Wolf Creek - S01E04 Opalville (2016)

Review

Mick approaches the white van he shoot at and forced off the road in the last episode and it isn't looking good for Eve, especially since Mick is carrying a large metal hammer which I guess he's not going to use for part time carpentry. Only problem for everyone's favourite outback psycho killer is he waylaid the wrong white van, this one has a couple from Finland. Naturally Mick has to work out some frustration. For her part Eve is heading to Opalville South Australia to investigate the disappearance of Holly Wells, what she uncovers is a surprising twist.

Meanwhile Sullivan Hill, who seems to be the only police officer in the Australian Outback, is still hunting Eve and is zeroing in on a description of the elusive killer stalking the Outback. He gets directions from a defeated Bernie O'Dell who is selling her Roadhouse and moving on. In Opalville he almost catches Eve napping but with a show of athleticism Eve escapes Sullivan's grip. Oh and Eve learnt the finer points of spear and woomera from a Bushman; guess that's going to come in handy in the next couple of episodes.

Mortecai back in for the first time in 2017 working away at Wolf Creek the television series, it's a harsh life friends and neighbours but someone has to lay this series to rest. The Jman can inform me that Stan, a local Australian streaming service, has renewed the show for a second session, which is good news but which means I need to wrap this session up. So batten down the hatches, here we go with episode four in the Mick, Sullivan, and Eve dance of death in the Australia Outback.

We're currently working our way toward the final confrontation, has Eve got the moxie to see it through?

Episode three saw Mick mere minutes away from taking down Eve once and for all, now that was a cliff hanger of epic proportions, but unfortunately the Writers pulled something of a Holy Mary with the resolution to the problem. We learn Eve wasn't in the white van Mick had ambushed, Mick got it wrong for once, even worse he leaves a piece of evidence at the scene. Now okay either you are going to be high fiving the Writers for pulling off one heck of a surprise or you are going to be duly pissed at what amounts to a traditional Sunday matinee escape coming out of left field. Your call on that, I was more in the second camp and thought it was a cheap resolution.

The matter of Holly Wells, a girl who disappeared from Opalville and who we all assumed had run afoul of one Mick Taylor, was for me a much better twist as Eve discovers that Mick isn't the only mad person inhabiting the Outback. Director Tony Tilse pulls off one of the great Hitchcockian moments with this development as Eve is back fighting for her life. He first focuses on a tank with a highly poison snake in it, he then focuses on a bag containing a gun, we know both are going to be in play during Eve's battle with yet another adversary but Tilse stretches it out, keeping us on the edge of our seats till we discover how both are used, in a surprising fashion.

Sal points out a certain scene following snake town is a possible nod toward the Aussie classic Razorback. unfortunately I haven't seen the movie so will take his word on this.

Wonderful use of locations in this episode, including an underground series of tunnels, and some colourful local communities, guess Outback Australia has a surfeit of small settlements hanging on with a motley crew of local characters. No offense intended to our Australian cousins, there's plenty of small "colourful" hamlets scattered across the U.S as well. Hell we voted in the Village idiot to the highest office in the land, so not claiming any high moral ground here. Before I digress too much, just wanted to add I really dug the Opal mining communities and Director Tilse's use of some startling techniques to bring across the oft times panoramic scenery.

I still have this faint feeling that the basic storyline is being stretched out some, though thankfully we didn't get a bunch of new minor characters that the Director spends time on, only for them to disappear into the ether by the end of the episode, though we do have an ongoing subplot about Sullivan Hill's home life. Somehow his wife, who bonked some hipster douchebag, is blaming Sullivan for her errant ways. Dude can't win any which way with this high cost biatch, divorce could be an option in my opinion. Why exactly we have this subplot playing out isn't apparent at this stage, and could be yet another filler element, which will really not be winning friends and influencing people. With two episodes left I am having difficulty watching through scenes that in my honest opinion have little bearing on the overall story.

Interestingly while the episode was dealing by and large with another killer we do get to spend some quality time with Mick, at the start and ending of the episode. So pretty much the biggest monster in the outback is reduced to being a bookend during Opalville, which surprisingly doesn't diminish the character in the slightest. Mick makes use of a hammer at the beginning of the episode and has a house guest at the end of the episode, no spoilers folks. Clearly we are building toward some big confrontation over the final part of the season, am expecting a tad more quality time with Mick in the next episode.

There is something exciting about Wolf Creek, even in episodes you don't really get carried away about. The theme gets you on edge, then the episode rolls out with dangers and twists at every turn, till finally you are left with a great deal of anticipation for the next episode. So okay I wasn't exactly foaming at the mouth while watching Opalville, but I did appreciate the scenery, the twists, and Eve picking up some tips on using local weapons. I have a feeling we just experienced the lull before the storm, get ready for some fireworks starting next week folks. Not the best episode of season one, but still mighty fine television viewing. Lock this one into your queue; it's something completely different to our normal viewing, so latch on, full recommendation.