Leah Purcell makes a powerful return to hit crime series High Country

A hit both here and globally, the first season of High Country ticked a lot of boxes. With a memorable collection of characters, a top-notch cast led by Leah Purcell, an enjoyably twisty script that kept the tension high across eight episodes, and a setting that felt surprisingly lawless for regional Victoria, it was one of Australia’s stronger forays into rural crime. And that was before Purcell started riding a horse.

But what possibly stood out the most was the setting. Australian noir usually goes for the dry and dusty outback or the more scenic stretches of rugged coastline. As the title suggests, High Country was filmed in Victoria’s high country – mostly around Jamieson, though Lake Eildon gets a look in this season – and the lush forest and mountain ranges were a striking backdrop.

High Country: What Lies Beneath picks up a few months since the events of the first season. That means it’s summer, and it’s a very different vibe around the small town of Broken Ridge. Trees are parched, the lakes are down, the sun is harsh, the roads are often dusty. And when the former local police chief Sam Dyson (Ian McElhinney) boards a seemingly abandoned houseboat stranded on one of those lakes, he finds a streak of blood (and a gun) that points directly to murder.

Returning to the high country

After the events of last season, the current chief Sergeant, Andie Whitford (Purcell), is in no mood to take his calls. So it’s not until the next morning that she’s called out to the lake, where the boat’s been pulled to shore and the rest of the department (Ariadne Sgouros, Matt Domingo) are on the scene.

Sam gets the cold shoulder, while Detective Glenn Gilmour (Brendan Cowell) gets a much warmer welcome. His day’s about to get a lot worse; the first body they pull out of the lake turns out the be his brother.

Andie takes on the case (she was a big city detective before she moved to the country) but Gilmour’s not going to let this go. His brother’s wife’s still missing, presumed dead, and their daughter came up to visit them the day before. The houseboat’s covered in fingerprints from a local mine worker, Jax Mason (David Field). He has a dubious past and a reason to hold a grudge against Andie – but does that make him the killer?

Andie’s relationships at home aren’t making things any easier. Her connection with partner Helen (Sara Wiseman) is still on shaky ground, while her mother Liz (Melissa Jaffer) is retreating into a world of her own. Microwaving sadness bowls for dinner and knocking back a few wines is how Andie’s currently spending her evenings; at least she’s still on good terms with high country tour guide Owen Cooper (Aaron Pederson).

Ripples, twists and turns

As with the first season, the central mystery soon expands. Various members of the Mason family become increasingly noteworthy, Gilmour has a suspicious past, and Nadine Garner shows up later on to complicate things as a business associate of the murdered man.

Andie’s daughter Kirra (Pez Warner) is also still around, which means she’s going to get caught up in things somehow. And Andie’s struggles with her past – Liz is her adoptive mother, leaving Andie with no connection to her mob – remain an ongoing theme.

Purcell is one of this country’s more powerful performers, and this is a series that knows that with her, it’s onto a good thing. Often we see her just taking in events or moving through the environment; this kind of noir mystery relies on a strong central character, but Purcell is equally convincing gathering evidence or dealing with Andie’s bumpy personal life.

In the first season, Andie was a newcomer, a little unsure of her footing, Here she’s settled in – and much more confident running her police department – but that instability and isolation has transferred across to her personal life. Which, as mystery fans know all too well, is going to overlap with the crime side of things soon enough.

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A strong Australian noir series

The supporting cast remains strong, with the new additions rapidly making their mark. At first McElhinney’s return is a bit of a head-scratcher, as his story was largely wrapped up in the first season. But he soon finds his way into the central storyline and having him around helps build on one of this show’s strengths: Broken Ridge comes across as a real community with a range of ongoing stories, not just a collection of suspects waiting around for a chance to leap into action.

A solidly crafted mystery is nothing to sneeze at, and this mixes in enough surprises and revelations to keep the crime side of things fresh. Andie’s personal dramas are another strength, giving her depth without becoming distracting. And if you were a fan of the lush mountain greenery of the first season, don’t worry, there’s plenty of ferns and forests to hide dark secrets here.

High Country isn’t reinventing the wheel as far as this kind of noir drama goes. It just happens to do a very good job at all the things that make the genre work. Second time around, it doesn’t put a foot wrong – which is especially impressive considering how treacherous some of the bush tracks Andie finds herself on can be.

The first episode of High Country: What Lies Beneath streams on Binge and Foxtel on Demand on 14 September, with new episodes available weekly.

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