Today Paramount+ begins the second season of its Australian original, Last King of the Cross.
For those who missed it, season one spanned John Ibrahim’s (Lincoln Younes) formative decades from a young child in 1978 in war torn Tripoli, Lebanon through to the arrival of his family in Sydney’s Western Suburbs in the 1980s; tracking his rise from a poverty-stricken, non-educated immigrant with no prospects to the King of Kings Cross.
When season 2 opens, John is pouring drinks behind a bar in Ibiza, having fled Sydney to escape the heat from the Royal Commission. He’s gone from top dog to a nobody, laying low is exactly what he needs. But he’s always watching, always learning, and the ecstasy-fuelled techno nightclub scene in Europe is giving him ideas.
When things go sideways in Ibiza, John becomes homesick and makes his way back to Sydney… only it’s not how he left it. The wake of the Royal Commission left Kings Cross dead, and Senior Sergeant Elizabeth Doyle (Tess Haubrich) is awaiting a rematch with her old foe. John’s return can only mean one thing- this major player is about to make a big move.
John’s brother, Sam (Claude Jabbour) has been incarcerated and is steadily building a following behind bars as he tries to create his own Black Flags chapter. When John visits, Sam feels like John abandoned the family, but John has a plan to regain the Cross’ glory and Sam suggests he hires Dean Taylor (Luke Arnold), one of his disciples on the inside.
John grapples with the changes the Cross has had during his time away- Tongan Sam (Uli Latukefu) and Steph (Heidi May) have tried to keep the order, but the Iron Bloods muscled their way in and a new drug lord, Benny (Matuse) has his dealers lining the streets,
John’s plans drastically shift to seizing control of the neighbouring Oxford Street- and he makes a new enemy in Ray Kinnock (Naveen Andrews), owner of the queer community safehaven LDT nightclub, who will employ every trick in his well-connected arsenal to keep John shut out of Oxford Street.
John moves on LDT, with both sides playing equally dirty to take out their rival. But with a war raging on multiple fronts, and danger lurking on personal and professional levels, John has his work cut out to make it back to the top.
Outside of his professional endeavours, John is also juggling his younger brothers, who are growing up fast and becoming their own men- Fadi (Alex Kaan), flashy with a taste for fast cars, partying and beautiful women, is the naive black sheep among a family of tough men, while the baby of the family, Michael (Dave Hoey) has a fearlessness towards violence and hangs with the wrong crowd, The Scorpions.
Sam Meikle and Fin Edquist pen the first two episodes of the season, setting the stage for a new chapter in the Cross. Younes continues to be as compelling as ever, with fresh faces Arnold and Andrews bringing intriguing characters to life.
Season 2 is captivating and just as good as season 1.
4.5 Stars
Last King of the Cross season 2 episodes 1 and 2 are now streaming on Paramount+, with new episodes released weekly
