Episode 2 begins with Theo Richter (Richard Flood) lying at the foot of the hill, unconsciously dreaming about a pleasant afternoon spent with Aileen Ryan (Carolyn Bracken). She briefly teases him about choosing the graveyard for their meeting location.

Ken Armstrong (Matt Whelan) begins getting hazed in prison for what he did to Sinead Martin (Rachel Morgan). He takes most of this in stride but is clearly frightened when Frank Pastors (Owen Black) confronts him about his knowledge of the Goatman case. Ken admits to the lead investigator sharing the details with him. Once Frank has scared Ken off, he will access a hidden cell phone and send out a text to someone claiming to know what they are up to and that he will not be ignored.

Detective Sergeant Gwenda (Miriama Smith) is sharing her plans for moving into town with Sergeant Bruce Harris (Scott Wills) when Diana Huia (Acushla-Tara Kupe) shows up to share Frank’s prison visitor’s list. Other than Aileen, Linda Pastors (Rachel Bock) is the only other visitor he’s had in two years. On their way to question Linda’s alibi, Sharyn (Renee Sheridan), Diana calls Officer Jacobs (Darren Young) in hopes of getting in touch with Richter but doesn’t have any luck. Shortly after this, Richter wakes in a daze and manages to alert Diana to his position.

Sharyn gives Bruce and Diana the same story and is fairly courteous until she suspects Diana doesn’t believe her. At the same time, Richter searches a wrecked vehicle that he’s randomly discovered.

Auntie Wiki (Vanessa Rare) is in town visiting some of the local businesses (Hair Salon Owner – Sarah Walden) with missing posters of Aileen when she’s approached by Gwenda with the news that she wants to rent her grandmother’s house. Wiki is initially courteous about turning her down but Gwnda will push until Wiki brings up past problems between their two tribes. Although the details are not revealed, it appears to sting Wiki deep and walks off without giving Gwenda an answer.

Things are certainly no better between Sinead and Hannah Martin (Michelle Fairley), especially once Hannah tries to counsel Sinead on her court case. Sinead’s abrupt departure leads her to a church where she notices Aileen’s flyer and Ginge (Poroaki Merritt-McDonald). She briefly asks him if he spent the night inside but he doesn’t respond. She will turn her attention to the nearby graveyard where Colin Friends (Latham Gaines) hung himself. Ginge becomes upset when she practically makes a mockery of what he sees as sacred ground. Much to his surprise, she shares a story about her experience with a banshee spirit.

By this time, Richter is back at the search and sharing what he discovered from the wrecked vehicle with Diana and Gwenda. They decide to take another look at Aileen’s vehicle when Richter points out that the wrecked vehicle he discovered looked staged. The second look leads to the discovery of a handgun but it is the phone that Richter found ringing that offers the most promising tell. The only problem is the phone dies before it can be answered.

Just as the detectives hit a dead end on the registration and tags of the wrecked vehicle Richter discovered, the Prison’s CE calls with news about Linda’s visits to Frank. She, however, only wants to discuss it in person. Once Diana is out the door, Gwenda seeks Bruce’s advice with Wiki, but he unfortunately has nothing helpful to offer. The prison visit reveals that Linda was being forced by one of Frank’s outside contacts to smuggle in contraband during her visits. The CE claims to have put an end to it but never learned who the outside contact was. Diana also learns that Ken has asked to speak with her, which she agrees to but treats him like a suspect rather than an acquaintance. The brief visit reveals little more than the fact that Ken isn’t doing so well with the death of Ronan Garvey (Simon Mead) or his time in prison.

At the same time, Michaela Armstrong (Alison Bruce) becomes frustrated with KC Ross Maley’s (Phil Brown) lackluster defense of Ken and ultimately ends up firing him. When Diana returns to the station to update the team, a call from the recovered cell phone comes in but the caller immediately hangs up when Richter announces himself. It is only seconds after this that Bruce fields a call from George Anderson (Cameron Rhodes), demanding to know why his client, Derry Fallon (Aaron Monaghan), is being detained. This is news to the detectives because they don’t have Derry in custody and Richter doesn’t have a problem relaying that to George. Once George learns this, he asks why they are in possession of his client’s phone. Richter practically tells him that he’s not the only one looking for answers and invites him to the station to discuss matters further.

With Ginge’s help, Sinead continues her therapy by filming a short video in front of Valerie Armstrong’s (Ella Gilbert) house, condemning her for her role in Ronan’s death. While that takes place Richter and his team have identified Derry as an Irish gangster with an affinity for vintage handguns. It’s mere seconds later when Anita Fallon/Anita Dalton (Clare Monnelly) shows up at the station outraged. Much to Anita’s surprise, she ends up in the interrogation room being read her rights. Despite her earlier outbursts, Anita takes on an entirely different persona when Richter shows her photos of Derry’s wrecked car and blames him for abducting Aileen. Anita apparently knew Derry was involved with Aileen but swears to the detectives that he had ended it. Before the scene ends, Richter asks for her help unlocking Derry’s cell phone but she claims it is fingerprint-protected.

Auntie Wiki’s search efforts lead to a major break in the case when she learns that Mason (Henry Rolleston) and Davinity (Kirimaia Noel) didn’t tell the search teams about a certain area of the forest because Davinity’s friend has a weed patch there. Wiki not only makes Davinity share the discovery with the detectives, but she makes her escort them there. As the assembled party arrives at base camp, Diana does Valeria’s daily bail check which turns into an instant disaster.

Anita’s situation is certainly no better when she is accosted by Sinead and Hannah while grocery shopping. Despite handling the situation with complete poise, she emotionally breaks after returning to the car.

Davinity’s information about the forest leads the search team to an old mine where they not only find Derry but also Aileen. There is a gun on the ground when the team makes the approach but it almost appears as if Derry wasn’t holding it. His arrest follows without incident and Aileen doesn’t appear the least bit stressed. Nothing more is explained at the moment but the episode ends with an unidentified shooter taking a shot at either Richter or Aileen.

 

The Gone Review

I have to admit the series is much more intriguing than I would have imagined. It does, however, feel incredibly busy at times. While there aren’t that many storylines going on and they all practically lead to one place, they take the scenic route. Anything and everything that can be drug out, they do it and do it to the max.

I don’t really care for all the tribal/sacred ground nonsense but I can understand and respect that it is essential to the aboriginal culture. Most of the characters are surprisingly relatable but I do find Sinead bratty at times. The grocery store incident would be the perfect example. Episode 2 gets a 5.3 out of 10. Along with the needlessly long episodes, the writer could do a much better job of introducing certain characters and scenes. Richter’s clumsy fall and discovery of Derry’s wrecked vehicle would be the perfect example here.

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