I don't know where it came from or when it got here, but after stumbling over this gem of a
miniseries I am now honestly afraid to cancel my account ever again.
Because after over twenty years there is finally( finally) a
worthy successor to twin peaks, with Elizabeth Moss and the
New Zealand wilderness as its stars.
Moss plays a detective brought in on a
case involving a suicidal twelve year old girl and her eventual
disappearance. Rote stuff on paper but the script, setting, and
casting will make it so even the most bitter cynic will at least give
the first couple episodes a shot. Because besides Kenneth Branagh's
“Wallander”(also worth your time) there is really nothing else
out there quite like it...and buddy this show is out there.
 |
| Note the fuzzy Chihuahua. |
From
the gleefully sexist local police station to the (kiwi neck?) meth
cooking mini mafia as well as the battered woman’s naturist
commune TOL has a riveting revolving door of sets and locations to
the point where even if one gets on your nerves there’s another
that’s worth sitting around for. There isn't a weak link in the
cast and the brass ring of the leads are award worthy.
Really, if all I had was Peter Mullan I
probably would have finished the series out of spite, because Mullan is honestly one of the best villain actors out there right
now. But no, I also got Moss who not only nails the Australian
accent, but gives the best damn performance of her career. After ten
minutes of watching her play Det. Griffen I had all but forgotten
about Peggy Olson. As a long time admirer of Mad Men, that was no
small feat I assure you.
While the ins and outs of the ancillary
conflicts of Laketop are interesting at first, when the case hits the
doldrums around the middle of the third episode it hits them hard.
It's not that I don't want to know why a bunch of middle aged women
are living in shipping containers in the middle of a field, its just
that I’d much rather know what happened to Tui and whether or not
she's still alive. It's not a dip in quality...well it kinda is, but
it remains very well acted and scripted. But it does turn into a soap
opera for a good two and a half hours.
But you won't care once the finale revs
up. It saves just enough little twists for the end to keep the
average viewer entertained and rewards the more hard boiled police
procedural veterans like me. So to sum things up, this a fantastic
little miniseries for any one looking to scratch that creepy small
town itch and for mystery lovers in general. Check it out.
P.S. There is a ton
of middle aged nudity and sex. So now you know that.
Recommended
Viewing
Peter Mullan:
The Red Riding Trilogy
Session 9
Tyrannosaur
Elizabeth Moss:
The West Wing
Mad Men...obviously.
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