Ray Shoesmith (Scott Ryan) works in continual service to local crime-lord Freddy (Damon Herriman). But the arrangement does not preclude him from taking on personal assignments to enrich himself. On such occasions he includes Gary (Justin Rosniak), his best mate and sidekick. As flighty as Gary can seem he continually shows himself to be a resourceful back-up.
The venture of ripping off a high-flying drug-dealer looks promising. But it invites the inclusion of secondary back-up i.e. A getaway driver. Ray has seen promise in sometime jewel fence Nick (Edmund Lembke-Hogan), a young upstart in Freddy's employ with whom he has worked on a collection assignment. Ray and Gary are also looking for friends having been ganged up on by Dravos, the most petty and vindictive of Sydney crime bosses.
Undercover cop Nick is one of the exceedingly few police of any kind we see depicted in the series. What little we do see doesn't suggest much of a difference in the level of intellect between police and crims or, Nick's case, capacity for violence. If there is a difference it is one of raw nerve. Nick is far from the sharpest tool in the shed, but it's his jitters that give him away.
The embarrassing way Nick is found out is one in which Ray can't denying knowing. They know where they stand and the cop is afraid he'll be killed. Nick bargains for his life swearing up and down he hasn't yet seen anything that incriminates them.
Ray's assessment of what to do with Nick is part of the common sense that has kept him out of prison for as long as it has. He simply asks himself, and his colleagues what breaches of laws they have committed that Nick could have witnessed. When he, Gary and Freddy concluded the answer is none the only logical move could be to let the hound walk and be mindful that they are on the radar of the authorities.
Nick's breach is a wake-up call. He had everyone fooled very much including the ever cautious Ray. Choosing to make acquaintances friends in his line of work has it's pitfalls. Nick's deception hasn't been particularly elaborate beyond showing enthusiasm for criminal activity including beating a debtor and slipping Ray stolen jewellery to gift to Ally. He even gave them his real name.
No sooner has this happened than Ray is car-jacked by Bobby (Dorian Nkono) an underling of Dravos, and local biker dude Dave (Actor/screenwriter Matt Nable). Suddenly Ray has to bargain for his life with more urgency than Nick did. Ray, like Nick did, establishes a rapport with Dave for tactical reasons. It might mean the difference between life and death. For the sake of this show, it might make the difference between it being a mini-series and a series.
The importance of personal capital is a lasting one in all forms of business including the underground one and those get started with conversations. Even shared opinions on superficial topics can matter even if logically they shouldn't. Disagreements on the most personal of topics don't necessarily matter if a fundamental understanding is reached.
A commonality in human experience established by the way people talk to each other remains a highlight of the writing. The complexity of how relationships are formed related within an entertaining, and often laugh out loud funny set-up is a nice bridge to that.
