One Lane Bridge

I agree with previous reviews that it starts slowly but this can be forgiven for the beautiful scenery plus the quality of the production. Well worth watching.

I wanted to add a review from someone who doesn't live in New Zealand or the southern hemisphere. I thought this show was very good, lots of twists in the plot which kept me guessing throughout. It came together for me just before the guilty person confessed and I think that is due to the writing not because I was slow! There was definitely a lot of connections to to various characters that made them a good suspect for the murder. I know nothing about Maori beliefs but from a spectator's viewpoint it came together and seemed plausible. I thought all of the actors were believable in their roles and I liked the unanswered questions at the end because that leaves it wide open for season 2. So I look forward to another season of trying to solving "who done it?"

I really tried hard to get very enthusiastic about this show because it has some great redeeming features but ultimately it is let down by some torturous plot lines.

So the good: as an expat Kiwi who has been to Queenstown a lot, One Lane Bridge is a very faithful re-creation of life for the small established elite of this world famous alpine tourist resort town almost to the point that only NZ audiences would understand. The breathtaking scenery is a given and makes for an incredible backdrop. Life on legacy South Island high country sheep stations has become difficult as these operations are asset rich and cash poor and the ever present Chinese or foreign cash buyer is a common occurrence.

Also faithfully detailed is the hard drinking, rugby-centric, rugged outdoors lifestyle of the locals and the hard to watch homophobic incident is a demonstration of how mores from a bygone era live on in small town NZ. It is always nice to hear the full suite of kiwi slang, the accent and traditions on display (e.g. Deer and rabbit shooting). The acting across the board was solid and believable.

Having a young Maori (Cook Islander in this instance) cop come down from Auckland fitting in with very white Central Otago locals gives a good window into racial integration issues in modern NZ. What was less appealing was weaving into regular policing some Maori spiritual practices that neither did justice to how they are actually done nor to modern NZ policing. It led to a series of hard to comprehend flashbacks and the manner in which Detective Ariki Davis (Dominic Ona-Ariki) actually used his spiritual powers overlayed the whole purpose of the series (trying to determine the killer of local farmer Andrew 'Grub' Ryder - Dean O'Gorman) with surreal and awkward plot lines.

That said, it's always great to New Zealand scenery and culture on display.

I really enjoyed this,loved the Queenstown setting,the portrayal of the old guard and their lives in this almost idylic part of NZ. I liked the storyline, some original moments, strong twisty who done it plot. It you enjoy NZ movies, this is worth a snuggle up ,on a cold night time slot. The acting was fine, a truthful portrayal of some issues,showing NZ people also need to involve themselves in upping their game. Such as the homophobic and the prickling answer to the question, 'but where are you from'...actually that is a very valid and intelligent question.Especially in New Zealand.not all brown people are Maori, To just assume that ,to me is a racist thought process. who would have picked the Cook Island Maori heritage. .... Our Pacifica peoples all have their own rich culture, different to native Maori.

It's disappointing there's no second season announced (pandemic pause or insufficient interest?) as I'm not quite sure what just happened at the end of the 6th and final episode of season 1. I enjoyed the ride so much, however, I'm not going to nit pick over not having all the questions answered.

I actually enjoyed how little time the series spent on explanation. We are inserted into events and situations pretty much just as the lead character is and we're left with the same confusion he is. I like the important hint from one of the characters near the end about the final surprising scene: "It isn't always what you think."