How is Netflix’s new series Territory suited to Australia? Indeed, it’s set on a cattle farm in the Northern Territory, which is larger than Belgium. It’s quite Australian.
The series opens with many wide-ranging shots of landscapes straight out of a tourist commercial, where we are told that everything to the north tries to kill you, but people stay there for the “beauty”. I am. It looks very Australian. And within the first 10 minutes someone is torn apart and eaten alive by dingoes. Australia!
Over six one-hour episodes of major beef exports, Territory takes advantage of the entrenchment of modern industrial farming to tell a story that was once (so to speak) the territory of a trashy ’80s miniseries. I’m only acting today. Rather, I want people to compare it to shows like Succession and Yellowstone.
Watch the Territory trailer
This is a high-stakes story of a family in turmoil, with all the expected intrigue, subterfuge, backstabbing, and the occasional passionate embrace. Oh, and there were lots of quad bikes and helicopters flying around.
Area in charge: Meeting time
It’s time to gather at Marianne Station, owned and operated by the Lawson family for five generations. This year, they bring in outside contractors in the form of nearby station owner Nolan Brannock (Clarence Ryan) and his team, and when top dog Dan Lawson (Jake Ryan) doesn’t show up, His brother Graham (Michael Dorman) and Graham’s team show up. His wife, Emily (Anna Torv) Lawson, decides to start work without him, despite patriarch Colin’s (Robert Taylor) brusque demands that she wait.
ScreenHub: New shows on Netflix this October
It’s a good thing they didn’t, because Dan had a broken leg and was eaten by a dingo, severely limiting his ability to perform duties on the station for the time being. Colin hates Graham (a semi-drunk drunk who is trying to get his life back on track) and doesn’t exactly value Emily (because she comes from a family of cattle rustlers), so he The focus shifts to Graham’s son Marshall (Sam Corlett). ).
region. Image: Netflix.
Marshall has spent his adult life running away from Lawson’s toxic legacy, stealing helicopters and hanging out with pals Rich (Sam DeLich) and Sharnie (Kyla Day), but now he’s on the verge of a return. It’s wide open. The problem is that his sister-in-law Susie (Philippa North East) is also coming through the gate with her own ideas about gaining ‘on-the-job’ experience.
And for the Lawson family, this isn’t the best time to pick on each other (that’s Dingo’s job), with rival cattle kings, cattlemen, crime bosses, racial tensions, and vast What about having to deal with brown lands where most people are either in love with money or in love with someone they shouldn’t be in love with?
Oh, it’s becoming more and more likely that Dan was murdered.
Father and son, brother and brother, spouse and spouse. Despite the dry and dusty setting, this is pretty soapy (producers would prefer “Shakespeare”), which is never a bad thing. Bar brawls, aerial views of gigantic train stations, the occasional gunfight, and homely wisdom like “you can’t help your character” are interspersed with many shocking and surprising developments. It’s loaded and usually uttered by someone just before twisting the knife. .
Territory: Face value
Thankfully, the series doesn’t expect us to take these narcissistic characters at face value. Many of Colin’s problems stem from the fact that he’s a racist, sexist bully, and he takes pride in the fact that his attitudes haven’t changed much since the 19th century . The issue of indigenous peoples is brought into more focus than expected, and Nolan is caught between the business side of running the station and the guidance of young Digi (Tyler Spencer).
region. Image: Netflix. New shows will be streamed.
There are some fun villains lurking outside the family, most notably ones that are totally uninspired by Gina Reinhart’s billionaire mining tycoon Sandra Kirby (Sarah Wiseman). She vows to destroy Colin and take over Marianne Station as part of a plan so evil that even the Scooby-Doo villains would think twice, and she even has local Native leaders on her side.
Operating at a slightly lower level is cattle magnate Campbell Miller (Jay Ryan), whose shady past and dangerous present lead him to have a secret (and present) connection to Emily. Speaking of which, her fussy brother Hank (Dan Wiley) is also a good deal.
Director Greg McLean (“Wolf Creek”) makes the whole thing look worthy of widescreen, whether it’s the scenery or the Lawson family’s old property. He collaborated with creators Ben Davis and Timothy Lee to create a very remarkable version of the larger-than-life Outback in a way that “prints the legend.”
This is a freewheeling place where anything can happen, especially for these scheming characters. The sense that there’s a surprise around every corner makes Territory feel like more than just a family story filled with intrigue. We’ve all seen parents and children turn on each other, but what about one of them getting eaten alive by a pack of dingoes? Think it could attract people’s attention.
Territory will premiere on Netflix on October 24, 2024.
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