Mirzapur started with a bang three years ago. In the first season, we learn about the legacy of the Tripathi family. They are the rulers of Mirzapur. Munna Bhaiya is their youngest heir, while Kaleen Bhaiya is the king of the city. In a turn of events, the brothers Guddu and Bablu end up working for Kaleen Bhaiya and significantly improve his gun and drugs business. However, they unknowingly invite Munna Bhaiya’s jealousy and thus his wrath, which gets Guddu’s wife and unborn child and Bablu killed at his hands. The season ends on a cliffhanger, with the fate of the rest of it’s leading characters unsure.

Mirzapur season 1 received amazing reviews and was loved by the audience. The signature mark of the season was well thought characters and a strong plotline. Season 2 was one of the  highly anticipated shows of 2020. Unfortunately it fell short of meeting those mighty expectations.

The new season revolves around Guddu’s planning and actions  to destroy the Tripathi family. He works with Lala, the father-in-law of the groom Munna murdered last season. He starts dealing in opium and cuts off one side of Tripathi's business.  Golu and Guddu also destroy their gun factory, further damaging their power and reputation. They then put together their own army of goons for their final assault. Kaleen Bhaiya uses his son’s growing intimacy with the CM’s daughter, Madhuri to gain political power. He receives a setback when the CM’s younger brother gets the CM killed with the help of Sharad Shukla, a past rival from Jaunpur who also wants revenge from the Tripathis for his father’s death. In the power game, Kaleen Bhaiya further gets a rude shock when Madhuri claims the CM seat for herself, after getting her uncle out of the way. In a side narrative, Golu seduces one of the sons of Dada Tyagi, the patriarch of the Bihar mafia family, to expand their drug business. Beena gives birth to a son but no one knows who the real father is, since Kaleen Bhaiya turns out to be impotent. She plays the family members to their downfall to avenge her own suffering and to secure her new born child’s future. Munna kills Maqbool’s mother. Later, a revengeful Maqbool lets Beena, who has been repeatedly exploited, kill Babuji. The season ends with Guddu killing  Munna Tripathi and Kaleen Bhaiya being saved from the same fate by Sharad. The Mirzapur throne has finally been taken by Guddu.

From the first episode, it is evident that this season is not going to match the speed and calculative writing of last season. The shift is obvious, from no holds barred violence to a game of strategy, the ethos of the series has changed.

Many more characters are introduced, but the way they are written feels two dimensional. Most screen time is wasted on establishing scenes and introducing these minor and useless characters. who are evidently not going to take any major actions or decisions. Also, none of them can fill the void left by Bablu, Guddu’s brother.

Further disappointment is caused when the leads of the show do not undergo further character development.. 

The main motive of this season is to show the unfolding of the burning revenge, with the secondary theme of pawns turning into key players and changing the game. For example, Beena tries to secure herself and her child by eliminating Munna, Sharad waits for the right opportunity by placing himself deep in the enemy camp and even Maurya, who initially acts as if he is eating throughTripathi’s hand, is planning their demise.

Themes of emotional turmoil are also pretty evident in this season.  Golu hates Shabnam getting close to Guddu. She doesn't want Guddu to replace her sister’s memories or lose sight of their goal. We also see Munna taking time to get close to Madhuri. This is not expected from his character, buteven the heartless Munna Bhaiya starts showing shades of affection

But in the end, everyone is playing games they know best.

Guddu still is all brawn than brains. He is so consumed with the need for revenge, he doesn’t make plans and acts like a local mafia rather than a strategic leader. Golu is not able to fill the shoes of her ex-flame. Her character is reduced to a minor role and most of her screen time is used to establish her hostility towards Shabnam. Munna again acts like a child and keeps asking for his father’s position, while not doing a single thing to actually deserve it. The only exception is  Kaleen Bhaiya, who has lost his Bahubali image and gets easily manipulated by everyone around him in this season.

Secondary characters like Robin are downright annoying. Even the Tyagi family did not add any drama to the plotline but ran alongside it, incongruously. Sharad Shulka, who should have been one of the main antagonists, is side-lined. He never makes any bold moves and is shown waiting for the right moment throughout the season. 

The only side characters that were relevant to the story were Zareena and Anand. Both of them take their revenge on JP Yadav. With Kaleen Bhaiya’s help, they embroil Yadav in a sex scandal and remove him from the political gameBut JP Yadav's perverted character was always easy to destroy. It was just a matter of time. 

There is no strong story line that could connect one episode to another. Thus, eliminating the need to binge watch and get excited about the future of the characters.

The only part worth appreciating is the conclusion. The writers have taken  a big risk when getting Munna killed. However, if he doesn't die, the whole theme of revenge would not have a closure

This season is all about how the deaths of last season impact the characters and make them harder. People expecting a similar high like the adrenaline filled old Mirzapur are certainly disappointed. 

Series rating - 3/5