Scrublands

In some ways there is little here that we have not seen before, but the story built around some familiar characters and -- in some cases -- situations has its own originality. The characters are credibly human. Nothing is belaboured, which gives a freshness to the story.

It's four episodes, but they did not flag or drag. Nor did they race. The pacing is well considered -- it has the feel of a small town as opposed to the racier tempi of a big city.

Not being Australian and seeing only a selection of their television and cinema output, I was not familiar with any of these actors. I was impressed with all of them And I especially liked the music..

I didn't read the book so had no preconceptions of how the story should unfold. From others descriptions, that's an advantage but I feel those going on about this sound a little boring because nowdays, most have left this review already as it's too long to read through. It took till the 2nd episode to really get some momentum and just got better as it went. There are lots of backstories that could have been fleshed out but that would have filled 4 more episodes and maybe there wasn't the budget for that. This is a pity, as there was fertile ground here. I thoroughly enjoyed it as a ripping yarn that had a universal flavour rather than the often ocker slant of Aussie dramas. Look forward to season 2 filmed in Augusta in my home state of Western Australia!

I was hesitant to watch initially as I thought it would be more of the same same.

However it was actually refreshing to see some new quality Australian content. Full of twists, great character development and packs a great punch in 4 small episodes. As typical with Aussie series there is 5-10 micro moments that are super cheesy and woeful cgi, but the great story and acting more than makes up for these minor blemishes.

Definitely worth the 2-3 hours to watch and even if you are not a fan of Luke Arnold (Black Sails, INXS) there is still plenty of great smaller characters that blend together in this tale.

This Australian series open in a remote town in Victoria. We see Byron Swift, a priest, talking to his congregants outside his church. He goes inside, returns holding a rifle and shoots five men before being killed by the local policeman. One year later journalist Martin Scarsden heads to town; he has been tasked with writing a 'puff piece' about how the townspeople are coping a year on. The story was that the priest went on the rampage after child abuse allegations were made against him so Martin is more than a little surprised when plenty of people defend his character... perhaps there is more to the story than was initially reported.

I thought this was a really good little series. At four episodes it didn't outstay its welcome but similarly didn't feel rushed. The opening scenes immediately grabs ones attention and further revelations keep one gripped. The use of flashbacks throughout the series shows key details of what happened and means Byron Swift becomes a fully fleshed out character rather than a mysterious figure only seen in the prologue. The location is impressive; it may be very open but there is a claustrophobic feel due to its isolation. The cast does a fine job; most obviously Luke Arnold, Bella Heathcote and Jay Ryan as Martin, Mandy, a woman who knew Byron well, and Byron. The conclusion is solid; being neither too obvious nor too surprising. Overall an impressive mystery that I'd recommend to fans of the genre.

If you have read the outstanding book 'Silver' , then you will be very disappointed.

The first episode of Season 2, is all over the place.

I don't understand, why they had to change the script from what happens in the book.

This is my favourite, Chris Hammer book.

He has a great ability, to bring his characters to life. Those portrayed on the idiot box, are so wooden.

What were they thinking?

I have to admit, I got so frustrated watching this season. So much so, I had to turn it off.

Watch the show, if you haven't read the book. If you have read 'Silver', find something else to watch

3/10.