As the episode opens, Sergeant Andrea Whitford (Leah Purcell) prepares a search party to look for missing Claire Harris (Rosie Traynor) and David Miers. She inspects the crashed vehicle hidden in the brush when Scooter (Syd Brisbane) asks where she wants him to take it. She says to store it in his lot for Crime Scene when a shot rings out. A short time later, Andrea arrives at a makeshift campsite where Constable Reza Bohrani (Matt Domingo) and Constable Brett Sweet (Luke McKenzie) have Gary (Fletcher Humphrys) and Sean (Matt Testro) restrained. While searching the camp, Brett discovers a sound machine similar to the noise that Andrea heard in the woods. She accuses the men of utilizing it to frighten people away. Brett says it validates Ghillie Jack’s (Travis McMahon) story. She asks if they were near Mitchell’s Spur a few nights again. When Reza finds a shotgun, Sean denies it belongs to them. Gary orders him to shut up and denies any encounter with Claire and David.

Gary claims they were hired by a man with a beard and tattoos to water cannabis plants. Sean says he gave them the shotgun. Back at the police station, Andrea and Brett discuss the case. She suggests relocating the search part to Timbertop. Not keen on the idea, he reluctantly agrees.

Brokenridge Bait & Tackle Shop – Sam Dryson (Ian McElhinney) reads a newspaper article about Bryan Harris’ (Geoff Morrell) plea to find Claire. He flips the newspaper over to find an article about 7-year-old Luke Samson who disappeared in 2018. Damien Stark (Henry Nixon) puts a sign in front of the shop as a customer approaches. A short time later, he asks Kayden Shanks (Tarquin Cameron) if he has seen Damien since he was in his vehicle. Kayden claims to have talked to him on the Clinker app. He says his username is Borg364.

Andrea tells Helen Hartley (Sara Wiseman) about her night on the mountain, getting hit by a vehicle, and putting Archie down. Helen embraces her and apologizes. Andrea pulls back but does not say anything. Emerging from her room, Kirra (Pez Warner) finds Helen with condoms that she got in Sex Ed class. Helen tells her that she will call the school tomorrow. Kirra complains about moving there and feeling smothered. Helen reminds her that she is only 14. Kirra says Helen killed Charlie. A short time later, Andrea suggests a different approach would have been more effective with Kirra. A brief verbal disagreement ends after Andrea points out that she smells like cannabis. Helen claims people at The Farm smoke it before going to bed.

Sam creates a Clinker account utilizing a username similar to that of Kayden’s. He sends Grlinglb@ck (Damien) a message inviting him to play battlehacks. Believing Sam is Kayden, Damien says his dad would kill him but eventually agrees to meet him tomorrow under the bridge. Sam celebrates his success.

Andrea is taking out the trash when she spots a white dingo. She feeds the dingo something from the trash. The next morning, she voices concern about Helen smoking pot. Helen tells her that she will make her own decisions and attributes her relationship with Rose De Vigny (Linda Cropper) to her renewed passion for painting. Andrea asks what about her and Kirra. Helen suggests her work is a problem but not Andrea’s work. She tells Andrea that she may stay at The Farm tonight. A short time later, Andrea meets with Shane Griggs (Kenneth Radley) who reports Rachel Griggs (Jess Harris) missing. He claims to have last seen over a week ago when she left for the pub. Andrea questions why he waited so long to file a missing person report. He says Rachel is over 40 known to hook up with a “deadbeat” but never without notifying him. While searching Rachel’s room, Andrea finds a bag of drugs. After denying she is a drug dealer, he says she walks after losing her driver’s license.

While driving the road that Rachel takes to the pub, Andrea suggests to Rez that it may be connected to Rose’s attack. She finds a gem accessory and a piece of grill from a car near a downed warning sign for kangaroos.

Sam takes Kayden to the bridge where he is supposed to meet Damien. He tells him to leave his phone on, so he can record their conversation. Kayden asks why. Sam vows to protect him and deputizes him. Kayden asks about pay. Sam gives him some cash before he heads toward the bridge.

Andrea matches the piece of grill to the crashed Hyundai found hidden in the bush. Rez informs her that the gem accessory has been identified as being on Rachel’s jeans when she was at the pub. He says the Hyundai is registered to Lachian “Lachie” Francis (Eddie Baroo) who denies knowing it was stolen. Later, Brett calls Andrea to tell her about a cleared area, possibly a former cannabis patch, located about three kilometers from where Novak’s vehicle was located. When Francis arrives at the police station, Andrea asks the two men camped in the bush if they recognize him. The men deny ratting on Francis who is obviously upset.

Sam utilizes binoculars to watch for Damien when Russell Shanks (Simon Maiden) approaches and demands to know why he is watching Kayden. Sam admits to pretending to be Kayden to set up a meeting with Damien. Russell accuses him of utilizing Kayden as bait as Damien passes by in his vehicle. They turn around to find Kayden missing but he shortly returns after a pee break. Russell embraces his son and escorts him away.

