0/5

First Review: Emerald Falls

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 admittedly we’re 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 UK TV.

TEN’s telemovie Emerald Falls is something of a ‘treechange’ tale about Joni Ferguson (Georgie Parker, also 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).

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, dim-witted cops (Geoff Morrell and Leon Ford) and a potential Mr. Right (Vince Colosimo) who comes to stay under Joni’s roof.

However, as Emerald Falls shifts into something of a whodunit, the tone becomes confused. Few of the adults seem particularly adept at responding to the doctor’s death. Natural causes? Foul play? Nobody seems to know, but it doesn’t stop them from behaving strangely well before the autopsy. Meanwhile, teenager Zac starts a Poiroit-like piecing together of evidence, driven by his own suspicions. Add 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 lines 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 mountainside 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.

7 Responses

  1. ok, i loved Emerald falls last night, but i fell asleep!!! No reflection on the show, i was exhausted. Can someone fill me?Last thing I remember was when Vince Colosimos character was blackmailing Georgie’s characted to sell her the house, by threatening to pull the party he had booked.
    my email is [email protected]
    much appreciated

  2. My daughter and myself stayed up to watch this thinking that it was a new serial! When it kept going we checked the guide to find out that it was a movie. Well we loved it so much that we were disappointed that it isn’t a continuing drama series. If the producers ever read these comments I reckon you should do a series based on this. The characters are great and it is totally different than anything else on TV. Well done! My daughter and I were still talking about it this morning!!

  3. I only saw Emerald Falls because it came on after SYTYCD, otherwise I’d never have tried it. I thought it was good, not fantastic, but I did manage to stay with it for the whole 2 hrs. Ending was a surprise and some good one-liners crept into the script too which made it more watchable. But I can perhaps see why this was held off until a non-ratings week as it wasn’t a stand-out production but I agree with David, 3 stars.

  4. I hate underbelly. It’s so violent. But this one, Emerald Falls, and Little Oberon were both great. I’m really sorry that Little Oberon wasn’t released on DVD or made in to a series (although I did get the soundtrack).
    As for Emerald Falls. I’ve just finished it and although parts of it were a bit preditable I know I’ve watched something good when it’s 2 hours and only feels like one. Plus I loved the shots of my much loved home. 🙂 Good Aussie drama.

  5. Heh, reading that I was about to say “Little Oberon” and then David said it for me 😀

    Emerald Falls sounds… well, boring as hell, actually. Myself, I’m looking forward to the upcoming Susie Porter drama on the ABC.

  6. Underbelly is with out a doubt the BEST Aussie TV show I have ever seen.
    Great story, acting, writing, well shot and awesome soundtrack.

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