It was a long time ago that I sat through Season 1 & enjoyed it, but I don't recall who got nailed for the main crime. That's because these Aussie-Brit series distract you with conflicts between the main guy & others, or with his obvious character flaws, so much so, that the BIG REVEAL slips past you. After some wait, I embarked on Season 2. As I recalled, Detective Jay Swan (Aaron Pedersen) is gruff, phlegmatic, and abrasive-but straight, determined & brave.
This time, a headless body is found on a shoreline in a distant territory, which means Jay shows up, sweaty & grumpy, suspecting everyone & responding to most questions by glaring & walking away. (A character in a popular Brit series does this, too and it usually means no romantic life. Colleagues or suspects HAVE to put up with that, but a spouse WILL not). A few things I noticed in this series: Swan never wears a flak-jacket, but in the outback, anyone can fire a rifle at you & it will be days before anyone is searching (might be a useful equipment upgrade); Swan overlooks formalities like search warrants, or proper arrests-do Aussie detainees die frequently before the case goes to trial, or something (so, who cares about procedure?); and, like James Bond, Swan goes into danger with no backup, situations that in reality call for surveillance and a supporting team. No one else even knows where he is. Me? I take a Swat-team, tanks, & Satellite-coverage. It is obvious drug gangs are behind the mayhem. Not the kind of fight you go to with an army-knife.
I also hope that customs and speech habits of the native folk are legitimate? I mean: I am Canadian- so I don't know. What if the writer is just guessing at how Maori elders & women behave? Ha ha, a big con on us foreigners. In series 2, we have an old native guy with a cane, threatening the police and a dumpy-looking blond archeologist who keeps digging up rocks or body parts. Finally, the women stand up to him. Hmmmm.
I now note here at IMDB that the series is based on a decent 2013 movie with the same guy. Maybe I will chase that film down, too, and see if I can get a feel for these characterizations. Meantime, I will plow through Series 2 & see whodunit.
7/10.. but stay clear if you can't stand mumbling, or people who walk away without explaining themselves.
This time, a headless body is found on a shoreline in a distant territory, which means Jay shows up, sweaty & grumpy, suspecting everyone & responding to most questions by glaring & walking away. (A character in a popular Brit series does this, too and it usually means no romantic life. Colleagues or suspects HAVE to put up with that, but a spouse WILL not). A few things I noticed in this series: Swan never wears a flak-jacket, but in the outback, anyone can fire a rifle at you & it will be days before anyone is searching (might be a useful equipment upgrade); Swan overlooks formalities like search warrants, or proper arrests-do Aussie detainees die frequently before the case goes to trial, or something (so, who cares about procedure?); and, like James Bond, Swan goes into danger with no backup, situations that in reality call for surveillance and a supporting team. No one else even knows where he is. Me? I take a Swat-team, tanks, & Satellite-coverage. It is obvious drug gangs are behind the mayhem. Not the kind of fight you go to with an army-knife.
I also hope that customs and speech habits of the native folk are legitimate? I mean: I am Canadian- so I don't know. What if the writer is just guessing at how Maori elders & women behave? Ha ha, a big con on us foreigners. In series 2, we have an old native guy with a cane, threatening the police and a dumpy-looking blond archeologist who keeps digging up rocks or body parts. Finally, the women stand up to him. Hmmmm.
I now note here at IMDB that the series is based on a decent 2013 movie with the same guy. Maybe I will chase that film down, too, and see if I can get a feel for these characterizations. Meantime, I will plow through Series 2 & see whodunit.
7/10.. but stay clear if you can't stand mumbling, or people who walk away without explaining themselves.