Crunching The Deal – The episode opens several years earlier with Francis Pike (Stephen Curry) burying a body in concrete. When his men urge him to speed it up, he warns of what would happen if the supervisor notices the concrete pad off-kilter. He says no matter the circumstances, the deceased man has found his final resting place. He hopes to receive the same “courtesy” when he dies. Police sirens and dogs quickly approach. He flees into the woods.

Stella Heikkinen (Marta Dusseldorp) sits awake while Otis Heikkinen (Imi Mbedla) and Iris Heikkinen (Ava Caryofyllis) sleep. On the porch, she looks out to see three men staring at her. She threatens to call the police if they do not leave when Jeremiah (Toby Leonard Moore) arrives.” He claims the men are dairy farmers. She demands to know why he is there. He stresses the importance of dairy farming in Tasmania. After the men depart, she briefly scans a file when Iris calls for her. She later retrieves the coat that she refused to wear last night due to fear of contracting diseases.

Exiting the property, Iris spots a “Free Goat” sign. She demands to know why Stella is giving “Princess Bettina” away. Stella reminds her that the goat (Gary) does not belong to them, drug dealers left it there. She assures them that their stay there will be short. After thanking God, Otis asks if their next place will be a “meth lab.” Iris sternly claims the goat belongs to her. He accuses her of giving away the only thing that may make her happy. Faking a laugh, Stella says they are all happy.

Francis pretends to be away from his real estate office but Iris spots him hiding under a desk. When Stella mentions the police, he crawls toward the back. The burnt Police Station is surrounded by a construction barrier. She asks Tarquin (Ben Knight) if he can direct them to the Police Station. He asks why she wants to know before pointing at the building behind her. She pushes the kids back as an out-of-control bus speeds past and makes a U-turn. Thaddeus (Matt Nable) buts a feed buck in front of his Clydesdale (Bonnie). Otis joins a group of locals buying food from a street vendor. Magda (Pamela Rabe) and Jodie (Emily Taheny) approach Stella on the sidewalk. Magda says her skirt previously belonged to her. Jodie accuses Magda of lying. Magda describes the skirt as “hideous” which is why she would never own it.

Stella finds the Mystery Bay Police Station inside a mobile home. Deputy Jason (Andre De Vanny) is having a beer when she knocks on the door. She identifies herself as the new owner of Gurvan Place. Shocked, he asks who she bought the property from. Ignoring his question, she informs him of the marijuana operation underneath the Gurvan house. He tells her that the police do not consider cannabis an issue. After pointing out his missing pants, she claims Francis is hiding.

Otis asks Elysha (Mackenzie Grant)  the price of bread and produce. She holds up a makeshift price tag for each item. Bethel (Brigid Zengeni) orders her to go to school to keep the government on their good side. She gives him a smile when Thaddeus approaches to rush him up. After Otis departs, he orders Bong Cha to never talk to anyone. He tells Caleb (Jacob Franklin) to keep an eye on her.

When Stella and Iris approach the café, a woman flips the Open sign while  Sammi (Ilai Swindells) closes the blinds. Otis.  tells her that he will give the school three weeks. When Jason arrives to take them home. Stella asks why is Francis hiding. Jason suggests he has a conference. Back at the house, he tapes off the crawlspace overrun with marijuana plants with her help. Frankie McLeish (Kerry Fox) emerges from the house with her dog (Max). Stella informs her of the cannabis plants in the crawlspace. Frankie pretends to be shocked by the revelation before introducing her to Arthur (Oscar Redding) who presents them with a welcome casserole. Stella sarcastically accepts it but only if it is not road kill. Frankie takes the casserole back before informing her of the property being the starting point of a 5-way.

Frankie tells Graham (Nicolas Bell) about Francis selling the Gurvan house. She reminds him of what happened the last night Francis sold a property. He assures her that Francis only needs something to keep him busy. She demands he contact her if he sees Frankie. He pleads with her to leave Frankie be.

Jeremiah arrives to fix the floor but Stella refuses to cover the cost. As he carries the wood back to his truck, she agrees to pay $30 an hour. He holds out until she pays his $45 hourly quote.

Francis claims to have received a call from the “old number,” a woman asking to acquire a property for the new family. Stunned, Graham reminds him of it being 11 years since they received a call from the old number. Francis boasts of his work. Graham says his last debacle resulted in two people dying. Graham suggests hanging low until he gets it sorted out.

