Latest news with #GracieDarling
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
What to stream this week: A supernatural Australian murder mystery and five more picks
This week's picks include a creepy Australian thriller with supernatural vibes, an Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson action comedy and a three-season binge of Reservoir Dogs. Playing Gracie Darling (Paramount+) ★★★ Opening with a flashback to a teen seance in an abandoned shack that quickly spins out of control, this Australian mystery comes on strong. There are signs of possession, ominous nightmares and a nerve-jangling score. 'Let me out!' demands an unseen presence at the seance, and the show has the same desire. Playing Gracie Darling wants to take the small-town murder mystery, where the crime of a previous era seeps to the surface, and use the supernatural to bend the genre's conventions. We should appreciate that seditious intent. Without it, this limited series could be overly familiar. The seance's convenor in 1997, 14-year-old Gracie Darling (Kristina Bogic), was never seen again, leaving her best friend, Joni Grey (Eloise Rothfield), traumatised. Cut to today and mother of two Joni (Morgana O'Reilly), now a child psychologist, is drawn to her coastal hometown, where Gracie's niece, Frankie, is now the face on missing posters. It is, as on so many other shows, happening again. Loading The show's creator, Miranda Nation, previously made the 2018 independent feature Undertow, and her work examines how female perception can be a source of strength and vulnerability. Once Joni starts making inquiries, at the request of local police officer Jay Rajeswaran (Rudi Dharmalingam), who was also present on the fateful 1997 night, her empathy and expertise encounter supernatural portents, not least recurring sightings of the secret symbol she and Gracie created as teenagers. Every flashback adds to the unease. Nation has her own take on the procedural. Joni and Jay are sidelined by barely seen homicide detectives, so their unofficial search unfolds in family visits and difficult reunions. Joni's understanding is stretched by the presence of her mother, the flinty Pattie (Harriet Walter), and her two daughters. Conversations between teenagers, including Jay's daughter Raffy (Saiesha Sundaralingam) and Joni's Mina (Chloe Brink), illuminate their parents. Suspects of various kinds dot the narrative, including the friction of Joni possibly being compromised in some way. Director Jonathan Brough (Bay of Fires) accentuates all this without initially tipping over into pure horror. Only the first three of six episodes were provided for review, so it's unclear how Playing Gracie Darling resolves what is a pungent, occasionally blunt, set-up. Certainly, with its dark forest canopy and a sense that past crimes and otherworldly incursions are one and alike, the show taps into a lineage that spans Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Kettering Incident. 'Can you feel it?' are the very first words spoken, and the answer is a clear yes. Reservation Dogs (seasons 1-3) ★★★★½ (Disney+) Any serious list of the best new shows from the past five tumultuous years of television has to include 2021's Reservation Dogs. The three seasons of this bittersweet coming-of-age comedy, set on a Native American reservation in the back blocks of Oklahoma, constitute a small miracle. Now that all three seasons have found a permanent home on Disney+, this series should be a binge to savour. Please put it atop your to-view list. Few shows have a more telling, idiosyncratic sense of place, or the harsh hold it exerts on the next generation. Creator and showrunner Sterlin Harjo, with some doors meaningfully opened by his successful co-creator, Kiwi filmmaker Taika Waititi, offered a lived-in experience of intergenerational poverty, idiosyncratic spiritualism, collective trauma and deadpan hilarity. You quickly understood why the teenage protagonists were determined to skip town, and how difficult that would turn out to be. Loading The young Native American leads, including Devery Jacobs as Elora and D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai as Bear, gave terrific performances that grow with their characters. It's striking how the show evolved, capable of taking in a hang at the local medical clinic, a self-contained episode where Elora's driving test with Bill Burr's instructor goes sideways, and community events where multiple generations hold a mirror to each other. The characters felt marooned, but Reservation Dogs never failed to take you somewhere new. Leanne ★★½ (Netflix) While it's not as common now, stand-up success to sitcom star has long been an entertainment assembly line in America. It gets a southern gal spin in this latest variant, which was co-created by comic Leanne Morgan and sitcom bigwig Chuck Lorre (The Big Bang Theory). Morgan's fictional alter-ego is a wife and mother from suburban Tennessee whose husband (Ryan Stiles) walks out on her for a younger woman after 33 years together. After the punchline-friendly anger comes starting over in her 50s. It's predictable, and it starts slowly, but Morgan is undeniably likeable. Emmanuelle ★★ (Binge) A 21st century feminist remake of the 1974 softcore porn hit about a young woman's search for sexual pleasure in Thailand is a valid concept, and everyone involved in this erotic drama has first-rate credentials, from French filmmaker Audrey Diwan (Happening) to stars Noemie Merlant (Portrait of a Lady on Fire) and Will Sharpe (Too Much). But the film, in which Merlant's title character travels to Hong Kong for her job evaluating luxury hotels, is moribund in its contemporary critique and cinematic chemistry. It's a tepid piece, nowhere near daring enough. Revealed: Building Bad ★★★½ (Stan*) The Revealed series works extremely well as recaps of complex investigative journalism: detailed reporting across the print and broadcast outlets of Nine (the owner of Stan and this masthead) can be woven into a comprehensive narrative. That's the case with this feature-length documentary about rampant corruption and underworld infiltration of the powerful CFMEU, a union now under administration. The journalists, including Revealed mainstay Nick McKenzie, explain how a culture of fear and extortion took hold across the construction industry. 'That's business,' says a fixer covertly recorded. 'Everybody eats.' The Pickup ★½ Amazon Prime Video Painfully long at just 96 minutes, this inert Hollywood action-comedy has a placeholder script that was never updated, instead hoping that the stars – Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson and Keke Palmer – could manufacture laughs on set with their performances. They do not. Veteran director Tim Story (Ride Along) can only pad a plot that has Murphy and Davidson as mismatched armoured car guards whose vehicle becomes the target of professional thieves. The implausible ensues, which would be fine if the action and/or comedy was entertaining enough to allow for the suspension of disbelief. It is not.
