Deep Water

I suppose my title is as much a comment on me as the show. Only four episodes long, this series is confusing with multiple similar characters and intertwining subplots. Maybe this just an accurate reflection of true cop cases - many shades of gray and inferential evidence with few clearcut leads - but it doesn't make for good viewing. Maybe it's just my Pooh-brain too dithered to keep track of them all, but not for lack of experience.

DS Tori Lustigman (Yael Stone) has returned to her hometown of Bondi to join the police for just in time to catch the brutal murder of a young man who happens to be gay. Her new boss is eager to put the murder down to the act of a spurned lover, but Tori believes the truth goes deeper, connecting it to a string of "gay bashings" stretching back to the 80s. The problem is that no one wants her to take it further, no matter what the evidence tells her. Her own partner wants the case puts to bed, but Tori is a force of nature in her own contained way. Too contained, perhaps. The anger and frustration she holds in is bound to come out in uncontrollable bursts.

Being new to the Bondi police force she hasn't had a chance to be intimidated by the criminal element and the power brokers who may have held an "unhealthy influence" over lawful enforcement over the years. Where no other officers have been able to solve what may in fact be a long series of murders, she may be the only one crazy enough to push forward through all obstacles thrown up in front of her and her reluctant partner.

Yael Stone is excellent as a detective just barely under control, a loving mother, daughter, friend, and grieving sibling. Daniel Spielman is chillingly repulsive as a Nazi-tattooed suspect. Viewers' sympathies have to go out to Noah Taylor as Tori's long- suffering partner Nick, resisting having her back at every turn. One of the most memorable members of the cast is one who gets perhaps the least screen time -- Otis Pavlovic conveys a sweetness and Tori's son with none of the resentment of the modern teenager, even when she appears to overreact to circumstances. The performance is natural and easy, with the connection between the mother and son feeling real. The cast is full of too many talented actors to continue to single them out, but there's nary a wooden boy or scene chewer in the bunch.

So, overall? In the current environment the matter is all too relevant, not a lesson in political correctness. Political profiling, police shootings, hate crimes, racism, and bigotry exploded in the news every day; this story could not be more timely. Put it all together and it made for fascinating watching. It pulled me in so much that I was disappointed to find that there were only four episodes and no word if this was a one- off, or if it would return.

Well, here's hoping.

It's Australia Day. Police detectives Tori Lustigman and Nick Manning are assigned the murder of Haris Rexhaj in his Bondi beach condo. He's a young gay Muslim. Tori suspects the homophobic neighbor but her superior directs them to the gay lover Rohan Assad. Rohan fears being deported to Iran. Further investigation uncovers a possible serial killer targeting homosexuals using a gay dating app. Tori is a single mom and new to the force from Goulburn. She is still haunted by a childhood incident with her gay brother.

This is a functional crime drama. There is a bit of ripped-from-the-headlines flavor. It does need a few more ingredients to extend this drama into a compelling 4 hour watch. Tori's childhood incident could have been heightened by doing a flashback. Her recollection of the incident is probably an emotional high point. The other part that needs expanding is the villain of the piece. It needs to make the supervisor a bigger character and more culpable. The story needs more drama and a bit more flavoring.

I caught this on Netflix, and watched it mostly because of some of the key cast members. It started out well, and the core story was engaging, but it (in my opinion) went sideways about half-way into the series, due to the ridiculously written police officer roles.

If you can look past a handful of police officers doing one stupid thing after another (especially the main character), then it's a pretty decent crime drama. If you find it problematic that the police do "really dumb things", which literally get people (unnecessarily) killed, as well as putting their whole investigation in jeopardy, and then seem to not learn any lessons from their repeated, boneheaded actions, then you probably need to skip it.

A solidly okay series, the storyline was interesting if not a bit drawn out. The first two episodes introduced a lot of characters which made it hard to keep track of events. The last two episodes wrapped up nicely, but could have been shorter. Overall good cinematography and decent acting. Characters didn't have much depth.