What awaits viewers in the second season of "Children of Change"

Following the release of The Boy«s Word (18+), films and series about the 1990s began appearing on screens one after another. But while the initial projects were still inspiring, over time the stories of gangsters settling scores to retro music became less intriguing, as the outcome seemed predictable. The creators of the series Children of Change (18+), who followed a well-trodden path in the first season, took note and made the second season»s story completely unlike anything that had come before.

How the first season of «Children of Change» ended

In the first season of Children of Change, the main characters were three brothers: the eldest Petya, the middle brother Yura, and the youngest Ruslan. They are children of a difficult era, surrounded by poverty, devastation, and the temptation of easy money.

Each brother has his own path. Petya joins a gang and eventually becomes its leader. Yura tries to devote himself to art and resist falling to the «dark side.» Ruslan is still studying and at a crossroads—he has yet to decide who to become in this world.

The link between the brothers is their mother, Flora. She works as a trolleybus driver and does her utmost to keep the family together despite the contradictions tearing them apart. To Flora, every son is priceless, but she sees more and more clearly how their paths diverge and dangers multiply.

Throughout the first season of Children of Change, viewers followed the dramatic fates of the brothers. Petya«s fall, as he lost a piece of his humanity with each new murder. Ruslan»s torment, facing a difficult choice: to forgive his older brother for brutally beating their father or to seek revenge—and thereby embark on the same criminal path.

Amidst this series of family dramas and internal conflicts, no one noticed where true evil was born. The season finale brings Flora to the forefront. Upon learning that her eldest son is a gangster who has ruined more than one life, she exclaims in a fit of rage: «I brought you into this world, I»ll take you out!« Soon after, a raid is carried out on Petya—according to some versions, organized by Flora herself. And when her son is arrested, she takes his place and becomes the head of the organized crime group.

Meanwhile, the middle son runs away from his family and hometown, wanting to start a new life far from all the conflicts. The youngest, however, cannot bring himself to commit murder and at the last moment, when he has every chance to shoot his brother, he stops. It remains unclear whether this is just a momentary weakness or a final decision.

What is known about the second season of «Children of Change»

The creators of Children of Change, Sergey Taramaev and Lyubov Lvova, did not immediately decide to make a continuation. In the finale of the first season, all plot lines were concluded, and they could have left it at that. However, they wanted to try to move away from the typical crime drama and create a sequel where the struggle between mother and son takes center stage.

In the second season, we will no longer see Flora as the guardian of the hearth. While her son serves his sentence, she has taken the helm of the criminal world, trading her colorful dresses and headscarf for a leather coat, black lipstick, and hair always tied in a bun. When Petya is released, he wants revenge and to reclaim his former power, but his mother is not ready to give it up so easily.

«The mood shifts towards harshness, cruelty, I would say. Because the relationship between the son Pyotr and his mother becomes absolutely antagonistic. And if the first season was an attempt to unite the family and mend relationships, here it»s «you today, you tomorrow,»« director Sergey Taramaev said.

In addition to the confrontation unusual for crime dramas, the creators of the second season of Children of Change have prepared a few more surprises. To evoke a sense of nostalgia, they didn«t limit themselves to just 90s music. The image of filmmaker Aleksey Balabanov will appear on screen, whom the middle son Yura will meet in Saint Petersburg and hear the director»s famous question: «What is power, brother?»

Each of the characters will have to answer this question and understand whether family still remains their strength or has now become a weakness they must rid themselves of.

The cast of the second season of Children of Change will expand. Danil Steklov, who rose to fame after The Outsource (18+), and the star of The King and the Jester (18+)—Konstantin Plotnikov—will join the series.