The Advertiser
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Spooky new Aussie mystery will have you hooked
A little spooky, a little mysterious and a lot of intrigue - Playing Gracie Darling is the next Aussie show to have you hooked. We open with a group of teens playing with a ouija board in a dark old shack. They seem to be conversing with a spirit of some sort, before one of them starts seizing. Cut to 30 years later, and those teens have grown up. Well, all except one, who's been missing since 1994 - Gracie Darling. Joni (Morgana O'Reilly, The White Lotus) is now a child psychologist, and she's called back to her old hometown when another Darling girl goes missing. She speaks with a girl who was with the missing Darling that night, and finds out they had been 'playing Gracie Darling' - a Talk To Me-esque game where local bored teens attempt to summon the spirit of the missing teenager from three decades ago. Coming back into town brings up a lot of memories for Joni, especially when she's around all her old friends, including Jay (Rudi Dharmalingam), who is now a police officer. The show is well-acted, well-paced and has a solid heaping of intrigue to keep you on your toes and desperate to get to the next episode. You'll also spend each episode wondering if this show is actually supernatural or if the paranormal activity is all in their heads? The cast also includes Harriet Walter, Celia Pacquola, Annie Maynard and Dan Spielman. Like The Last Anniversary, Playing Gracie Darling is also set around the Hawkesbury River, which is turning into quite the filming destination for Aussie TV. Netflix's altogether ookiest show is back with the return of Jenna Ortega's Wednesday. Four episodes have been released, constituting the first half of the second season; the rest is set to drop on September 3. This time around Wednesday's younger brother Pugsley (a significantly taller Isaac Ordonez) is joining her at Nevermore Academy, and parents Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Gomez (Luis Guzman) are sticking around too. There's several new faces this year, starting with Principal Dort (a spritely Steve Buscemi), Wednesday superfan Agnes (an impressive Evie Templeton), new music teacher Miss Capri (Billie Piper) and Grandmama (a delightful Joanna Lumley). There's also plenty of appearances from familiar faces like Christopher Lloyd (who was Fester Addams in the 90s), Thandiwe Newton, Heather Matarazzo, Anthony Michael Hall, Haley Joel Osment and Frances O'Connor. While this season still has plenty of panache and the casting and performances are all perfect (especially Fred Armisen as Fester, who is the high point of this first half of the season), Wednesday is suffering from a style-over-substance issue. Perhaps because we only get part of the season, the narrative feels much weaker than it did in the show's dynamic debut, and some storylines seem to distract from rather than flesh out the core plot. There's nothing here that's as instantly iconic as Wednesday's season one dance sequence, but there are fun sequences still. One of the best moments of this half season is Miss Capri and Morticia's beautiful campfire duet of Bad Moon Rising. If you've seen Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, then you basically already know this story. The crime drama lifted liberally from the details of this real-life heist for its lacklustre sequel, but reality is more interesting than fiction here. This doco covers the heist of at least $100 million worth of diamonds and other valuables from the diamond district in Antwerp in 2003. It's a fascinating case, told through unobtrusive reenactments and interviews with police who investigated the case, and even one of the criminals involved. As much a study of the crime itself as a character piece on one of the Italian men behind the heist (it is fascinating to watch him edit the story in real time to make himself less complicit), Stolen: Heist of the Century is a great way to pass an hour and a half. It's genuinely hard to believe this crime, which feels highly cinematic in nature, was actually commited. Outlander fans rejoice! The beloved epic romance series' spin-off Blood of My Blood has arrived on Stan. The series serves as a prequel to Jamie and Claire's story, and follows their respective parents' love stories. Episodes are dropping weekly. AppleTV+'s comedy series with Seth Rogen and Aussie Rose Byrne, Platonic, is back for season two, with episodes arriving weekly. In the mood for some Spanish black comedy? HBO Max has Rage, a show following five middle-aged women reaching their limits. Over on Prime Video you'll find a new buddy (kinda) cop comedy, The Pickup with Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson. A little spooky, a little mysterious and a lot of intrigue - Playing Gracie Darling is the next Aussie show to have you hooked. We open with a group of teens playing with a ouija board