic nature of alcoholism that the Noir effect of the series takes its drama from, the hallucinations, the observation of American culture through the eyes of the myriad of dispossessed feelings, drowning in a sea of over thinking, over intimidation, out of control abuse, the sheer comedy to which Kaley Cuoco has trained all her life to show with ease and perfection, and when you add the suspense of the case, the unknown element of the double of the want to be intoxicated heroine who is causing mayhem and murder around the world, so the Noir stands tall and in grand style. It may be in high-definition colour, but it is Noir to the bone.

With outstanding performances by Zosia Mamet, the exceptional Griffin Matthews, Mae Martin, Santiago Cabrera, Sharon Stone, and Audrey Grace Marshall, The Flight Attendant’s second season is much valued and welcome television.

Ian D. Hall