East of Everything

An unexpected treat for "Rake" fans (unexpected by me at least). In this 12-ep Aussie series from back in the day (2008-09), Richard Roxburgh plays Art Watkins, a restless travel writer whose quest for serenity in Bhutan is interrupted by his mother's death and an inconvenient bequest--a half-interest in a derelict backpackers' hostel in the hometown he fled twenty years ago. A quirky codicil in Mum's will ("She's really making her absence felt!") keeps him in town indefinitely to "sort out some family stuff," including coming to terms with everyone he's hurt or disappointed in his previous life, e.g. his rivalrous brother, resentful wife and son, and mixed-signals-sending ex-fiancée.

The setting (beachy, semitropical) and the secondary characters (surfers, scroungers, bikini babes and real-estate sharks) reminded me a bit of a Carl Hiaasen novel, though the trio of silent, unsmiling Native matriarchs called "the Aunties," who appear to be the town's secret rulers, provide a fair dinkum Aussie touch. S1 has a sketchy "story arc" (real estate sharks try to have their way with the land-rich, cash-poor locals); S2 just bounces along, quite entertainingly for the most part, though our minds tended to wander when RR was offscreen for too long. Art doesn't have his first drunken meltdown until well into S2, by which time his transformation into Cleaver Greene is well underway. Now all he needs, we thought, is a change of venue (maybe somewhere more populous and farther south?), a law license and a fresh team of writers....

I enjoyed the show on the whole, but the side characters were definitely more interesting and appealing than the leads. In particular, Kathryn Beck was luminous and captivating as Lizzy. Loved this character/performance immensely.

Great characters, some you love, some you don't, but all great! The chemistry between Art and Eve is brilliant. Loved Vance, Lizzy and Bec...so many more! Great Aussie drama with great Aussie humour. I remember enjoying this when it first came out in 2008/9. I have recently been binge watching 2 episodes each night on Acorn TV. Just as great second time around! I don't know why they didn't make more???

I loved the first series of this show. I've watched it twice as I love the tone, the drift between humour and melancholy. The characters are well-drawn, well-acted and the location is stunning. I really believed that Eve and Art were still in love after all this time and that Art and Vance were brothers. Plus all the supporting roles were beautifully cast. The second series seemed to lose it's way a little but it's still worth watching.

Loved this so much, I watched it twice. So disappointed when it ended after 6 episodes when I was expecting 13. Where are the rest?

The casting was excellent and the characters were like old friends by the time it ended.

I have watched in the UK, my husband and I are English, but my son and his family have settled in Mudgeeraba on the Gold Coast. His daughter is about to become a barrister in Brisbane. We have visited 8 times and love.it, though we never managed to get to Byron Bay. Well done you Aussies for giving us such a good series. I hope I manage to track down the other seven episodes.