As the episode begins, we see two men dressed in old clothes participate in a duel. Both men are shot before they drop to the ground. After the intro, Dr. Daniel Harrow (Ioan Gruffudd) spends the night with Tanya Reed (Sara Wiseman) who says the cancer is in remission. Tanya admits she thought Daniel would be angry about something like this and Daniel thought the same. Daniel learns that Tanya changed her name to her grandmother’s surname Hain and she exhibits under that name. She apologizes to Daniel because she knows how hard he tried to find them. She didn’t let Daniel find her because he would’ve talked her back. Then, their conversation turns to James and whether he is in trouble. James (Harrison Gilbertson) sits down with Fern (Ella Newton) and promises he didn’t steal anything from Mila.

He believes Max was responsible for the theft and that is why he needed a fake passport from James. He theorizes that Max had access to his mother’s banking system. Fern wonders if Mila (Diana Glenn) is after James for the money or her son but James says he doesn’t know about either of them. When asked what Mila would do, James admits he thinks she would kill him. Daniel tells Tanya about the DNA test and waiting to see if the victim was his son. He admits he isn’t sure he can believe a word James tells him and that he isn’t involved in Max’s death. Steve tells Bryan (Damien Garvey) that Surveillance 2 has just uploaded some photos regarding Daniel’s boat. Bryan checks the pictures and finds out about Tanya being on Daniel’s boat.

He learns about her changing her name before he tells Detective Brookes (Jing Xuan Chan) that he wants to wait and see where they take this. Daniel and Tanya go for a ride in the morning and remember the items he stole from the Mexican restaurant they went to. Daniel realizes they’re being watched by police so they can’t go visit James. When Daniel returns to the office, Dr. Grace (Jolene Anderson) listens as he talks to Bryan about his followers and Daniel’s visitor. Daniel tells him that he and Tanya don’t know where James is so they should be left alone. Then, Grace tells Daniel about her two scoops of ice cream and Daniel didn’t show up so he quickly apologizes. Then, they learn about the victims, Martin Peek (Russell Krause) and George Vaughn Ilic (Brent Dunner).

Bryan explains they were duelists and members of the historical society. Allegedly, Ilic said something that Mr. Peek took offense too so they had to duel. Daniel asks about the seconds since they would’ve accompanied the men during the duel. Bryan confirms they’re interviewing two people at CIB now. As for the referee, he has gone to ground and they’re searching for him. Just before the autopsies, Grace continues belittling Daniel for not showing up for the ice cream. Dr. Lyle Fairley (Darren Gilshenan) joins them and says the duel was romantic. Daniel offers to shoot him before Fairley reminds him he was called Crack Shot Fairley in the Air Rifle Brigade. Daniel claims it was because of the pellet that wound up in his gluteal cleft.

Grace interrupts and asks Edwina (Faustina Agolley) about the men’s health. She explains Mr. Ilic was as fit as a fiddle and Peek was too except he had minor heartburn and restless leg syndrome. They were both good shots and long-term members of the Brisbane Faro Society. Daniel knows about faro which is a card game from Basset and a precursor to poker. As for other wounds, Mr. Peek has something faint on his cheek and it looks like lipstick. They believe someone kissed him good luck or goodbye. The witnesses thought the guns weren’t loaded. They check the guns which belonged to Peek since he had a license. Then, they look at the CT scans and Grace says the two men were aiming at each other’s hearts. They really wanted to kill each other or really didn’t they think would.

They go in deeper to check out the lead shots and find out that they’re fishing sinkers. One of the back of one, Ruffian is imprinted on it. Daniel wonders what was worth killing for. After that, Daniel visits the Brisbane Faro Society and finds the motto “Valour withers without an opponent”. He goes in and finds Bryan talking to Emeline Mellis (Kestie Morassi) who is the club’s new marketing manager. She admits she was only doing it for her CV but found out that it is a great game of skill and wit. She says it is a shame they lost Martin and George because they were experts. Daniel asks her what the duel was about before she says what every duel is about pride. Bryan talks to the club’s treasurer Karen Yancy (Roz Hammond).

She claims they were arguing about the 50-year anniversary championship game. The winner gets the time capsule. They’re not sure what is in it because they only have one out of focus photo, but she claims it is nothing valuable and many about prestige. She says the unearthing will be a big deal and there will be local papers. When pressed more, she says Martin and George were playing when George said he was growing too old waiting for Martin to place his bet and he was starting to find Martin’s wife attractive. Martin took offense to that comment and decided to challenge George to a duel. Daniel asks and learns that there were duels before but they were normally settled by a card game or fencing bout. Other times, they were settled by paintballs but never lead bullets. Daniel asks about Dugald Hogarth (Dirk Hoult) being the winner by default, but Bryan says he is their missing referee.

