The episode opens with Helen Hartley (Sara Wiseman) driving down the road when out of nowhere, Rose De Vigny (Linda Cropper) appears. She veers into the oncoming lane, brings the car to a halt, and gets out to see a bloody, distraught Rose.

Andrea Whitford (Leah Purcell) adds Damien Stark (Henry Nixon) as a suspect in Claire Harris’ disappearance. Brett Sweet (Luke McKenzie) appears with a blue backpack, matching that of Jean Grierson’s. He asks why Michael Novak of Brighton was reported missing a year ago after his vehicle ran out of petrol on Timbertop. Reza Bohrani (Matt Domingo) suggests his disappearance may be part of the pattern. She says it may not be connected but it is vital to look at every angle. A short time later, Andrea arrives at the De Vigny farm to find Damien there. He claims to have been home when someone set it on fire and has been there ever since. Rose complains about the police being notified of her attack. Andrea explains how what happened to her may be connected to a murder and two missing person cases. Rose assures her that she was attacked because Damien is staying there. She tells her about the incident with Joel (Toby Derrick) but does not believe he is responsible.

Andrea threatens Nash Mason (Nathan Dean) and Liam Mason (Jamie Timony) if they burnt Damien’s camper. Nash denies any connection to the fire. She tells Brett that Damien is staying with Rose before joining the search party.

Grasping Rose’s hand, Damien detects her fear. She stresses the need to who attacked her and why. He says she knows why. She jerks her hand free and denies knowing why. Helen watches them through a window.

While searching for David Miers and Claire, Andrea detects a mirror reflection in the distance. She reports the sighting to Showbag (Michael Logo) before heading in the direction of the reflection. A short distance away, she sees a contraption made of wood and silverware hanging from a tree. Snapping photos, she heads deeper into the brush where she finds a dead animal hanging from a tree. She receives a call from Brett who warns her that she is out of the search range and will not make it back to the headquarters before sundown. She assures him that she will be all right. Later, Andrea notifies Helen and Kirra (Pez Warner) that she is camping in the woods. Helen tells her that she is making lasagna. Andrea suggests spoon-feeding Rose some lasagna. Helen asks if she is okay. Andrea admits to missing her. A bit more chit-chat and the satellite cuts out. Later, Andrea is eating when she hears a loud noise. It appears as if she is recording the noise or playing something on her phone. Andrea is asleep in the tent when she hears a noise. Grabbing her firearm, she emerges from the tent to see a white dingo. After a few seconds, the dingo walks away.

At the search & rescue headquarters, Andrea is looking at the photos from the woods to find a photo of herself sleeping. Tammy Samson (Leah Vandenberg) says rumor has it that Damien burnt his camper to destroy evidence. Andrea vows to make him pay if he is guilty.

Struggling to get out of her art slump, Helen goes out to take in the view. She opens her eyes to find Damien standing beside her. He suggests she is finding it difficult since she and Andrea relocated there. As she prepares to go back inside, he warns that stress can poison a marriage. He explains how his wife supported him through all the rumors but the stares and assumptions got the best of her. He says she lives in Sydney with her new husband and their two children. She tells him that her ex also remarried.

At a local gathering, a TV reporter (Mimi Kwa) says the residents are demanding answers about the disappearance of Claire and David. Andrea shows Sam Dryson (Ian McElhinney) the photos from the woods (about 5 kilometers from Newman’s hut). He suggests Jack “Ghillie” Stoll (Travis McMahon), a vet, is responsible but assures her that he is not the killer.

Helen tells Andrea that Damien’s story is sad. Andrea warns her to not fall for it because he did her the same way. She urges Helen to stay away from Rose’s place. Helen claims to go up there to paint. Andrea makes her promise to never be caught alone with Damien.

Andrea is riding Archie in the woods when he refuses to go further. On the ground, she finds a makeshift booby trap. While searching the surrounding area, she locates a hut. Someone is watching her from a short distance away. She finds a tape recorder of the noise that she heard in the woods last night and David’s binoculars bag. Someone is watching her through a rifle scope when she disappears behind a tree. She comes up from his side with her gun pointed at his head.

Sophie (Shannon Berry) tells Helen that Rose took the shotgun to the shed. Helen finds Helen digging up a metal box full of money. Realizing Helen is present, Rose demands to know if she is spying on her. Helen claims to have been concerned when Sophie said she took a shotgun to the shed. Rose orders her to get out.

Andrea walks Archie carrying Ghillie down the street toward the Brokenridge Police Station. Ghillie claims his zoologist friend who studied the sound on the tape recorder said it is not human or animal. He suggests David and Claire were abducted by Yowies that he saw with his own eyes. He admits to setting the trap to catch a Yowie. She grills him about Claire and David’s disappearance and Jean Grierson’s death. He begins to convulse. Paramedics put him on a stretcher into the back of an ambulance. A paramedic tells Andrea that Ghillie had a seizure. Brett notifies her of Rose’s car being located two kilometers east of Nelson’s Flat. He says the murder weapon utilized to kill Jean is a Dang Hua hunting knife.

Jean breaks into Damien’s shop where she finds his handcrafted knights. A short time later, she asks Kayden Shanks (Tarquin Cameron) about his knight. Russell Shanks (Simon Maiden) tells her that Damien gave it to him. He accuses Finn McKenzie (Stacy Clausen) and his friends of throwing a lit Molotov cocktail into Damien’s camper. Kirra confesses but claims it was an accident. At home, Helen scolds Kirra for burning Damien’s camper. Andrea tells her that Kirra did it as a dare to join a gang. Kirra accuses them of lying about her liking it there. Sam arrives with a bucket of fish. Over supper, Sam warns them that Russell told everyone about Kirra burning Damien’s camper. Andrea says Kirra will need to be charged. Helen reminds her that Kirra is their daughter. Sam suggests Kirra take part in his community service program which would require her to work six days a week on Grant Brown’s (Trevor Major) farm. Kirra goes to her room and slams the door.

Grant gives Kirra instructions before walking away. Ben Cooper (Pedrea Jackson) grabs a shovel and joins her. Elsewhere, Helen is packing up her art gear when Rose approaches and apologizes about yesterday. She admits to not reporting the profit from farmer markets for a rainy day. Helen vows to not tell anyone when Andrea pulls into the driveway. Andrea informs her of Ghillie’s fingerprints inside her vehicle and suggests it was a random attack. She tells Damien that Kirra burnt his camper by accident and offers to buy him a new one, but he says it is insured. She convinces him to continue helping her with the case, just between the two of them.

Andrea is called after Liz Whitford (Melissa Jaffer) walks away from the senior care facility. Hearing a commotion outside, she looks out the window to see Ghillie running with Reza in tow. Reza explains how he escaped. Upset, she reminds him that Ghillie is the chief suspect in the disappearances and murder.

Andrea employs the help of Owen Cooper (Aaron Pedersen) to help her track Ghillie. He agrees to track Ghillie and report back to her. While rolling up his swag, she finds a hunting knife in a hidden compartment. Utilizing a piece of cloth, she picks up the knife and looks at it. The episode ends.

 

High Country Review

The episode alludes to Owen being the killer. I always found him suspicious, but it is too early in the series to pin the murders on him. It is probably just a ploy to keep viewers tuned in.

I was truly annoyed with how Andrea handled Damien’s caravan fire. She is determined to press charges until Kirra confesses. Instead of taking her to the police station, she takes her home. After a brief scolding, all is forgotten until Sam brings it up during supper. Kirra acts like a spoiled brat when Andrea says she will be charged. Community service turns out to be farm work where she can spend more time with her friend, Ben Cooper. What a joke!

The episode deserves a 4 out of 10. Get more High Country recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by donating. Learn how advertising with us can help build your brand awareness. Join our newly established forum to discuss new TV show and movie releases, celebrity news, crimes, and more.