The final two episodes of The Old Man‘s Second Season shake things up again. Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges) attempts to make a deal with Suleyman Pavlovich (Rade Serbedzija) agreeing to take responsibility for the Russian’s actions for a cure and cash to disappear. However, when that fails, it falls on Harold (John Lithgow) convincing his ex-wife to step-in and then it falls on Julian (Gbenga Akinnagbe) and Zoe (Amy Brenneman) to finish the job. The season ends with Pavlovich dead and the mine back in control of the locals and Dan and Zoe enjoying a moment of peace which, it turns out will be short-lived.
The final reveal at the end of “XIV” lets us know that Emily (Alia Shawkat) is alive (never trust an off-screen death on this show) and putting the skills she’s learned to use in Afghanistan. The season finale offers flashbacks filling in events of her time as a captive before helping the locals rise up and take back their land. However, the mineral deposits need defending, Harold is now the prisoner of Marion (Janet McTeer), and Dan Chase’s daughter has returned from the dead to demand his help.
The show’s winding nature teaches us again that there is no dragon to slay as the story continues long after Faraz Hamzad (Navid Negahban), Morgan Bote (Joel Grey), and Suleyman Pavlovich have all been killed. The reveal of Emily in the burning fields of Afghanistan is one of the best images of the show, and while Dan is overjoyed that his daughter is still alive, her survival and what she’s asking of him is about to make his life far more complicated than the simple retirement in the country with Zoe.
