Top of the Lake

If I had to describe this mini-series in a few key phrases it would be: beautiful scenery, great acting and a gripping plot.

While the shows synopsis suggests a straightforward detective story, it's focus gradually shifts towards it's main protagonist Robin Griffin (played wonderfully by Elisabeth Moss). As she (and we the viewers) slowly discover more about her past.

The intensity ramps up with each episode and your always left wanting to find out more until it all ends in a satisfying climax.

The series does suffer a bit from male-bashing. It doesn't impact the quality in any way, but don't expect to find any likable men here.

This is probably one of my favorite shows and I uphold my 10 stars rating after watching the second season. Top of the lake is a slow burner, with unique characters that are very flawed and human. If you let it, it can get under your skin and leaves you wondering about the heavy issues, that it dares to deal with. For example, the second season's main theme is motherhood, abuse in relationship and exploitation of a marginal group of people (sex workers). I think you wouldn't expect the ending which is a quite unique twist, but I won't say more. This show is also quite good at playing with your expectations and turning them upside down, which is the hallmark of good storytelling. The female characters are quite prominent and well written, without being obnoxious feminist champions. They feel real and very relatable. The antagonist is also very good, I was worried, that the new antihero will be only a pale shadow compared to Peter Mullan, but oh boy, was I wrong! I can only recommend Top of the Lake, it's not your typical good guys vs bad guys show. It's about people who collide with each other, have interesting story arcs and face relatable problems under unusual circumstances. Don't listen to people who watch half an episode and come here to write a "review".

I do not want to include any spoilers in this review, well because I want you to enjoy this miniseries as much as possible. Top of the Lake tells the story of a young girl named Tui and a detective named Robin. That's all I'm going to you. The best part of this miniseries is its slowness. Most shows bore when they get slow, but this show draws you in and makes you appreciate its slow pace. For god sakes, it took "The Killing" two seasons to tell me who killed the girl. That is definitely too slow, and the girl's family in that show was very boring. This is so unlike this series. You cannot group these two together. It is a very unique insight into humans and our reasonings. With many twists and turns, I highly recommend this show. I have a feeling that this show will have many nominations this year at the Emmys. Tip: The show is available on Netflix, and may be reairing on the Sundance Channel in America or BBC in the UK.

Top of the Lake follows you around long after you've finished an episode (or the entire series, for that matter). It operates with a sophisticated sense of naturalism, which probably initially alienated many viewers begging to be bashed over the head with plot details. This is not simply a subtle noir, but a meditation on identity, which provides the necessary ammunition for some powerful performances from Elisabeth Moss, David Wenham, Peter Mullan and Holly Hunter, as well as others.

This is an atmospheric detective story, not an action-packed whodunnit. You will find yourself both disgusted with and moved by humanity as the finale's credits roll.

What a fantastic show this is so far! The acting is top notch, the atmosphere is spot on, the cinematography is breathtaking and its just really well done overall.

While I watched the first 3 episodes I kept saying "Wow, what a wonderful surprise this is!" and "This reminds me of Twin Peaks a bit".

I was not expecting much here, but I saw a handful of new shows had started, all of them sucked but this one is top notch. If you like shows with good acting, atmosphere and cinematography give it a try. Can't wait to get it on DVD one day! There really is nothing wrong with this show, very rare that I say that but this is the best new show since the other year when Homeland and BOSS started up.

9.5/10 so far and I cannot wait to see more episodes!