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Gangs of London did not shy away from violence in Season 1, and it has only upped the ante in Season 2. No character is safe, not even the ones that you may be invested in.
We spoke to Corin Hardy, who directed several episodes of both seasons, about the ruthless nature of the show.
Hardy talked about how difficult it was to kill off fan-favorite characters on Gangs of London that he may have formed an attachment with. He also complimented yours truly for wearing an Iron Maiden shirt, assuring heavy metal aficionados about an Easter Egg in Season 2. Catch the season finale on December 29 on AMC+.
Read on to find out about Hardy's desire to make Gangs of London the most dangerous show on television.
'No one can be safe' - Corin Hardy has a clear vision for Gangs of London Season 2
Hardy echoed the sentiments of his co-star Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù who claimed that no one is safe in the second season of Gangs of London:
"No one can be safe. It was one of the steering points I suppose in making the show feel dangerous. I want Gangs of London Season 2 to feel like the most dangerous show on television. And feel at least, and I mean that as Ṣọpẹ́ says in the unpredictable sense as well as the action sense. And I want you to feel comfortable and settled that every episode is going to be the same characters every week and season upon season."
Hardy equated the feeling of anything-can-happen to shows like Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, and The Walking Dead, where fan-favorite characters can be killed off at a moment's notice:
"And a good example is Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones. It’s thrilling because it’s out of your comfort zone and that’s part of the escapism of entertainment. That you’re not settled in and you’re not sure what’s going to happen."
But the feeling of killing off Gangs of London characters is not something Hardy is particularly fond of. Sometimes, he develops a bond, an attachment to the said character:
"It is really heartbreaking. Sometimes, you know, as the sort of head director working with lead writer Tom Butterworth and co-showrunning Season 2, it was…sometimes I’d have ideas and sometimes I’d be like so and so’s character has to succeed, triumph and survive. Because I’ve grown to love them as an audience and then, one of the writers or Tom would pitch an idea that this character’s going to meet their end. And my initial reaction would be – ‘no, you can’t do that. Or we can’t do that’."
Hardy asked the audience to enjoy their favorite Gangs of London characters while they can, since nobody is safe:
"And then you sometimes realize that if I’m feeling that passionately about it, it’s the right decision because it’s going to cause such an effect. So there are some full-on twists and turns in season 2. Depending on where you’ve got to. But no one’s safe. So enjoy watching them while you can."
This is not a show for the faint of heart. If you've made it this far, catch the final episode of the thrilling show's second season on AMC+.
