Top of the Lake
Looking for an interesting drama to binge-watch? Try Top of the Lake, co-produced by BBC Two and Sundance Channel.
Top of the Lake has lots of the stuff that stands out and differentiates it from most of the other tv drama series. First, its short. The series is 6 episodes long (7 on Sundance). So you don't have to find 192 hours to invest in a show. You can knock this one out on a lazy, rainy Saturday afternoon. Second, it is filmed in New Zealand, so the landscape is beautiful and foreign. Not exotic, because this show is dark. But a beautiful setting for a grippingly weird tale. Third, there is a band of hippy women living in cargo containers. Did I mention that this show was a tad on the weird side? And fourth, Thomas M. Wright has a supporting role, which is very different that the character he plays on The Bridge.
Elizabeth Moss plays a young detective, on hiatus from Australia to be with her ailing mother, that returns home to the small town of Laketop in southern New Zealand, situated along a picturesque lake surrounded by lush, green mountains. She is supported by Holly Hunter, Peter Mullan, and David Wenham. Underlying this postcard setting is a simmering culture of misogyny in a small rural town. A child goes missing, and this is where this serial drama parts with the typical murder-mystery.
Produced by Jane Campion and Gerald Lee, Top of the Lake is a strong indictment of men and their vices. The viewer is treated to a graduate level curriculum in feminism, and the unenlightened male may leave feeling ashamed for thinking that Vikings is a "fun" series. Or at least I did.
If you have ever wondered what Straw Dogs would look like if it aired on the Lifetime Channel, this is the series for you. A series that slow burns with intrigue, violence, exposure therapy, and evil. Easily one of the best shows I have seen in 2013.
Top of the Lake is available to stream through Amazon Instant Prime or Netflix.
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What did you think? Please, no spoilers.
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