Rich Man Poor Man – Book II
By John Sheridan, Blockbuster.co.uk

Peter Strauss, Bill Bixby and Susan Blakely star in this popular and well written seventies melodrama.

The sequel to the Emmy® Award winning mini series starring Nick Nolte, Peter Strauss and Bill Bixby; Rich Man Poor Man – Book II starts straight where book 1 finishes off – with our hero Rudy Jordache (Strauss) catching Falconetti, the man responsible for the death of his troubled brother. Following the funeral at sea, Rudy pressures his sister in law to surrender custody of her son Billy so he can ensure that he is raised right. Wanting to get rid of everything that reminded her of the loss of her husband, she agrees and Billy moves in with his uncle.

The story then jumps on five years – Rudy Jordache is an aging Senator, desperately trying to remain decent in a world of corruption and scandal. His stepson Billy is away at school, playing football and flunking academics – just like his father. The series follows Rudy as he has to deal with his family problems, a corporate rival and the re-emergence of Falconetti, who is determined to claim revenge for his time in prison.

Book II of Rich Man Poor Man was broadcast in the mid seventies and instantly became an American favourite. Indeed, this has proved to be so popular in the UK, that Universal Playback has declared that this is one of their most requested titles of all time. And it’s easy to see why.

Like other great dramas, what really stands out with this particular series, is the fact that the story is painted in shades of grey – there is no right and there is no wrong. Our main hero Rudy will take actions that at times come across as quite ruthless while on other occasions, he puts others ahead of his own political career. It is this honest portrayal of a powerful man that makes the whole series so compelling.

Fans of the first book will enjoy this second season immensely. I wouldn’t bother watching this without first watching the first book – simply because this is what I did and the plot was completely unfathomable. I had to go back and watch the first book for this all to make sense. Add this to your list now.

Episodes 5 - 8

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