‘American Rust’ season 2 is a wild and bingeable crime saga
If the first season of “American Rust” was a slow burn, its sophomore outing may feel like a raging wildfire. Season 2 of the Western Pennsylvania-set crime saga is finally here after a long production cycle that included an initial cancellation on Showtime, subsequent resurrection by Amazon Freevee and eventual move onto Prime Video. Amazon’s flagship premium service opted to call season 2 “American Rust: Broken Justice” and drop all 10 episodes of the show’s Pittsburgh-filmed second season (and its entire nine-episode first season) on Thursday.
There are a few major differentiators between seasons 1 and 2. “Broken Justice” was spearheaded by creators Adam Rapp and Dan Futterman, the latter of who mostly ran show during season 1. While a lot of “Broken Justice” still takes place in the fictional Western Pennsylvania town of Buell, Pa., way more of the plot unfolds within the Pittsburgh city limits.
The show’s pacing has also been ramped up exponentially and is a much more compelling episode-to-episode experience than some of season 1’s more plodding installments. It’s extremely bingeable, and this critic ended up watching the final 5 1/2 “Broken Justice” episodes in a single day. I simply had to know how wild things were going to get!
“Broken Justice” picks up shortly after the events of season 1, which was based on Philipp Meyer’s 2009 novel “American Rust.” This original story tasks Del Harris ( Jeff Daniels), the Pittsburgh Police Department’s newest detective, with solving a series of potentially connected murders. He also must contend with some shady colleagues and the sharp investigative instincts displayed by his new partner, Angela Burgos (Luna Lauren Velez).
Del’s paramour, Grace Poe (Maura Tierney), remains in Buell to keep an eye on her PTSD- afflicted son, Billy ( Alex Neustaedter), and finally divorce her unreliable ex, Virgil (Mark Pellegrino). Grace makes some powerful enemies even as she secures a lucrative new job courtesy of suspicious fracking outfit Landwill Energy.
Elsewhere, Isaac English (David Alvarez) is now working for Landwill while also further exploring his sexuality; his sister, Lee (Julia Mayorga), is figuring out her relationship with Billy while also harnessing her legal skills to help some folks standing up to Landwill; and new Buell police Chief Steve Park (Rob Yang) is convinced Del fled Buell due to his alleged involvement in a recent triple homicide.
There’s a lot going on in “Broken Justice,” but the show makes every effort to help viewers keep track of motivations, relationships and the larger conspiracies at play. Its twists and turns don’t always make complete sense, but there are enough genuine surprises to mitigate the few that don’t totally work.
As Yang said in a recent Post-Gazette interview, “Broken Justice” “launches out of a cannon” and never lets up. Sure, it leaves ample space for important emotional beats and even intermittent bouts of levity. But the reveals come quickly and furiously, bodies pile up with increasing regularity and the pace remains consistently breakneck, while only occasionally veering into freneticism.
Pittsburghers will have the added benefit of probably recognizing some of the show’s filming locations. Buell is a hodgepodge of various Western Pennsylvania boroughs from Aspinwall to Charleroi. City-dwellers may enjoy the Pittsburgh PD station set up in the Strip District, Grace’s dinner at the Grand Concourse in Station Square and Del dodging seemingly oblivious yinzers while walking along Penn Avenue Downtown.
Locals can also expect quite a few more references to regional staples ranging from
Primanti Bros. to the annual Vintage Grand Prix in Schenley Park. While “Broken Justice” admirably tries to immerse viewers in its setting, some may be disappointed that there’s still no one on this show attempting a Pittsburgh accent. I maintain that remains for the best, but to each their own.
All the major returning characters feel like fully realized versions of their season 1 personas. Daniels is ever-reliable as the sardonic and world-weary Del, who spends “Broken Justice” carrying out a highstakes mission he can’t afford to fail. Grace is on a warpath against everyone she feels wronged her, and Tierney chews plenty of scenery while portraying Grace’s rage and willingness to get ahead by any means necessary.
Neustaedter wears Billy’s mental and physical anguish on his sleeve, while Pelligrino continues to amuse as a lovable Lothario and shockingly shrewd businessman. Putting Billy and the English siblings under the same roof created fascinating new dynamics. Alvarez gets to turn on the charm as Isaac gets more comfortable in his own skin, while Mayorga effortlessly communicates Lee’s internal struggles and professional competency.
Shout outs are also in order for Yang’s unflinching intensity as Park’s obsession with Del and Grace grew; the playful intelligence Velez displays as Burgos uncovers her workplace’s dirty secrets; Kyle Beltran as a disquieting Pittsburgh PD employee; Christopher Denham as a mysterious Landwill operative; and Emily Davis’ return as daffy District Attorney Sue Herlitz.
“American Rust: Broken Justice” is more action-packed, narratively enthralling and (somehow) Pittsburgh-centric than its predecessor. Maybe Prime Video’s higher-ups also realized how exceedingly bingeable this show is and bet that audiences would likely agree.
We’ll soon find out if that gambit paid off.