I really wanted to like this mini-series, having read rave reviews about it. I started watching, was instantly captivated by the breathtaking scenery, rushed to bone up on New Zealand in Wikipedia, found it is considered one of the most desirable places to live in the world, sat down again, expecting a treat, and then the series hit me square in the face.
It is peopled with some of the least sympathetic, most reprehensible characters seen on TV, characters which would not feel out of place in OZ. The main theme revolves around rape, perhaps incest, but most of all, boorishness.
I doubt if all New Zealanders are similar to those portrayed, but let's say they remind the viewers of the worst examples of Southern Rednecks.
Even the police are portrayed not too sympathetically, manned by biased, mysogenic, mediocre personnel.
As to the subplot dealing with the community of women, I must have missed something the author intended. I fail to see their connection to the main plot, none more so than their leader, who seems actually a parody of gurus everywhere.
Last but not least, I had trouble making out what some of the actors were saying, whether because they were mumbling or because they are of different nationalities trying to affect a Kiwi accent I honestly don't know.
To summarize, the mini-series is not awful and isn't even bad, but it is a far cry from the masterpiece some viewers hold it to be.
It is peopled with some of the least sympathetic, most reprehensible characters seen on TV, characters which would not feel out of place in OZ. The main theme revolves around rape, perhaps incest, but most of all, boorishness.
I doubt if all New Zealanders are similar to those portrayed, but let's say they remind the viewers of the worst examples of Southern Rednecks.
Even the police are portrayed not too sympathetically, manned by biased, mysogenic, mediocre personnel.
As to the subplot dealing with the community of women, I must have missed something the author intended. I fail to see their connection to the main plot, none more so than their leader, who seems actually a parody of gurus everywhere.
Last but not least, I had trouble making out what some of the actors were saying, whether because they were mumbling or because they are of different nationalities trying to affect a Kiwi accent I honestly don't know.
To summarize, the mini-series is not awful and isn't even bad, but it is a far cry from the masterpiece some viewers hold it to be.