The opening episodes of Wreck series two feel bigger, bolder and even more twisted and bloody than those of series one as Ryan J. Brown reunites with directors Chris Baugh and Louis Paxton. Watch Wreck series two on BBC iPlayer and BBC Three from Tuesday, 26th March.
Easter is a time of binging on chocolate and hot cross buns, but this year, based on the first two episodes, the only Easter binge you’ll need is Wreck series two. Wreck series one took Frightfest by storm with its killer cruise ship in August 2022, with a second series announced shortly after its BBC Three and iPlayer premiere. Now, after what has felt like a long wait, the second instalment of Ryan J. Brown’s proudly queer horror is here, and it is packed as tight as a festival-goer’s rucksack with deliciously dark twists and turns. The first two episodes are equivalent to a tub of decadent ice cream you have just opened. You say to yourself, I’ll have a few spoons, then devour the lot in one sitting!
Spoiler warning! I am about to recap series one, so if you still need to watch it, turn on iPlayer, catch up, and return when you’re done.
As series one opened, we witnessed Pippa (Jodie Tyack), a worker on the Sacramentum cruise ship, being pursued by a knife-wielding killer duck before jumping overboard to her inevitable death. We then jumped forward a few months to find Jamie (Oscar Kennedy), Pippa’s younger brother, working on the Sacramentum, having switched places with his friend Cormac (Peter Claffey).
Jamie’s goal was to find out what happened to his sister at any cost, and it wasn’t long before he met the vivacious Vivian (Thaddea Graham), to whom he entrusted the details of his mission. But what Vivian and Jamie discovered was far more elaborate than a knife-wielding serial killer dressed as a cartoon duck. The whole ship was a murderous maze where young people were hunted as sport for the rich, with the powerful global conglomerate Velorum steering the game.
But, as the sun set on the Sacramentum cruise ship following Jamie and Co.’s bloody victory, it was clear that the ship wasn’t the only place Velorum was playing this deadly game.
Series two opens six months after the cliffhanger of series one as Jamie, Vivian and Lauren (Amber Grappy) attempt to reveal the truth behind the killer cruise ship and Velorum’s dastardly games. Jamie’s relationship with Olly has hit a snag due to his obsessive need to “out” Velorum, and he still isn’t aware that his sister, Pippa, is alive. But for all Jamie and Co.’s persistence in attempting to warn the public about Velorum, nobody is listening! And Velorum have brought the silence of their fellow shipmates.
However, as their fellow crew splash their new cash, two figures in duck masks pick them off one by one. When the bodies mount, a series of clues leads to a wellness festival deep in Slovenia’s forests. Knowing they need more evidence to bring Velorum down, Jamie, Vivian, Amber, and Co. set off to discover the truth behind the deadly wellness festival. But no one is prepared for what they find!
The opening episodes of Wreck series two feel bigger, bolder and even more twisted and bloody than those of series one as Ryan J. Brown reunites with directors Chris Baugh and Louis Paxton. Like Series One, Brown’s screenplay features some brilliant nods to horror history in the opening two episodes, from Midsommer to I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Meanwhile, the brilliant Oscar Kennedy has the space to further build on his Jessie Walsh-inspired final boy. There is much to love in these opening episodes, from the return of a stunning ensemble cast to a host of new characters, including Sam Buttery’s Jean, Orlando Norman’s Ben and Buck Braithwaite’s wellness guru Tristan.
So grab some healing crystals, light a scented candle and get ready for a group wellness festival like no other! Because if you thought series one was dark, fun, proudly queer and delightfully twisted, you ain’t seen nothing yet!
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