Plum

Urgghh.just watched the final episode and, strangely for me, I felt the need to review. Not only was this grip Ing to watch,my interest was not as a sport fan, not as a sport participant, but as an anOccupational therapist working with adults with brain injury. I loved the fact that this was not all about nasal prongs and endless medical scenes. This is exactly how to get the true story of brain injury across. It is about the impact on the brain injured person, their relationships and self. Such a great Show...moving, great actors and sadly, totally true and believable. Congratulations to ABC for airing it.

This is a classy production of a heartfelt story that desperately needed to be told. Clearly Brendan Cowell has pursued this with passion and determination for many years and he plays the lead role with much conviction. Its not just his skill as an actor but the passion he feels for the subject that drives this production along. And it soars to great heights. But its not just a one man production, everyone, casting, direction, photography, music, editing, it all gels together so well. It rarely misses a beat and we feel the pain of the protagonists and everyone else connected to them. Rough subject - very classy result.

The threat to footballers of various codes posed by head trauma, and more specifically CTE, has been granted a dramatic treatment before - most famously by Will Smith's Concussion. This local Australian production tackles the topic with a gritty realism, delving into the many impacts felt by a former rugby league legend, his extended family and friends.

Brendon Cowell, in addition to writing the novel on which this 6-part series is based, plays the central character Plum in typically outstanding fashion. Clearly, years in the industry have informed Cowell's choices to surround himself with the quality players required, on and off screen, to deliver a passion project (set in his home town Cronulla) so incredibly well.

Plum covers a lot of ground, a versatile drama that also touches on family dynamics, addiction, father-son relationships, friendship (male and female) and media sensationalism. It's uniquely Australian in its setting and characters, yet avoids cringe or cliche elements. The only minor quibble is a couple instances where key characters are frustratingly incapable of providing a simple explanation to defend their actions, thus causing avoidable fallout.

Whilst Plum's descent and battle to find redemption are harrowing, moments of dry humour (including an odd yet endearingly quirky turn by Jermaine Clement), provide relief. Most notably, Cowell's playwright sensibilities come to the fore in a final act that must rank as one of the most riveting episodes of any TV series here or abroad.

One might expect Plum to add a few more awards to the trophy cabinet. And if you like Cowell's work in Plum I highly recommend seeking out the 2007 movie Noise.

Cowell's covid lockdown project was first published as a book in late 2021, and now a few years later it has honoured us with its presence as a series, translating to the screen perfectly.

The creative team and cast capture perfectly the culture of the sport, rugby league, mostly in the Sutherland shire of Sydney, revealing the effects of sustained head injuries in a ruthless contact sport. A drama that for us locals feels so real, observing the aftermath of a young retired player, Peter Lum (the plum) and his ex-team mates attempting to adjust to a new life after the sport has rejected their well being.

Also tackles the issues of affliction (Plum and son relationship and drinking habits, including Plum's past with his father), relationships torn by the sport-related concussion (SRC), and the sports media handling of the situation. Topics that infuse the drama and challenge the characters along the way.

There is also a surreal element in the form of the poets, Charles Bukowski and Sylvia Plath, which takes this series to another enjoyable level, as Plum heads toward a new vocation in life.

A fine Australian drama told with honesty and characters worth caring for, thanks to a great cast (with even Jemaine Clement thrown into the mix and somehow pulling it off).

I'm enjoying the series a lot. I caught a little on ABC and though I had little idea what was going on I knew I wanted to watch it from the start on iView and find out.

You can sometimes tell a passion project, which on looking into it, it certainly is for Brendan Cowell.

There's a multi-faceted approach and depth to the characters I caught straight away. Even as you can see the damage Plum is causing other people around him and are affected by this, you feel bad for him, with his identity and world set to fall apart. Same as the other characters around him. I don't often feel like that watching a show these days.

Along these lines, the seemingly mandatory DEI inclusions, I liked the characters so far. I haven't got my back up about it. What a relief. I hate being that guy. I spent a lot of time with Sylvia Plath's work and Bukowski's for a time too so was intrigued seeing these hallucinations.

There's a tension from knowing what will happen to the sport, to people's careers and more if the truth comes out and everyone trying to avoid it. How many other players, how many lawsuits? I'm hooked.