At the beginning of the episode, Anna (Eve Hewson) and Lydia (Eva Green) help a drunk Crosbie Wells (Ewen Leslie) into a chair. Crosbie believes Lydia never expected him to arrive and she admits she didn’t. Lydia leaves the room and Crosbie tells Anna about his adventure. Then, he learns about Anna becoming his wife’s apprentice and her losing money. Lydia returns. Then, Crosbie drags Anna downstairs and tells her that the wheel is rigged because it hangs. He explains that the wheel spun differently one time and that led to their marriage. Later that night, Anna follows Lydia and listens to her speak with Francis (Marton Csokas). She listens as Lydia tells Francis where her husband is keeping his loot.

After a guard passes by, Lydia tells Francis that he can take everything back that he lost when he went to jail and he can be a captain again. Francis warns Lydia that she’ll need to get rid of the girl but Lydia claims it is too precious. Then, they discuss the other guy they need to get rid of and Francis says he seems stubborn to want to find her. In the morning, Anna tries to pay the man who has been helping her but he refuses because he thinks she is lying to him. Then, George Shepard (Callan Mulvey) is told about the state of the victim’s body. The guy has never performed an autopsy before so George just wants to know if died or was killed. The doctor begins cutting into Crosbie’s chest.

Anna goes to her room and recalls spending time with Emery Staines (Himesh Patel). She checks her dress in hopes of finding the gold but it seems to be missing. The doctor reveals that the guy was full of opium and that he didn’t get it from him. Ann watches as two men enter and carry a box upstairs. Emery’s friends bust into his room and invite him to join them but he doesn’t right away. He notices a newspaper ad about someone looking for a missing friend. In a flashback, Anna joins Lydia and her husband. She watches as Lydia snuggles up with her husband before she asks Anna to take over the kitchen. When Lydia leaves the room, Anna asks Crosbie if he knows a man named Carver. Crosbie says he doesn’t know anyone named Francis Carver and Anna doesn’t say anything else about it.

Emery goes to the mail office and places an ad in the paper with a bird stamp. Anna watches through the window as Crosbie bathes and Lydia kisses him. While they’re outside, Anna goes into Lydia’s room and tries on her accessories. She hears something and goes out onto the street to find Sook (Toson An) beaten and bloodied. She promises not to tell anyone and to get him some medicine. When Emery returns to his room, he is told that they’ve never paid their bill. Anna takes the medicine to Sook and helps him hide. After that, Francis learns that Emery’s friends left him and didn’t pay the bill so he is broke now. Francis tells him he needs something to sell. Anna gives Lydia and her husband the food she prepared. Lydia leaves and tries to track down Emery.

She goes to the motel and learns that he left that morning. The man tells her that he likely went to the mines like the rest of them. However, Emery is actually fishing with Francis. Emery asks Francis about Sook. Francis says he did business with Sook’s father during the opium war. He claims that Sook’s family was executed for dealing opium and he wants to punish Francis for that. Anna returns to Lydia and confronts her about giving her the name of the wrong hotel. She says she waited at the wrong hotel and that Lydia destroyed the note. Lydia pretends Emery might’ve given her the wrong address intentionally. She tells her husband about the boy giving Anna the slip before Crosbie calls him a bloody idiot. Crosbie believes Anna is a runaway since she is there all alone.

He asks her what she is running from and she says the person she used to be. Anna goes to the shack where Crosbie was found dead. She runs into Cowell and tells him that she hadn’t seen Crosbie for months before his death. He finds a note saying Emery Staines will pay Miss Wetherell 2,000 pounds. It is signed by Crosbie. Cowell wants to know about the opium and he believes Anna was an addict. He knocks over a bottle and finds a piece of gold with Aurora engraved on it. Anna is surprised that she can read. She begins reading the labels on bottles nearby. We jump back and see that Francis and Emery became partners of an exploration company. Anna says Quee and that he works the mine.

