In our final review before taking a summer break, Nordic Watchlist reviews The Congregation Season 2, which arrives on Viaplay in both the USA and UK this month. The first season was a major hit and quickly became one of our favourites when it premiered a couple of years ago — and now, the long-awaited follow-up is here.
The Congregation Season 2 – The Directors
Season 2 of The Congregation is directed by Goran Kapetanović, known for his work on Vanguard, Caliphate, and My Aunt in Sarajevo, and Patrik Gyllström, acclaimed for The Pirate Bay and The Detective from Beledweyne. Fredrik Agetoft, whose credits include Beck, Clark, and Arne Dahl, serves as the head writer.
The Congregation Season 2 – The Cast
Here are the key players in the six-part second season, with familiar faces returning and new ones playing a key role:
- Eva – Aliette Opheim (Thicker Than Water)
- Lilian – Amy Deasismont (Thunder in My Heart)
- Ann Britt – Jessica Liedberg (The Breakthrough)
- Pär – Einar Bredefeldt (White Wall, Dystopia)
- Olle – Joakim Sällquist (Trouble)
- Peter – Joakim Lang (Sounds of Summer, The Agents)
- Irma – Malin Persson (Riding in Darkness)
- Örjan – Alexander Jubell (Thin Blue Line).
The Congregation Season 2 – The Plot
Season two of The Congregation pulls us even further into Eva’s world — the so-called Bride of Christ. Following a brutal murder, the spotlight turns back onto the increasingly fractured Knutby Pentecostal community. A new pastor, Örjan, steps in and quickly becomes Eva’s confidant, but something more sinister begins to unfold — revealing layers of control, manipulation, and spiritual abuse beneath the surface of the church’s devout image.
The series is based on Jonas Bonnier’s novel, itself inspired by the chilling real-life events that shook Sweden in the early 2000s. With themes of coercion, arranged marriages, and twisted prophecies, this second season continues to lean into its psychological thriller roots — and it’s all the more unsettling knowing it’s grounded in truth.
The Congregation Season 2 – Our Review
If you enjoyed the first season of The Congregation, there’s a strong chance you’ll find this follow-up just as gripping. At first glance, you might wonder how the series can hold its weight without Alba August involved, but instead, it gives the supporting cast more room to shine – with both Amy Deasismont and Malin Persson stepping further into the narrative than in the previous season.
Alexander Jubell makes an immediate impact when his character arrives. He carries an air of mystery — could he be a much-needed force for good? When he strums his guitar and serenades the group, you start to believe he just might be. But once his path fully crosses with Aliette Opheim’s Eva, things take a turn – and more sexual chaos begins to unfold.
Once again, it’s Aliette Opheim who steals the show. If you thought she was terrifying in Season 1, she returns with a clear message: hold my beer. She is absolutely brilliant — keeping you on edge in every single scene.
A subplot following Ulrika Nilsson’s Lollo is particularly tense, as Eva appears to turn on her in brutal fashion, leading to a moment so disturbing it might genuinely make you gasp out loud (consider this your warning).
Lollo and her daughter Alice (played by Ylvali Rurling) find themselves at the heart of the storm brewing within the community, and things become increasingly uncomfortable. As Örjan morphs further into a manipulative, sex-obsessed presence, you find yourself desperately hoping that justice will eventually be served.
And of course, what makes this series all the more chilling is that it’s based on real events.
Will there be a Season three of The Congregation?
At this stage we are unsure as to whether a third season is planned for The Congregation.
