Oh “Graceland.” I had such high hopes for you. 

During the USA Network’s first season of “Graceland,” I complained the show relied too much on “case of the week” episodes that broke up the cast as opposed to an overarching storyline. The second season tried to give exactly that, but instead ended up being a jumbled mess of convoluted plot points.

When the season picks up, Mike, played by Aaron Tveit, is working his dream job in the DC office of the FBI. In the midst of trying to stop a drug pipeline from Mexico, he gets pulled back to California by Paul Briggs, played by Daniel Sunjata, and is told a gang has put a hit on him. And that’s where the season goes off the rails.

I understand that “Graceland” was trying to have one plot line in which all the characters were involved, but with every episode, things got more complicated and more convoluted — so much so that viewers needed a road map to keep track of all the different angles the investigation was looking at. From Charlie’s (Vanessa Ferlito) bank heist situation to Johnny’s (Manny Montana) love triangle between a brother and a sister, the “family” of “Graceland” felt more spread apart then ever. Once again Jakes, played by Brandon Jay McLaren, drew the short straw on plot lines, instead popping in on everyone’s space if the episode needed him.

The worst part is that these are only the things going on in the case. The personal lives of those living in the house are a whole lot worse. There’s a pregnancy, a — semi-expected — hookup, and then a betrayal no one really saw coming. But again, there were so many things in the air no story really got to be completely fleshed out.

That said, there were two bright spots in the second season that deserve to be mentioned. For her part of the sting, Paige, played by Serinda Swan, focused on taking down a human trafficking ring, a storyline that could have carried the entire season by itself. Swan got some of the best scenes of the season, and she rose to the occasion every time.

The addition of dirty cop Sid Markham, played by Carmine Giovinazzo, added a little extra drama to the series. Giovinazzo played a welcome advisory for Tveit’s Mike. It’s already been confirmed that he will be returning for the third season, and I hope the show realizes he’s the only antagonist needed.

The season also ended on a major cliffhanger, a gutsy move considering the show has not yet been officially announced for a third season. I still have mixed feelings about the final moments of the finale, as I could see things going one of two ways. Either “Graceland” will chicken out and somehow find a loophole out of what just happened, or the series will need a serious reboot from what it was in its first two seasons. If the show gets cancelled before then, however, the viewers will be seriously cheated.

Bottom Line: You might need a map to chart the hot mess of a second season of “Graceland.”

2.5/5