Nowhere is that clearer than with the reintroduction of Peter Capaldi’s sinister Gideon, a serial killer who kept bumping off people linked to social worker Lucy Chambers (Jessica Raine). After discovering that he’s lived several lives and can “remember” the future before it happens, a premonitory skill she shares, this time the series furthers their uneasy alliance – and will make you have some sympathy for the devil.
However, as Capaldi explained to Zavvi, knowing this character’s journey has ensured he’s always had some sympathy towards him, which is why Gideon is one of the most challenging parts of his career.
He said: “His role in the first season was as a storytelling function; he was always revealing what was going on, but this was shown to the audience in a different light. Always knowing his backstory made me grow more sympathetic towards him, and I had to carry that with me throughout.
“He has this immense knowledge from which there is no escape, and because of that, there’s very little that surprises him: he’s been around the block many, many times. However, the choices he makes still might not be the right ones, even if they can be seen as being for the right reasons, which can be very tricky to play.”
Raine added: “I always felt Gideon was so scary in season one, because he was so desperate. And that did trick the audience; he comes across as sinister, psychotic and unhinged, but the more you get to know him, the more you understand the reasons why he’s doing what he’s doing.
“He’s actually a hero, and that turn is perfect – to realise that because of the timelines, you’ve been sympathising with him since the beginning, but have just been tricked into thinking otherwise! It’s incredibly clever writing.”
Another key reason that the dynamic between the two has shifted dramatically: Gideon is no longer only sharing the screen with Lucy when he’s handcuffed to a table and interrogated.
Capaldi added: “In the first season, we were simply pitted against each other, but this time we’re bonded uncomfortably together, pursuing a very specific task. This changes the dynamic of how they work with each other, but they bond over being in a lonely place; they are the only two people who have this knowledge of the future, and that separates them from the rest of humanity.”
Naturally, the comparisons between Gideon and Capaldi’s take on The Doctor will inevitably rear their head once again, but the actor finds them to be incredibly surface level. For one thing, “Gideon is a human being, and he only has a human form!”
Picking up from the season one finale, in this season we get properly acquainted with DI Lucy Chambers, an alternate universe variant of the protagonist who also finds herself drawn into Gideon’s web. Consider it a remix of the first season, which recontextualises everything we’ve known so far.
Naturally, the creative team want in-depth discussion of where the season goes – and the tragic event which binds Gideon and Lucy closer together – to be left unspoken until fans get a chance to discover it. However, Raine is fast to admit that flipping between two distinct personalities was a tougher challenge than anything she faced in season one.
“They’re two sides of the same coin, and you can’t stray too far from how the audience has perceived Lucy because they already know and love one version of her – but it’s fun to see how far you can push it.
“Obviously, her life has had a different trajectory, and she has a different appearance, so approaching the character requires a lot of diving into her backstory to work out how those changes shaped who she became. This version is a lot tougher and colder, is far more ambitious and is laser focused on her job; the only time she smiles is when she’s with Ravi (Nikesh Patel), who is the love of her life in this timeline, and that’s a deeply romantic theme in the show.
“But we didn’t shoot the season in a linear way, so I was constantly flipping between the two Lucys; we read the scripts, and then they scrambled us with the shooting of it. We didn’t even shoot episode one first!
“Making The Devil’s Hour is a lot of worrying that you’re never going to get your head around the material, then watching it back and seeing it works well onscreen. I can't verbalise the experience of making it very well as it scrambles my head, which isn’t very helpful when speaking to you.”
The third and final season of the show has already wrapped production, and with it comes another iteration of Lucy Chambers who Raine isn’t shy to admit is her favourite of the three. And as she describes it, the journey she’s been on with the character is only going to get more satisfying as the series slowly transforms her into an anti-hero.
“It was really gratifying to see Lucy go from being a frazzled and torn social worker, to a tough, kick-ass woman who’s in control. But I can’t wait for people to see season three Lucy, and the way she continues to evolve there.
“In season one, Gideon felt like an unhinged hunter, and in season two, she begins learning from him and gaining his knowledge. In season three, she becomes a full-on vigilante and feels like Gideon in season one – you will come away thinking she’s gone insane.”
Capaldi, on the other hand, thinks he has a far more tantalising way to tease what to expect from season three.
“Season one is a spin dryer you can’t quite get to work, and season two is a washing machine where a red sock has gotten into the white wash. In season three, the washing machine is still malfunctioning, but nobody can figure out why.”
Yeah, maybe don’t quit the acting for a job in marketing Peter...
Season 2 of The Devil’s Hour premieres on Thursday, 17th October on Amazon Prime Video.
