When conspiracy swirls against a backdrop of British aristocracy in a TV show, viewers often find themselves staring down dark nooks meant for dark deeds. Plenty of this happens in the second season of Surface on Apple TV+.

Set to unspool today, at the heart of the show is award-winning British actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who straddles two characters — Sophie Ellis and Tess Caldwell — as the scene moves from posh San Francisco to twisty London.

Two years ago, we saw the gorgeous Sophie, owner of a grand San Francisco home with a walk-in wardrobe swelling up with designer clothing and a diary packed with social engagements, suddenly losing her memory after — apparently — jumping off the side of a ferry in an attempted suicide. The truth, of course, turned out to be deeper. Nobody could be trusted, not even her husband James Ellis, a wealthy guy played by Oliver Jackson-Cohen. One discovery led to another and before she could say “thingamabob”, the season ended on a cliffhanger, inviting viewers to London.

In the new season, London becomes a character and so does the idea of being a part of the British aristocracy that wants to preserve power and have secrets buried here and there. The season answers why she ran away from her roots in London, what happened to her mother and why she did what she did. In London, Sophie introduces herself as the posh-sounding Tess Caldwell.

“What’s different in this season is it’s so personal to her (Sophie). It’s about her identity, her mother and her sense of justice. I understand the need to find out about one’s parents. If you didn’t know about your background or you felt you were lied to about your family history, I totally understand that… it’s about the connection to yourself and that aspect goes to extreme lengths in the show. Everybody wants to feel connected to their family somehow like they belong somewhere,” said Gugu over a video call.

The 41-year-old actress is known for roles in films like Belle, Beyond the Lights and Miss Sloane, besides being the darling of the British theatre scene and a familiar face on TV (Black Mirror, The Morning Show and Loki).

‘Fight for your character’

Surface has Veronica West (Ugly Betty to State of Affairs and High Fidelity) as its creator and showrunner, and the show is produced by Hello Sunshine. Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter serve as executive producers on behalf of Hello Sunshine. Gugu is also credited as an executive producer.

“It’s been an amazing challenge and a real opportunity to grow into it. I’m an actor first. When I’m on set, I want to be in the moment with my colleagues. As an artiste I think what’s been fascinating for me is having a window into pre-production and post-production and the development of the show with Veronica West and with Hello Sunshine being a part of everything, from the outlines of the scripts to the score at the end and the edit… that has been fascinating… to see how it’s all made and also have a voice in how it’s all made. It’s more work that’s for sure. When you are the central character, I think it’s only right, in a way. Hello Sunshine promotes this, led by Reese Witherspoon. She has led by example in her projects. When you are the central character, you have a unique perspective; you fight for your character, but also you’re part of the DNA of the whole journey. I’ve learned even more this season being in London, in my home territory with a British crew and a much bigger British cast. It’s been special,” Gugu told t2.

Driven by getting to the truth, the journey to London needs her to infiltrate the British aristocracy, in particular the Huntley family. Her connection to Eliza (played by Millie Brady of The Last Kingdom fame) is key to opening doors. Eliza has the power to fill in the gaps in her memory. Being a part of the aristocracy, access to her is not easy.

“I felt like I could straddle two things. On one side, Eliza is very much part of this dark, traditional old-money, slightly evil family. It feels scary and insolent. Then on the other side, she’s trying to break away from that, not wanting to carry on those old family history. I really loved breaking out of that and then coming more into the modern-day people owning their history and wanting to make changes,” said Millie.

With the level of wealth and influence the Huntleys possess, they have the power to alter the trajectory of normal checks and balances in society, so journalist Callum Walsh (played by Gavin Drea) sets his sights on dismantling their reach. Walsh is a reputable investigative journalist who’s always kept a close eye on the Huntleys, making Sophie’s appearance in his life quite fortuitous. But that’s a story for another day.

‘There are lots of hidden secrets’

By the time you are into the second or third episode, Surface has hints of a British spy thriller, which clearly distinguishes the new season from what we saw in 2022.

“I love the spy genre and our show definitely has elements of glamour. We’re definitely in this luxurious, privileged world. You sense that beneath the surface of these aristocratic families, there is darkness, and there are lots of hidden secrets. But I prefer to look at Sophie more as an investigator of her own life. She does get caught up with an investigative journalist and that idea of being a detective of your own life perhaps (lends) the glamour of a spy genre,” said Gugu.

Despite all the glamour, at the back of Sophie’s mind is a simple question: What happened to her mother? “I think that Sophie’s mother is the heart of her journey, finding out what happened to her. In episode one, she finds out that she was murdered or she believes she was murdered. Sophie has a few fragments of memories of her mother, but I think that what is sort of the emotional core for Sophie is that she doesn’t have a lot of memories of her mother. I think if she had a little bit more of her childhood that would fill in the pieces for her emotionally,” said Gugu.

In addition to Gugu, returning cast members Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Millie Brady are joined by new stars Phil Dunster, Gavin Drea, Rupert Graves, Tara Fitzgerald, Nina Sosanya, Joely Richardson and Freida Pinto in the new season of Surface.