Chapter Five: Betrayal – The episode opens with Standard newspaper articles about King Carney’s (Bryan Brown) death and Catherine “Cath” Carney’s (Essie David) marriage to Neill Fletcher (David Wenham). The marriage makes Fletcher the head of the Carney Cattle Company.

Nullah (Brandon Walters) excitedly cheers on The Drover (Hugh Jackman) riding an unbroken horse. He announces his impending walkabout to learn how to become a man. The Drover tells him that Lady Sarah Ashley (Nichole Kidman) has the final say about where he goes. Later, The Drover informs Sarah that Captain Emmett Dutton (Ben Mendelsohn) wants him to lead an upcoming Army cattle drive. When Sarah says he cannot go, he says it feels strange for someone else to make his decision. She assures him that it is just an opinion. She expresses her desire for Nullah to attend the “School of the Air”. He tells her that Nullah wants to accompany King George (David Gulpilil) on a walkabout. She calls the idea ridiculous. He says Nullah would be safer in Arnhem Land than in Faraway Downs. She does not want to let Nullah go. The Drover warns that Nullah will have no future if he doesn’t complete the ceremony.

King George arrives at Faraway Downs to take Nullah on a walkabout. Sarah tries to convince Nullah to stay but he refuses. She turns around to see King George is gone. Later, Sarah rushes into the house to meet Dutton but finds Fletcher instead. She demands to know the purpose of his visit. He expresses his desire to have Faraway Downs. She orders Bandy Legs (Lillian Crombie) to have the men escort Fletcher off her property. Unconcerned, Fletcher tells Bandy Legs to bring him tea and takes a seat. She threatens to tell Cath that he is Nulla’s father. He assures her that would be a mistake before pointing out that a  Kimberly Spear is missing. A flashback shows a man with a Kimberly Spear in his chest falling headfirst into the water. Blood turns the water red.

King George calls Nullah from the mountaintop. Later, Sarah informs The Drover that Nullah is gone. He suggests Nullah left with King George on the walkabout. Refusing to believe he would leave without saying goodbye, Sarah prepares to leave for Punctuation Point. The Drover tries to convince her that it would be a wasted trip because Nullah is halfway to Arnhem Land. She says he and Magarri (David Ngoombujarra) can find him. He sarcastically asks if she plans to find and lock him up before leaving for the Army cattle drive. She asks him to stay or never return. The Drover and Magarri leave on horseback.

A constable (Damian Bradford) shoots Nullah’s dog, Jedda. King George and Nullah try to flee but Sergeant Callahan (Tony Barry) catches him. A constable (Nathan Lawson) hits King George with the butt of his rifle. Elsewhere, Dutton calls Sarah to inform her of King George’s arrest. She tells him that they will pick up Nullah in Darwin. He says Darwin is currently being evacuated due to a Japanese threat. She says they will be there ASAP.

Darwin – Callahan tells Fletcher that King George, a suspect in Lord Maitland Ashley’s murder, has been arrested. King George is thrown into a jail cell. He watches a news segment about Darwin is being turned into a military headquarters. Later, Sarah arrives in Darwin as Brother Frank (Matthew Whittet) leads Nulla to a ship. Cath refuses to leave Darwin. Administer Allsop (Barry Otto) leads Myrtle Allsop (Kerry Walker) along the gangplank to the ship. Sarah locates Nullah but Father Benedict (Arthur Dignam) refuses to let him go with her. Cath demands Fletcher help Sarah. Sarah vows to find Nullah before Benedict takes him away. Nullah promises to sing to her. Fletcher offers to return Nullah to her if she signs Faraway Downs over to him. The episode ends.

 

Faraway Downs Review

Sarah wants Nullah to attend the “School of the Air,” not go on a walkabout. The Drover tries to convince her that it is his only chance of a future. The Army offers him a cattle droving job. She asks him to never return if he accepts the offer. They disagree on what is best for Nullah. He leaves for Darwin to head the Army’s cattle drive.

Callahan arrests King George on suspicion of Maitland’s murder. Darwin is undergoing militarization when Sarah arrives to pick up Nullah. Father Benedict refuses to let him go with her. She promises to find him. Cath tries to convince Fletcher to help Sarah. He tells Sarah that he will help her get Nullah back if she signs Faraway Downs over to him.

One episode away from the finale and very little happened. Overall, it is a disappointing episode. Nullah being placed into the church’s care could have been summed up in one scene.

The action scenes look like they were created with AI. The technical quality is worse than I’ve seen in a while. The visual effects are amateurish at best. The show looks like a cheap Lifetime movie.

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