Finished the 8 episodes of the first series of the Australian production, Deadloch, and I hope there will be a second series.
Deadloch, a (fictional) town on the Tasmanian coastline, is experiencing a re invigoration, becoming a welcoming town for those who have abandoned cities and are looking for a community. Sort of. Many locals are less than thrilled with the newcomers, who are trying to develop a thriving LGBTQ+ community, and in the process raising the cost of living for some locals, and instituting events that rubs others the wrong way.
Dulcie and her wife, Cath, a veterinarian, are newcomers. Dulcie is also the police senior sergeant, assisted by Sven, who sees himself as less a policeman, more an office coordinator, and Abby, a fresh, new constable, more than a little unsure of herself. Deposit a dead body on the beach during the mayor’s feastival (not misspelled) and the plot begins. Eddie, a female detective sent from Darwin to solve the murder, only makes matters worse by trying to get away from this backwater town as quickly as possible. But when a second body is found in much the same condition as the first, it becomes clear there’s something darker at work here than a chance killing.
So far, so familiar, but at nearly every turn the show undermines the stock scene with something based on the eccentrics inhabiting the town: For instance, an overhead tracking shot of the surrounding countryside, complete with moody music and a sense of nature’s brooding danger, that wouldn’t be out of place in Big Little Lies, begins to follow a white pickup, the cloth covering the truck bed of which begins to bulge and suggest squirming. Underneath Dulce, Abby and Eddie argue as they try to get into the police station unobserved by reporters.
In U.S. TV terms, in tone this is a little like The Sinner if written by the writers for Picket Fences or Northern Exposure. I’m especially impressed with Kate Box, who plays Dulcie who is the – forgive the term – straight man for every one of the eccentrics of Deadloch. Besides an extraordinarily deep well of patience for them – or most of them – Dulcie has to deal with Cath’s boundless energy and enthusiasm and almost constant calls on Dulcie’s time and energy, her own discontent in Deadloch, and the rudeness of several locals. Box does this while also showing Dulcie grow into command as maybe the only person there who understands procedure and the need for a controlled investigation. And she's not the only character who shows some growth throughout the series.
Trigger warnings? Aren't there always? Besides some nudity, and a relatively small amount of gore, if you have sensitive ears, the local language of choice will probably offend, but for most of this there's a core of good-humored goodwill that makes a bit of man-bashing tolerable, since they do a nice job of covering a fairly broad range of men who deserve it, and simultaneously do not spare various female characters an examination of their flaws.
