Savage River

Oh boy there’s a lot to unpack in Savage River, the latest local drama offering from ABC.

It’s a slow-burn mystery in a small town (aren’t they always?) with a bumper cast of seasoned actors.

It begins when Miki (Katherine Langford) returns home to Savage River, a secluded town nestled in a mountain valley where the local meatworks is the biggest employer.

Everybody is trying to make ends meet here, from the shop-owners to factory workers and local constabulary.  There’s even a council election in the wind.

But Miki’s return to live with her twin brother Terry (Cooper Van Grootel) and niece is not a welcome return, given she has just spent 10 years in prison for the manslaughter of her best friend. The parents of her dead friend Colleen & Hugh Lang (Jacqueline McKenzie, Andrew Gilbert) particularly struggle with her return.

Her parole includes regularly checking in with the local cop Bill (Robert Grubb) who tells her she’ll need to find a job fast.

“Clean slate as far as I’m concerned. It’s the rest of the town you have to worry about,” he observes.

A job comes in the form of gruesome factory floor position at the meatworks run by tough boss Kevin (Daniel Henshall), who exploits a group of refugees all living in a local shack. They include Iraqi refugees Salim (Osamah Sami) and wife Jamila (Maia Abbas) who is despairing over her sister who has gone missing.

Miki also meets the handsome Joel (Mark Coles Smith), a relationship that is nearly derailed by an awkward one night stand.

There are so many characters, many of whom are related to one another, that it would be easy to see this is a soap: Miki’s mum Lynne (Nadine Garner), Detective Kennedy (Virginia Gay), daughter Ivy (Hattie Hook), Kevin’s wife Chandra (Miranda Anwar), Colleen’s son Adam (Jack Kenny), Miki’s ex-teacher Simon (James Mackay), local mayor Max (Richard Piper) and opposing candidate Deborah (Leah Vandenburg), local pharmacist Connor (Bernard Curry), factory worker Dale (Sally-Anne Upton) and more.

Navigating it all is director Jocelyn Moorhouse who pulls off a fine job given so many pieces to this jigsaw.

All our heroine Miki wants is to resume a quiet life with brother Terry, but there are too many secrets and personal agendas for that to proceed unhindered.

“That’s all I want. Just to be here with you two doing normal shit” she tells Terry.

She will need to draw upon inner strength, the faith of those closest to her and possibly hunky Joel to stay the course, especially when she finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time….

The bush scenery, shot largely around Warburton, makes for an isolating tale, whilst staying rooted in a working class community. But it’s also a very diverse one, from First Nations to Middle-Eastern & Asian Australian as well as LGTBQI+.

Kathering Langford, who made her debut in Netflix drama Thirteen Reasons Why makes for a grounded lead to this ensemble. Mark Coles Smith shrugs off Mystery Road: Origin for the brooding Joel, and it’s always a pleasure to see Nadine Garner back on our screens.

With this many characters, inter-connected by bloodlines, secrets and lies, I’d think this was a pitch for a soap. But writer Giula Sandler and her team, as well as some fine performances, but that idea to bed pretty quickly.

Instead Savage River is a binge drama you’ll visit with caution and intrigue.

Savage River airs 8:30pm Sunday September 4 on ABC.