Fans of The Old Man, our long wait is almost over. Yes, the critically acclaimed spy drama is finally coming back after more than two years on September 12, and that itself is exciting enough. But another fantastic bit of news came to light thanks to The Old Man season 2 trailer: Dave and Carol are back!
The trusty Rottweilers of Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges) were last seen being put in a very swanky dog hotel as Chase and Zoe (Amy Brenneman) went abroad to try and evade the FBI and deal with Chase's past. It was a very emotional goodbye as viewers had become extremely attached to the two dogs and we didn't know if we would ever see them again. Turns out we will, but the circumstances in which they are coming back may be a bit of a surprise. It appears the dogs have new loyalty: to Zoe.
As many of you likely recall, Zoe was initially dragged into Chase's problems when he rented her guest house and then FBI agents attacked. She was very much over her head in the beginning, so Chase made sure she was protected when he wasn't there with Dave and Carol. Though she began to gain more confidence and aptitude in the spy games as things went on, Chase still felt it best to send her home at the end of The Old Man season 1. Zoe wasn't thrilled with that, and now it seems she is using her newfound confidence to turn things on their head.
In The Old Man season 2 trailer, Zoe appears with Dave and Carol at her feet. She clearly retrieved the dogs and bonded with them even more. So much so that it looks like one of the dogs growls at Chase. That's a helluva power play by Zoe to potentially turn Chase's own dogs against him.
So we can all be happy that The Old Man season 2 is bringing back Dave and Carol, but there was plenty more to get excited about in the trailer. Let's take a closer look at some more standout moments.
- Sticking with Zoe, let's take a real look at that first moment she appears in the trailer. Not only does she have Dave and Carol with her, but she is at the home of Joel Grey's Morgan Bote, the sinister authority figure who wanted Chase dead last season. She says in voiceover, "I understand now. What the stakes are." Then she is seen talking to Chase, "It's a scary thing, this weapon that I've been given." Damsel in distress no more. Zoe is going to be a major player this season.
- I was in the camp that Alia Shawkat deserved an Emmy nomination for her performance in The Old Man season 1. Alas, it did not come to pass. But she looks great again here. It should be riveting to see the journey her character goes through now that she is being held by her biological father, Faraz Hamzad (Navid Negahban), where she will learn more about Chase. Plus, it seems like the two are destined to finally share the screen together, which should be electric.
- The action looks great. One of the things that we loved about The Old Man is the scenes between Bridges, Shawkat, Brenneman and John Lithgow. They were so well performed that they were as tense and entertaining to watch as the show's action scenes. I fully expect that to continue, but the action set pieces look bigger and better than ever this season. And with Chase on the warpath to get his daughter back, I can only imagine what's in store.
You can catch up with The Old Man season 1 right now on Hulu in the US ahead of the show’s September 12 premiere on FX (there isn't a UK release date yet, but like season 1 it'll stream on Disney Plus).
In the meantime, check out the trailer for The Old Man season 2 right here:
