Set against the equally deadly worlds of politics and crime, Showtime's Brotherhood is television's new go-to series for gripping family drama in a post-Sopranos world. The violence can be sudden and shocking, but no less devastating are the words these conflicted characters wield at each other. "You are filth," compromised state representative Tommy Caffee (Jason Clarke) dismisses his dissatisfied wife, Eileen (Annabeth Gish), in the wake of learning about her … mehrdrug-addled affair. The season ends with a confession by Tommy to his brother, Michael (Jason Isaacs), whose criminal actions have once again thwarted Tommy's political aspirations, that could be as near fatal as the beating Michael took at the end of season one. Michael begins this season in recovery and prone to seizures and blackouts. That doesnʼt stop him from lobbying local crime boss Freddie Cork (Kevin Chapman) to put him back to work. Meanwhile, sad-eyed Declan (Ethan Embry), a cop and childhood friend of the Caffees, is separated from his wife, Cassie (Georgie Lyman), on the outs at work, and in the grip of alcohol and drug abuse. Tommy and Eileen are a couple in appearances only, while their eldest daughter begins to display behavioral problems, from stabbing a classmate with a pencil ("Did it break the skin?" Tommy asks) to dabbling in marijuana. The Caffee family dynamic is perhaps best represented in the Thanksgiving episode, in which matriarch Rose (the venerable Fionnula Flanagan), abandons the family celebration for a hotel tryst, leaving the family members to scramble to make the holiday meal. Suffice to say, as one family member ruefully notes, "the Caffees donʼt do loving and supportive." A welcome addition to the excellent ensemble is Brian F. O'Byrne as Colin, a distant and not entirely trusted (by Rose) cousin from Ireland, who quickly becomes embroiled in the family's affairs on both sides of the law. Brotherhood's second season fulfills the promise of the first, ratcheting up the dysfunctional drama, political machinations, and crime complications (Michael runs afoul of the rival Italian mob after a truck hijacking goes awry). Every episode this season is named after a Bob Dylan song. Nothing is made of this. It's just a little something something that ensures our continued support for one of television's most compelling and addictive series. --Donald Liebenson weniger