The Australian murder-mystery series remains a breath of fresh air, writes Tara Ward.
From Shetland to Broadchurch to The Gone, the moody murder-mystery is a television genre that’s been done to death. These are the stories set in isolated communities where women are constantly found murdered, their mysterious deaths solved by troubled detectives with murky pasts and furrowed brows. The tragic ripples of these crimes spill out through whatever sleepy town the story is set in, a place where everyone knows everyone and they’re all hiding a secret. These serious shows are never without a gloomy backdrop and an even gloomier antihero.
Thank goodness, then, for the return of the sharp and darkly comedic Deadloch, which continues to be one of the smartest and funniest murder-mysteries on the box. Created by Australian comedians Kate McLennan and Kate McCartney, Deadloch takes all those familiar murder-mystery cliches and ferociously twists them with humour, offering us a fresh and dynamic perspective on a well-known genre. Deadloch is a comedy about murder, rather than a murder-mystery with humorous moments, and Prime Video’s second season is as energetic and endearing as the first.
That’s partly thanks to a strong trans-Tasman cast, led by New Zealand actor Madeleine Sami. Sami returns to steal every scene as the brash, chaotic Eddie Redcliffe, who in season one was the big-city detective who arrived in Tasmania to solve what appeared to be a straightforward murder case. Eddie teamed up with local senior sergeant Dulcie Collins (the always brilliant Kate Box), who wanted to take a step back from policing to save her relationship. Alicia Gardiner returns as Dulcie’s partner Cath and Nina Oyama is back as enthusiastic constable Abby, while the supporting cast features a plethora of well-known Aussie talent like Luke Hemsworth, Steve Bisley and Damian Garvey.
This season, though, it’s Dulcie who is out of her comfort zone in a community shaken by murder. Dulcie and Cath travel to Darwin to help Eddie find out what really happened to her former police partner Bushy, with Dulcie struggling in the fungal humidity and suffocating heat of the Northern Territory. Eddie reckons Bushy’s death was murder, but when the local police won’t entertain her theory, there’s nothing more to keep Eddie and Dulcie up top – until two Swedish tourists go missing and a dead crocodile floats to the top with a human body part inside. Suddenly, things are looking up.
Dulcie agrees to supervise the investigation until the local homicide team arrives, and a reluctant Eddie – who’s more upset about the death of the croc than the human inside it – can’t help from digging around to find out what really happened. We’re on Eddie’s turf now, and as her colourful history in her home town of Barra Creek also rises to the surface, there’s no way this will be a straightforward murder investigation. Eddie’s mortal enemies – the feral Darrell family and their crocodile tourism business – are somehow involved, but who does that tattooed arm really belong to, and what’s the real story about why Eddie was sent to Tasmania?
Sami and Box’s chemistry continues to be the highlight of Deadloch, as well as a razor sharp script that lifts the show beyond any other murder-mystery you’ll watch right now. Eddie is a frenetic ball of chaos to Dulcie’s cautious, logical approach, and Sami and Box balance each other beautifully, shifting seamlessly between strength and vulnerability. And while Deadloch is a comedy, there’s nothing light or frivolous about it. McCartney and McLennon aren’t afraid to tackle big issues like sexism and corruption, but they do it in ways that will make you laugh out loud rather than despair. The audacity of McCartney and McLennan’s writing is a delight – and while there are a lot of c-bombs and f-words, they’re spat out with such vigour and enthusiasm that the fruity language doesn’t seem to matter.
As a funny murder-mystery, Deadloch is a rare beast, one that captures the eccentricities of small-town Australia and the complexities of family dynamics in humorous ways, but never forgets to hit you with an emotional sucker-punch at the end of the joke. The show won’t be for everyone – yes, it’s crude and yes, Eddie’s over the top – but it’s hard not to watch this series without a grin. Don’t let season two of Deadloch pass you by. If you’re looking for a smart, funny series that isn’t remotely subtle, this is well worth the watch.
Deadloch streams on Prime Video.