As for Mellis, her name is missing. She admits she thought she was too new to the club to play. Daniel asks about the place where Peek kept his pistols before they visit his house and give their condolences to his wife. Mrs. Peek (Janet Andrewartha) confirms she was her husband’s second during the duel, but she didn’t load the pistol and only handed it to him. She says Martin was going through a mid-life crisis since he bought a lot of stuff. He was a tax accountant and a very responsible man but had changed in the last few months and became secretive and deceptive. Daniel asks if Martin had restless leg syndrome and she confirms he did and it was spreading to other parts of his body and life. He had gotten into gambling and was involved in online poker and online sports betting.

She admits she wanted it to end before showing them the safe where he kept his guns. Bryan finds paintballs, but no lead shot. Only Martin had a key to it. Mick brings Bryan a tackle box with two missing sinkers. The others have Ruffian on the back of them. When asked, she thinks she kissed her husband good luck. They finally track down Dugald and asks him why he ran from the duel. He claims he was upset after seeing two club mates die in front of him. He had no key so he has a solid alibi. He also had an allergy to seafood so Bryan doesn’t think he would’ve touched the tackle box without having a seizure. Bryan believes Martin is the most likely suspect and is ready to move on since he has another murder investigation to focus on. Edwina finds Daniel checking on the bodies and asks if they died for something, but Daniel isn’t sure.

She tells him he had a phone call earlier before leaving. He checks it and is surprised by what he finds. He goes to the police station and finds Tanya talking to Bryan about James being in Australia. She tells Bryan that James claimed he was attending a university but hadn’t attended a single class. She came out to search for her son and started with his father. She tells Bryan everything Daniel said, but flips at the end and says James was nowhere to be found after the DNA confirmed it was Max. Bryan isn’t sure about that though since he has a voicemail from Daniel telling Fern he needs to speak to her brother. Daniel says Bryan convinced him that James was there so he left the message for Fern but he doesn’t know if she has had contact with James. Tanya leaves her number so they can call when and if they find James.

Daniel follows her outside and she believes that’ll get them out of their backs now. Meanwhile, Fern helps James access her father’s work account. They look at bodies being released to their next to kin since their possessions are sometimes released as well. James intends to swap the case code with the one for his phone so he can get it. James is surprised when his mother and Daniel arrive at the door. She wants to know why he told Daniel she was dead. They discuss all of their recent lies including James claiming he has been going to the University of Adelaide. He wanted to find his dad and now he needs to find his phone to prove he didn’t kill Max. His mother wants to know if he’ll stay if he manages to clear his name. He doesn’t answer and encourages her to get some sleep so Tanya agrees to sleep on Daniel’s boat. Later, she tells Daniel she didn’t want her baby being raised around the dead. Daniel returns to QIFM and works before Renae (Miriama Smith) enters and checks on him. He asks about Louie who is with his father this week. She says she works instead of sitting at home missing him and Daniel says he sits at home missing work.

They discuss why the duelists were killed before Daniel tells her about Peek’s restless leg syndrome. Daniel says he was prescribed a medication called Pramipexole which heightens sex drive, increases recklessness, and encourages the desire to gamble. Renae asks about the Phenidone which is found alongside the traces of gunpowder on his hand. Daniel says it is a darkroom chemical so he must’ve been a photographic developer, but he didn’t have a darkroom at home. He returns to the club and finds Karen Yancy there preparing for the big day. Daniel learns that there is going to be a final because Mellis is now playing. A clause says the treasurer can nominate a stand-in when there aren’t enough players. Mellis asks to be nominated and Yancy admits it would be a change to have a woman in the final.

She tells Daniel about Mellis’s work spreading news about the club and the final before he asks about someone developing photographs. Sure enough, the club has a darkroom which has been with the club for 50 years. Daniel learns that Emeline uses it. Daniel looks at the pictures and finds that they’re from the laying of the time capsule and a frame has gone missing. Mellis interrupts and joins them. She threatens to call the police on Daniel for trespassing before Daniel asks her what she told Peek. She says she takes it Peek can’t kiss and tell after Daniel asks if he was in there the night before the duel. She claims she knows nothing about the missing frame. He tries to leave but Mellis asks for a kiss for luck before saying she finds it sad about what happened to Martin and George.