Andrea questions Francis about his cannabis operation. He refuses to give up the person’s name who hired him. Placing a photo of Rachel on the table, Andrea says she disappeared while walking home from the pub. Francis admits to knowing her. Andrea shows him the crime scene photos of his Hyundai. She says Rachel works three months on Buller but has 30 grand in cash. He demands a phone call. She suggests the marijuana trade on Buller is a lucrative business and asks if they argued over money and he mowed her down in his vehicle. He demands a call.

Rose tells Damien, Rob (Tim Clarke), Helen, and Tim (Ben Pfeiffer) that Benedict Rowland saw Helen’s painting of her and wants six pieces for his art gallery in Melbourne. She agrees to let Helen utilize the cabin while working on her paintings. Damien gets upset when Rose insists he gives Helen a reading. After smoking cannabis, Helen and Rose dance and kiss. Later, Andrea arrives home to find the front door open. Armed with a handgun, she makes her way through the house where she finds a bloody pig’s head on the table. Kirra walks in and screams in terror. Andrea assures her that it is okay. Crime scene processes Andrea’s house. Andrea tells Brett that Damien recently called her a pig after she accused him of trying to kill her. She refuses to leave Kirra alone to address the issue. Brett sends Sam a photo of the pig’s head. Andrea comforts Kirra and assures her that they will have no more problems. Kirra claims to be in love with Ben Cooper (Pedrea Jackson). Andrea has a dream about Kirra getting abducted. The next morning, Kirra tells Andrea that she is going on the school camp trip and Lily’s mum is going to pick her up at the corner. Helen wakes up in Rose’s bed and quietly slips out of the house.

Sam confronts Damien about the pig’s head at Andreas. Damien knocks his phone out of his hand and tells him to leave him alone. Sam backhands him, grabs him from behind, and demands he confess to Luke’s murder. Damien laughs. Sam beats him up. Andrea races to the bait shop. Damien complains that she did nothing when he warned her about Sam. She asks if he put the pig’s head in her house. He denies the allegation and claims to have been with Helen last night. At the police station, Andrea places Sam in a cell. She tells Brett and Reza that he will be charged with assaulting Damien. Brett says the Drug Squad took the crop minders and someone paid Francis’ bail last night. Kirra and Ben take off on a trip. Andrea tells Sam that he is going to be released on an appearance ticket and Russell filed a complaint against him for utilizing Kayden to trap Damien. Sam admits it was a mistake and claims to be protecting her. She assures him that she does not need his protection.

Andrea is attacked while entering her house. Francis jerks her out of his truck, assaults her, and attaches her retrained hands to a ceiling hook. He covers the floor with plastic as Dominic Schaeffer (Robert Morgan) approaches. Dominic says it is good to see her and asks if she likes Francis’ housewarming gift. He tells her that his son barely survived a prison attack. She claims to be glad that he survived. He asks about her family and gives Francis his gun. Francis places the gun at the back of her skull as Dominic walks away. Sam shoots Francis. Andrea knocks the gun away. Dominic asks Francis if he is all right. Andrea warns Sam that he has a gun. Dominic races to retrieve the gun while Andrea frees her hands. He threatens to shoot Sam when Andrea knocks him out cold. Sam says it is his heart. Approaching sirens can be heard in the distance.

Andrea visits Sam in the hospital. He downplays the seriousness of his heart condition. She says the doctor said he has congestive heart failure. Sam figures he has about a year left. She tells him that Dominic confessed to breaking into her house. He admits to crossing the line with Damien and Kayden. He claims to have passed Dominic on the way to her house, so he followed him. She asks him to not leave her.

Andrea tells Helen that Owen Cooper (Aaron Pedersen) agrees that Kirra and Ben are too young. Elsewhere, a woman retrieves a baby from a man. The episode ends.

 

High Country Review

Determined to solve Luke’s disappearance, Sam sets up a meeting with Damien under the guise of being Kayden. He pays Kayden to help him trap Damien and lures him to an area under a bridge. Damien arrives but not until after Russell catches Sam watching Kayden. Learning about the pig’s head, Sam accuses Damien of breaking into Andrea’s house. Damien denies the allegation and Sam attacks him. Andrea arrests Sam for assault and tells him that she does not need his protection.

Andrea finds herself in a dire situation after arresting Lachie Francis. Little does she know, Lachie is connected with someone from her past. Dominic Schaeffer blames her for his son’s near-death beating in prison. He has Andrea abducted and taken to a barn where Lachie will kill her. Sam encounters Dominic on his way to Andrea’s house. Suspicious, he follows him to the barn. He shoots Lachie and suffers an angina attack before he can take down Dominic. Andrea hits Dominic on the back of the head. Sam has congestive heart failure. Andrea asks him to not leave her.

Shane reports Rachel missing over a week after he last saw her. Andrea finds evidence of Lachie’s vehicle being involved in an accident. A gem from Rachel’s pants is found near the site. Rachel had 30 grand when she went missing. Andrea believes she was peddling cannabis for Lachie.

Helen and Rose smoke cannabis and spend the night together. Helen says nothing to Andrea about what happened.

Andrea and Helen learn Ben and Kirra are having sex. Kirra tells Andrea that she is in love with him.

 

The episode deserves a 6.2 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 and classic films, sports, crime, and celebrity happenings.