Anna promises she can’t remember anything from the night before. Lydia speaks to an audience as Anna serves them. Dick Mannering (Erik Thomson) follows Anna into another room and tells her that he is going to build an opera house called The Prince of Wales. He goes on to say it is a dirty business to dig for gold. People will eventually want something better. He tells Anna she could make a killing over there. She could work for one or two years and never have to worry about working again. Francis tells Emery he has found his woman. He shows him a newspaper ad address to Emery Staines. It says something about Anna departing for the new land in Hokitika which is what Dick was talking about. Emery doesn’t understand it. Then, Emery asks Francis if he can see the contract once again. Anna steps inside as Lydia burns the newspaper with Emery’s ad to her.

Anna sits down and Crosbie joins them seconds later. Crosbie wonders where the paper is before Lydia confesses she used it to light the fire. Francis tells Emery he’ll have to honor the contract and Emery promises not to run away. They try to come up with a name and Emery says is should be Aurora. Anna goes looking for Sook but he is gone. Emery and Te Rau (Richard Te Are) prepare to board a boat. Te Rau is going home. He shows Emery his treasure. Lydia tries to comfort Anna by telling her about her boyfriend going away when she was young. After that, Lydia serves clients while Anna serves drinks. Anna steps away and runs into Crosbie who admits his wife speaks a lot of crap. Anna tells him that Lydia stole her purse and lied about it. She found it in Lydia’s coat and put it back.

Crosbie says you can’t take it personally because it is just business. Anna explains that anyone can be seen and she wants to see. Emery and Te Rau spend the night on the boat on their backs looking at stars. Cowell takes the gold piece to George and tells him about everything Anna has said. Cowell Devlin (Matt Whelan) says Anna seemed genuinely shocked but George doesn’t want to hear that. They argue back and forth a bit but George isn’t willing to change his opinion that Anna is responsible for the murder. Cowell doesn’t tell him about the letter he found at the cottage. Next, Lydia tells Anna she hates leaving Crosbie at home so Anna agrees to stay. When Lydia is gone, Anna checks on Crosbie before playing with Lydia’s cards.

Crosbie gets up and tells Anna that they’re going out. Lydia meets with Alistair Lauderback (Benedict Hardie) and he is happy to see her. Crosbie and Anna go down to the beach and start a fire using a gun. Alistair reminds Lydia about the dress he bought her. He says he opened a bank account to hide it from his wife. Someone has been using his name to pay for other shipments. Lydia says she has a surprise for him and she tells him to go to the cabin at the Godspeed. Crosbie and Anna sit around the fire, eat, and drink. Then, she tells him about Francis Carver again. She tells Crosbie about Lydia telling Francis about the gold. Crosbie says he is one step ahead and that is why he has a key. He says he is not a fool and knows what kind of a woman his wife it.

Anna tells him that Carver is big. Emery prepares to leave the ship. Crosbie tells Anna that he didn’t come for gold and that he was looking for someone. He says it was a mistake and he ended up following the wrong man. They end up kissing and having sex while Emery and the others run into rough waters. Emery can’t swim and he is thrown into the water. Te Rau pulls him to safety. Then, they’re welcome to Hokitika and Emery asks about Anna. He is told that she isn’t there. Back in the present, Anna finds Te Rau digging a grave. She gives him a stone and says Te Rau saved her life when she was drowning. She says she remembers things that she didn’t before.

Te Rau realizes that Anna is talking about Emery. He tells her that she killed Emery and he hasn’t been buried yet. He claims Emery’s spirit is restless and that is why Anna is feeling what she is feeling. Te Rau screams at her in another language until she leaves. Lydia returns home with supplies for the party. She reminds him that they’re hosting a party with the theme of the British navy. A few seconds later, Lydia shares a toast with both of them. Emery asks Te Rau what Hokitika means and he learns it means the place to return. Anna gets ill after likely being poisoned by Lydia. Meanwhile, Lydia begins hiding the gold in a dress.

 

The Luminaries Review

I find this show so difficult to follow at times. It seems there are too many characters and far too many time jumps. It is nearly impossible to know whether we’re in the past or present because we’re constantly being shuffled between the two. Still, the story is interesting. I think it could’ve been so much better but it isn’t horrible. At the very least, I am interested in seeing how things play out. The episode was decent but the time jumps are frustrating. The episode scores a 7 out of 10. Previous recaps of The Luminaries are available on Reel Mockery.