'Surface' Season 2's Great Cast Suffers From a One-Note Mystery

Two and a half years ago, the season finale of Apple TV+'s Surface had its amnesiac protagonist, Sophie Ellis (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), instigate a massive cliffhanger and then knock off to London, escaping a lot of mess she created in San Francisco. It wasn’t until December 2022 that Apple TV+ renewed the series; now we finally get to see what’s become of Sophie, her abandoned husband, James (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), and her intended pursuit of regaining her memories about her family and youth growing up in England.

While Mbatha-Raw made Sophie’s memory search compelling to watch in Season 1, along with the supporting cast, there were too many “telegraphed twists and turns” to keep us on the edge of our seats. On the positive, this season, the series' creator/showrunner, Veronica West, and her writers have streamlined some of the busyness that plagued Season 1. But they’ve made Sophie’s search almost too simple, so the audience is woefully ahead of the story by the middle of the season.

However, the move to England for production and the abundance of beautifully shot and lit London locations have elevated the show to an attractive fantasy on steroids. If looking at super beautiful people in silk kimonos and couture clothing ticks your TV viewing boxes, Surface Season 2 is absolutely here for you. If you’re a mystery fiend hoping for Surface to rise to its potential, be ready for some disappointment as it falls short again.