When Academy Award-winning writer and director Jane Campion brought us the hit crime drama series of 2013, it seemed unlikely anything could follow Top Of The Lake.
So when a second season was announced, I had mixed feelings. But the beauty of Top Of The Lake: China Girl is that it doesn’t try to replicate the original. There’s a new story, new characters and a new mystery.
This time around, the stunning backdrop of New Zealand’s snow-covered mountains, dense forests and glassy lakes are swapped for Sydney’s sparkling blue water and sandy beaches.
But don’t be fooled by the pretty scenery. This season is just as disturbing as the first.
The second season kicks off four years after we last saw Detective Robin Wright (Elisabeth Moss).
Robin is in Australia trying to piece together a new life for herself. She’s haunted by her past and thoughts of a daughter she gave up for adoption at birth.
When a suitcase containing the body of a sex worker washes up on Bondi Beach, Robin becomes obsessed with solving the murder.
However, nothing is as it seems in Sydney’s gritty underworld.
Following hard on the heels of their blockbuster TV roles in The Handmaid’s Tale and Big Little Lies respectively, Elisabeth Moss and Nicole Kidman are brilliant.
They’re joined by a killer cast of female supporting actors, including standout performances from relative newcomer Alice Englert and Game Of Thrones’ Gwendoline Christie.
Take a deep breath and brace yourself for this year’s most compelling series.
