TV Review: Elite Pivots to Deliver Another Compelling Mystery in Season 2

If you're worried about a sophomore slump, then I'm happy to report that the first two episodes of Elite Season 2 are better than every episode of the first season.

There are so many big swings in those first two episodes that it becomes clear the show is not going to be dishing out the same plots as the first time around.

The series has evolved in a way that compliments the tone and gives the characters more depth than ever before.

If you thought the storylines in the freshman season were adult, then just wait until you watch Elite Season 2.

With Marina well and truly out of the narrative, there are three new characters that make their presence felt in those initial episodes.

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It's rare for new characters to enter a well-established universe and instantly connect with viewers, but there's something alluring about all three of them.

They have rich backstories that leave viewers with many questions.

The mystery aspect of Elite has never been stronger, and even the overarching mystery is a cut above the original.

Having a character missing instead of dead allows for a more intriguing chain of events. There are way more possibilities because there could be a variety of reasons for someone to go missing.

On a show like Elite, it's easy to see why someone would want to go on the run. The same can be said for someone murdering someone. It's all par for the course with this group of wickedly-witty teenagers.

The series can still be described as Gossip Girl meets Big Little Lies for all of the greatness that entails.

The themes very much remain the same, but the characters are given a lot more meaty storylines to work with during the second season.

Even in death, these characters still manage to find things to argue about, but there's no denying that it comes with the territory of teen dramas.

Guzman, who did the most growing up throughout Elite Season 1, continues to be the character you'll care the most about.

He is still struggling to come to terms with his sister's death, but there are far more things on his mind than just that when the series resumes.

His decision to tell Nadia's father that he'll not speak to her if she is allowed to return to the school plays on his mind, and that could be heavily attributed to his continued spirals.

He's also still very much in the dark about who really murdered his sister. He wants to believe Nano is the killer, presumably because any other person would be from his friend circle.

Polo is still in the mix, but he doesn't appear to really care that he was the one to end the life of his best friend's sister. It's a convoluted web of deceit, but it's entertaining as hell.

Nadia is pushing the boundaries because she's worried that she is missing out on life because of the strict rules that are enforced by her parents, and they make a point of enforcing them every other scene.

She plans to have more fun during Elite Season 2, and that comes with its own fair share of complications.

As for Carla, she doesn't seem to be cracking under the pressure of knowing the truth about her best friend's murder.

Instead, she's all about keeping up appearances, and that can only mean her relationship with Christian will continue to blossom.

Christian is taken by the lavish lifestyle that being in a relationship with someone of Carla's social stature offers, but he runs the risk of choosing that life over the one he knows well.

Samuel continues to be the most frustrating character, and that's the biggest problem in this series. He blames his connection to the school for his brother's incarceration.

But he also has to confront the fact that his brother was much closer to Marina than he could ever have anticipated.

Even though Samuel is not in the best place with Nano, the storyline dictates that he's working double shifts with the aim of scraping up bail money for his brother.

The show excels in showing the contrast in class between the characters, once again.

Of the new characters, Rebecca is the clear frontrunner. Her family has money, but she also remains a down-to-earth individual who understands that the wealthy children of Las Encinas are all getting up to no good.

She makes an immediate connection with both Samuel and Nadia, presumably because she prefers to hang around with level-headed people as opposed to the others.

Rebecca brings plenty of conflict and much of that can be attributed to her family moving into the house of one of the show's more affluent families.

Yes, one of the rich families is losing their home.

Did I mention that Elite Season 2 takes multiple swings?

The other newcomers, Valerio and Cayetana, are not boring by any means, but Rebecca is a much more exciting character based on those initial episodes.