'Bloodline': Ben Mendelsohn on what to expect from Danny in season 2

Did you really think after season 1 of Bloodline — with the central mystery of how and why Danny Rayburn (Ben Mendelsohn) died resolved — that the Rayburn family would live happily ever after in the Florida Keys? Of course not! This is a family (and show) where the secrets and lies and deception and what-the-hell twists will continue to come at breakneck speed.

Perhaps the best news is that Ben Mendelsohn, who was nominated for both an Emmy and Golden Globe for playing the Rayburn’s black sheep sibling, is back. Because, as you will see, Danny Rayburn may be gone, but he’s certainly not forgotten. “These guys had a game plan the whole time,” Mendelsohn says of show creators Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler, and Daniel Zelman. “They knew exactly what they were going to do.”

A lot of season 2 will focus on Danny’s backstory — including the circumstances and relationship with his secret-till-now son Nolan (Owen Teague). “It’s really poignant and horrible and beautiful and sad,” says Mendelsohn. “There’s the whole sins of the father idea but in some ways Nolan carries Danny’s sentencing with extra time in solitary.”

“Look, that’s the joy of the writing on this show and the characters. They run pretty deep,” he continues. “They don’t get silly with it. It always passes the sniff test.”

Check out the exclusive featurette that has all the Rayburns — played by Kyle Chandler, Linda Cardellini, Norbert Leo Butz, and newcomer Teague. And if you want to catch up with EW’s recaps of season 1, you can find them here.

Bloodline returns to Netflix on May 27.