Critical Condition: Deep Water

Deep Water | TVNZ OnDemand, from Wednesday

➢➢ “Deep Water, a four-part detective drama that is essentially Home and Away meets The Killing. Set in present day Bondi Beach, the events that unfold are inspired by the spate of real-life hate murders that are a stain on Sydney. During the 1970s and 1980s scores of gay men were assaulted, killed, or otherwise disappeared during a campaign of homophobic violence. ‘Poof-bashing’ was fuelled by the fear of Aids and dozens of cases remain unsolved to this day. Deep Water, as a cop drama, has no interest in breaking the mould, but uses its picture postcard setting to great effect.” — The Times.

➢➢ “Another exceptional mini-series from SBS, this time a crime thriller that quickly broadens to become an exploration of homophobia in Australian culture – and a reminder of how recently the violent expression of same was culturally acceptable. With Noah Taylor as the seasoned homicide detective and Yael Stone (Orange is the New Black) as his new, much younger offsider this is a sensitive, thoughtful look at both our recent history and the dark undercurrents that persist in our supposedly tolerant and open-hearted society.” — Sydney Morning Herald.

➢➢ “The subject matter is deeply unsettling, as in fact are the environs of Bondi: the (true) hate-murders of up to 80 gay men in the ’70s and ’80s around Sydney. As one raddled ex-cop whom Tori consults reflects, with typically Aussie snowflake sensitivity, ‘poofter-bashing was a sport back then. A blood sport.’ It’s all rather well observed, and acted, and gripping … In terms of dramas about resurrected cold cases turning out to have been botched 30 years previously by corrupt cops – now almost a genre – it surfs above many.” — The Guardian.

➢➢ “Detective Tori Lustigman (Yael Stone) moved to Bondi to be close to her dad and was immediately drawn into what seemed, on the surface, to be the violent murder of a man by his spurned gay lover. Lustigman found links to other killings and disappearances years ago, all involving gay men and one, potentially, explaining what happened to her own brother. It’s the classic ‘cop with a bee in their bonnet’ set-up, lent extra credibility by the sexism of her bosses and the unspoken sense, all over the place, that the victims got what they deserved.” — Express.

➢➢ “Deep Water uses the framework of a detective thriller to examine sexism, homophobia and immigration … This opening episode obviously takes cues from the Scandi crime boom in terms of pace and gritty content. However, after the influx of grey dour Nordic noir, Deep Water offers a nice change of pace with the action playing out in the blazing sunshine. Solid if unremarkable.” — The List.