Stella decides to spend the night in the hotel while the floors are being repaired. Bong Cha (Kim Ko) says there no vacancies. Jeremiah convinces her to rent them a room. While clay pigeon shooting, Connor (Bob Franklin) explains how he imagines the clay pigeon is an alien to hit it. While impressed with his skill, she gives him a deadline to repair her vehicle or return it. She tries the diner again to have Sammi slam the door in her face again. Forcing him to open the door, she demands he serve her and her children food.

Francis flees when Tarquin, Stretch (Jalen Sutcliffe), Arthur, and another man pull up in front of the real estate office. Otis demands to know why they left Melbourne. Stella claims to have needed some time away. He scolds her for keeping secrets and bottling her feelings up. Bong Cha and a man listen to their conversation from a remote location.

Jeremiah finds Joseph (Tony Barry) on the floor. They discuss his new medicine before Jeremiah helps him into a sitting position. Joseph asks about Stella. Jeremiah describes her as “stuck up.” Joseph questions Stella and her children’s safety in the old Gurvan House.

Stella utilizes another SIM card to call Airini (Rachel House) to give her an earful. Airini assures her there is no safer place for them before sending her a photo of Kumar Argawal’s (Nikhil Singh) beaten and battered body. She explains how Kumar was tortured for hours by Johann Mueller/Jakob Yahontov/Joseff Kuznetsov (Nikolai Nikolaeff). Distraught, Stella demands to know what is going on. Airini suggests adapting to stay alive. Later, Stella tells Otis and Iris that several anomalies were detected in their business accounts. She says Kumar who is hired to investigate the anomalies is dead. She claims Yakov (Vanya Essin) and Rusian (Paul Roukchan) tried to murder her and succeeded in killing Gina. Otis accuses her of costing him his friends and killing Gina.

Arthur and Frankie escort a large truck through Stella’s property. Francis sneaks into his office for a file and a phone. Airing utilizes a listening device to spy on Johann. Stella confesses to having loved Otis’ father. Francis and a man watch a live CCTV stream of Francis. Speaking through a radio, she asks if he is fleeing before inviting him to join her for a chat. He denies doing anything wrong, only selling real estate which is booming in Tasmania. He tosses the radio out the window. After a call to Arthur, Francis comes under gunfire. He flees into the woods.

Jason discovers all the marijuana plants have been removed from Stella’s basement. He takes down the police tape. Iris gifts Graham a drawing and a fairytale story of their former life. Connor picks Stella and the kids up at the hotel. Before leaving, Iris says goodbye to “grandpa,” Graham who refers to her as “granddaughter.” When Stella tries to correct her, she says they both make up their own stories.

Iris is none too happy to find the goat has been given away. Stella asks Jason if the drug dealers will return. He says it is not likely. Jeremiah offers to return if she is afraid. She declines the offer before asking if that is why he visited on their first night there. Iris is thrilled with the new floor design. Francis is beaten and put on display. Stella takes the kids for a walk in the kids when Otis spots the goat strapped to the roof of a vehicle. She pleads with him to not tell Iris. They discover Francis’ body as the episode ends.

 

Bay Of Fires Review

Stella reports the marijuana plants to Constable Jason. He tapes off the area and promises to file a report. Jeremiah agrees to repair the floor for $45 an hour. He convinces Bong Cha to rent her a hotel room for the night. Overnight, the marijuana plants disappear.

Frankie is running an illegal operation that runs through Stella’s property. After selling Gurvan Place to Stella, Francis has been in hiding. She orders Arthur to kill him to make sure he doesn’t talk. Out for a picnic, Iris discovers his body near a waterfall.

Fed up with Tasmania, Stella gives Airini an earful. Airini sends her an image of Kumar’s body after Johann tortured him for hours. Stella tells Otis why they are really there. Upset over the loss of his comfortable life and friends, he brings up his father’s death and how she set out of his grief counseling sessions. She contributes it to her own grief. Most everyone in the town appears to be on edge.

The episode was somewhat of an improvement from the pilot episode. It consists of good and not-so-good scenes. There are moments when it seems you can feel the family’s grief, fear, and frustration.

Only bits and pieces of what led up to this point have been revealed which could be contributed to the 8-part season. Fine-tuning would have made the show more enjoyable.

Why pay for big-name talent only to utilize in them minor roles?

The episode deserves a 6. Get more Bay of Fires recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by donating to our site. Our onsite advertising is an effective way to build brand awareness, click the link to learn more.