Have You Been Watching...? Deadloch

 

Australian TV does put out some duffers, just like any other country, but it also produces some sparking diamonds. Deadloch is such a jewel. This is a limited comedy/drama series of just 8 episodes, released on Amazon Prime in mid 2023, tells the story of the investigation into a gruesome murder in the small, sleepy, coastal town of Deadloch.

It’s been a while since I was desperately awaiting the next instalment of any series, but Amazon Prime’s decision to release it weekly meant I had to. As least this way, there were no opportunities for spoilers to ruin the mystery.

Kate Box, who played the psychopathic killer Lou Kelly in Wentworth, plays police sergeant Dulcie Collins. She has relocated to Deadloch with her wife, local vet Cath, after the pressures of working in Sydney caused problems in their relationship. Deadloch has become very welcoming to the LGBT+ community (at least on the surface). When a body is discovered on the beach with its tongue removed, Dulcie’s position as the lead investigator is usurped by the arrival of Eddie Redcliffe, played by Madeleine Sami. Redcliffe is a foul-mouthed, rude, crude and very funny (but with secrets of her own) complete reversal to Dulcie’s straight down the middle Detective. The two clash from the outset and when it transpires that the duo are looking at a serial killer rather than a one off, their two styles cause mayhem in the ensuing investigation.

As the story progresses, we are introduced to the residents, and suspects, of Deadloch, and what a bunch of kooky, strange and interesting people they are. Dulcie’s colleagues are the nice-but-dim officer Sven Alderman (Tom Balland), who is very much Gen Z to a T, and the sweet but vastly underestimated Abby Matsuda (Nina Oyama). Residents include the hot-headed chef Skye O’Dwyer (Hollie Austin), Doctor/Mayor Aleyna Rahme (Susie Youssef), teenagers Tammy and Miranda (Leonie Whyman and Kartanya Maynard), Eddie’s “love interest” Ray Pies, aka Ray McLintock (Duncan Fellows) and local “stirrer” Phil McGangus (Shaun Martindale). Dulcie’s wife Cath is played by Alicia Gardiner, playing a very OTT lesbian vet, while Kate Box’s Wentworth co-stars Pamela Rabe and Kris McQuade play Margaret Carruthers and Victoria O’Dwyer respectively, both characters being heavyweights in the local community. Dulcie stands as the sole voice of reason aming this collection of strange people!

As the murders mount and the town prepares for its “Feastival”, community is examined under great detail, especially one as close-knit as Deadloch and as the investigations progress and secrets exhumed, the town will never be the same again.

It was Kate Box’s appearance that drew me to the series initially, but I’m surprised it’s not been more publicised and Deadloch is a sure fire winner. I was concerned the mystery could not be spun out over 8 hour long episodes, but it does. Everytime you think you have the plot sussed, something else comes along that tips it right over. I thoroughly enjoyed trying to work out what was going on, and pleasantly surprised I got it hopelessly wrong!

Overall, Deadloch is 8 hours of funny, crude dark jokes, feminism, LGBTQ+ and racism commentary, community observations and mysteries. Even when I thought it might be flagging, it turned it around and this is all down to the cracking script by Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan. It’s very hard to write about it without spoilers, so I encourage you all to look in on this one. Who knows? If there’s interest, there could even be a sequel. I would just hope that it would keep up the same standard as the high bar set by Deadloch.

Year: 2023

Episode count: 8

Season count: 1

Availability: streaming on Amazon Prime