The Gone

I watched The Gone last night. My husband and I found the episode wonderful. It was beautifully shot. It utilised New Zealand's scenery in a way that added to the suspense and drama of the episode. It brought the whole episode to life. The script and plot were both very good; plot line was rich and involved, which my husband and I enjoyed. The Irish police officer in particular was cast well. We are looking forward to the next episode. The NZ / Irish angle added an interesting dimension and worked well. If only New Zealand could support more local productions of this quality. Congratulations to everyone involved!

I liked it when the detective hero loses a fight with a passing teenager right at the start. Refreshing not to have the lead character a super-hero who outfights everyone.

We then get a glimpse of New Zealand society. In particular the life of the Maori.

How they were ill-treated in the past, and are still far from equal.

And also real imperfect characters. Different from each other.

We start with one mystery, and then several more crop up.

The season ends with at least one mystery cleared up. More for Season two, I assume.

And some excellent scenery. Places where real people are living and having complex lives.

I really enjoyed this drama, it had suspense and beauty to add to this enjoyable story. It had left us with some questions that hopefully will be answered on season 2. But the acting was great and believable, the New Zealand countryside was amazing and added to the suspense of the storyline. I feel for the characters and how their lives are intertwined, and also the Maori culture is brought out in the storyline is interesting as well. It's an interesting twist of suspense and culture. The last couple of minutes of the last episode was rather scary and has me hanging on waiting for the next season.

Despite feeling slightly deterred by the reviews I gave it a shot as I was intrigued by the collaboration between Ireland and New Zealand. And I must say I was pleasantly surprised!

Scenery is obviously beautiful and the use of both Te Reo and Gaeilge was great. Characters are solid and make the show even more intriguing.

I do wish we would've had a little more closure at the end of the season and with the current production schedule I'm afraid it'll lose a lot of steam before season 2 comes out. Hopefully season 2 will wrap it all up nicely and not continue to drag it on...

Overall solid detective show, slow and steady, a little too mine side plots at times, but an interesting show nonetheless.

Like most Kiwis I suffer from cultural cringe, and I was only watching because I know someone who knows someone on the show.

Therefore I was pleasantly surprised by a mostly well acted crime drama. Yes, there are some clichés like the cop with a troubled past, and someone returning home to their small town to confront some unresolved family dramas. Acushla-Tara Kupe is very good as Diana Huia. Richard Flood does a solid job. There's a nice blend of Maori culture and language.

The story is well-paced, and New Zealand's scenery makes an impression as always. I hope it finds an appreciative audience overseas, we're too harsh on our own.