She tells Daniel that there is nothing to find there before kissing him on the cheek. Grace finds him at QIFM taking a sample of her lipstick from his cheek. Then, Daniel goes to Bryan and tells him that the lipstick might’ve belonged to Mellis. He also tells Bryan about the darkroom chemicals. Daniel believes she did it to join the game and win the capsule’s contents because she knows something valuable is inside. Bryan agrees to cooperate so they dress up in old clothes and head to the club to play faro. Mellis isn’t happy to see them before Daniel says they joined the club online thanks to her. Yancy confirms that Daniel is right and they can play. Before the game begins, Bryan tells Daniel he’s got it. Mellis wins the first game so Daniel consults with Bryan who says it is a matter of counting cards.

Bryan wins the second hand. Nichols wins the third as well so Mellis goes for a drink. Bryan accepts one but Daniel turns one down. During the break, Daniel tells Bryan he thinks Mellis eliminate Peek and Ilic because she thought she could beat Hogarth. He believes Bryan is unsettling her. Daniel warns Bryan not to drink what she brought him, but it is too late. Nichols begins feeling the effects immediately and Hogarth does too. Bryan tells Daniel to win the game before stepping away. Daniel refuses to call the game and continues playing. Mellis wins and Hogarth steps out. Yancy lets them know they’re down to the last three cards before Daniel asks Mellis what she found in the photograph of the time capsule. She denies it and says she is going to win.

He tells her she is good at hunches. She places her bet before he says he believes he can bet on the order the last three cards appear. If he is right, he wins four times the bet. He knows because he read the rule book. Daniel says the last card is the valet de trefle or the jack of clubs and he is right. As a result, he wins the game and the time capsule. Mellis storms out. Daniel tracks her down her but she continues denying all of his allegations. She admits she thought she’d be on TV if she won and in the papers. She shows him the picture and says it is just a bunch of old crap but she wants the cards because they’re collector’s items. Yancy found the loophole to let her play and they agreed she could keep the cards. She denies kissing Martin before leaving. Daniel looks at the picture and goes back inside to confront Yancy. He claims she recognized the deck of cards and old envelope in the picture. She admits it is worth over half a million and the dusty old fools had no idea. She pulls out a sword and we quickly learn what Yancy did to get Mellis into the game.

She knew about Peek being on Pramipexole and its side effects because her late father had Parkinson’s. He only needed a nudge after George insulted Martin. She grabbed his keys when they were in the darkroom together and put the sinkers in the pistols. Daniel is forced to defend himself before he is cut across the arm. He tries to convince her that the money isn’t worth it before she pins him to the ground but Bryan arrives and saves him. He wants more of the beer. Brookes arrives and Daniel gives her permission to open the time capsule only to find everything has been utterly destroyed. Daniel finds a Marshall Sam Colt cereal toy though and says he always wanted one of them. Before Bryan is hauled away, he tells Daniel he is glad he wasn’t lying about his son.

He says he didn’t want to see Daniel taken away in cuffs, but they will be taking away his son though. Moments later, Callan (Hunter Page-Lochard) finds James reading a request for release of evidence. He wants to know what James is doing in Daniel’s emails but James claims it isn’t any of his business. He tells him to piss off. Later, Callan breaks into James’s room and looks through his belongings. He finds an SWM card with the name John Rann on it. Daniel goes to his boat and tells Tanya about the cereal toy. They talk about what she said about the dead and she admits it wasn’t a good reason to keep James from him. Daniel admits he had done terrible things too before they kiss. Callan goes to SWM and tries to enter with the key card. He uses the card and slips inside before the door shuts behind him.

Callan looks around and finds a makeshift call center for the Z-Stock help desk. They’re remotely accessing the callers’ computers and possibly downloading information. Mila gets a call and is told she has a problem before she watches a surveillance video of Callan in the call center.

 

Harrow Review

I thoroughly enjoyed this episode of Harrow. Although it isn’t my favorite show, I can positively say that the show has remained consistent from the first episode of the first season. I like it and will watch it until the show ends. Although a bit farfetched, I enjoy watching the show juggle Daniel’s exploits and his personal issues simultaneously.

I’ll say I wish the show would begin focusing more on the main story of James Reed though. I think it is time to buckle down and focus on the main story. Either way, I can’t wait to see what will happen. I liked Daniel and Bryan going into the faro club. I liked the Emeline Mellis and Karen Yancy characters. The writers certainly aren’t running out of ideas yet.

Overall, this episode was pretty good, but I wish they would start focusing solely on Daniel and his son. Right now, it looks like Callan or Fern will become collateral because of the operation James is involved in with Mila. We’ll have to wait and see how that plays out though. The episode scores an 8 out of 10. It was certainly one of the best episodes of the season. Past and future recaps of Harrow will be available on Reel Mockery here.