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Another quirky Australian drama misfires, laments David Knox.
Whenever we hear about the state of the local drama industry, it’s pretty downbeat. There’s never enough funding, actors are out of work, writers churn out lame scripts and nobody watches anyway. The truth is frequently a different story.
In any given week all the big-rating shows are predominantly Australian – although we are admittedly top-heavy with observational series. Still, we’re actually in the midst of an upward surge in drama production with Underbelly, City Homicide, Canal Road and more. By the end of this month there will have been three new local dramas from Ten, the ABC and UKTV.
Ten’s telemovie Emerald Falls is something of a ‘tree-change’ tale about Joni Ferguson (Georgie Parker, also an associate producer) who establishes a B&B in the Blue Mountains. Joni mothers a cluey teenage son Zac (Tom Green), son of her ex-hubby (Rhys Muldoon). But life’s tough in bush paradise, with few customers and the bank at the door.
So the last thing she needs is to find her friend and local doctor (Andrew McFarlane) dead on the floor of his surgery. Thrown into the mix are a local minister (Catherine McClements), some laid-back, if dim-witted, cops (Geoff Morrell and Leon Ford) and an attractive, potential Mr Right (Vince Colosimo) who comes to stay under Joni’s roof.
However, as Emerald Falls shifts into something of a whodunnit, the tone becomes confused. Few of the adults seem particularly adept at responding to the death of the doctor. Natural causes? Foul play? Nobody seems to know, but it doesn’t stop them from behaving in weird ways well before an autopsy report. Meanwhile, teenager Zac starts piecing together Poirot-style evidence, driven by his own suspicions. Add some quirky direction and the whole thing begins to feel better suited to children’s TV.
There are endless shots of Blue Mountains vistas as characters exchange storylines on gorgeous bushwalks. The landscape is arguably the most consistent performer in this slight tale. As it builds to a Blue Heelers-like crescendo, it all suffocates under the weight of its own silliness.
In 2005, Nine tried to spook us with the mountain-side mystery Little Oberon with Sigrid Thornton. The ingredients here must have seemed ripe for a series too: Georgie Parker, the Blue Mountains, a B&B. Alas, it arrives as little more than a missed opportunity, curiously slated outside of ratings.
Emerald Falls airs 9pm Sunday March 23 on TEN.
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