in a dark old shack. They seem to be conversing with a spirit of some sort, before one of them starts seizing. Cut to 30 years later, and those teens have grown up. Well, all except one, who's been missing since 1994 - Gracie Darling. Joni (Morgana O'Reilly, The White Lotus) is now a child psychologist, and she's called back to her old hometown when another Darling girl goes missing. She speaks with a girl who was with the missing Darling that night, and finds out they had been 'playing Gracie Darling' - a Talk To Me-esque game where local bored teens attempt to summon the spirit of the missing teenager from three decades ago. Coming back into town brings up a lot of memories for Joni, especially when she's around all her old friends, including Jay (Rudi Dharmalingam), who is now a police officer. The show is well-acted, well-paced and has a solid heaping of intrigue to keep you on your toes and desperate to get to the next episode. You'll also spend each episode wondering if this show is actually supernatural or if the paranormal activity is all in their heads? The cast also includes Harriet Walter, Celia Pacquola, Annie Maynard and Dan Spielman. Like The Last Anniversary, Playing Gracie Darling is also set around the Hawkesbury River, which is turning into quite the filming destination for Aussie TV. Netflix's altogether ookiest show is back with the return of Jenna Ortega's Wednesday. Four episodes have been released, constituting the first half of the second season; the rest is set to drop on September 3. This time around Wednesday's younger brother Pugsley (a significantly taller Isaac Ordonez) is joining her at Nevermore Academy, and parents Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Gomez (Luis Guzman) are sticking around too. There's several new faces this year, starting with Principal Dort (a spritely Steve Buscemi), Wednesday superfan Agnes (an impressive Evie Templeton), new music teacher Miss Capri (Billie Piper) and Grandmama (a delightful Joanna Lumley). There's also plenty of appearances from familiar faces like Christopher Lloyd (who was Fester Addams in the 90s), Thandiwe Newton, Heather Matarazzo, Anthony Michael Hall, Haley Joel Osment and Frances O'Connor. While this season still has plenty of panache and the casting and performances are all perfect (especially Fred Armisen as Fester, who is the high point of this first half of the season), Wednesday is suffering from a style-over-substance issue. Perhaps because we only get part of the season, the narrative feels much weaker than it did in the show's dynamic debut, and some storylines seem to distract from rather than flesh out the core plot. There's nothing here that's as instantly iconic as Wednesday's season one dance sequence, but there are fun sequences still. One of the best moments of this half season is Miss Capri and Morticia's beautiful campfire duet of Bad Moon Rising. If you've seen Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, then you basically already know this story. The crime drama lifted liberally from the details of this real-life heist for its lacklustre sequel, but reality is more interesting than fiction here. This doco covers the heist of at least $100 million worth of diamonds and other valuables from the diamond district in Antwerp in 2003. It's a fascinating case, told through unobtrusive reenactments and interviews with police who investigated the case, and even one of the criminals involved. As much a study of the crime itself as a character piece on one of the Italian men behind the heist (it is fascinating to watch him edit the story in real time to make himself less complicit), Stolen: Heist of the Century is a great way to pass an hour and a half. It's genuinely hard to believe this crime, which feels highly cinematic in nature, was actually commited. Outlander fans rejoice! The beloved epic romance series' spin-off Blood of My Blood has arrived on Stan. The series serves as a prequel to Jamie and Claire's story, and follows their respective parents' love stories. Episodes are dropping weekly. AppleTV+'s comedy series with Seth Rogen and Aussie Rose Byrne, Platonic, is back for season two, with episodes arriving weekly. In the mood for some Spanish black comedy? HBO Max has Rage, a show following five middle-aged women reaching their limits. Over on Prime Video you'll find a new buddy (kinda) cop comedy, The Pickup with Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson. A little spooky, a little mysterious and a lot of intrigue - Playing Gracie Darling is the next Aussie show to have you hooked. We open with a group of teens playing with a ouija board in a dark old shack. They seem to be conversing with a spirit of some sort, before one of them starts seizing. Cut to 30 years later, and those teens have grown up. Well, all except one, who's been missing since 1994 - Gracie Darling. Joni (Morgana O'Reilly, The White Lotus) is now a child psychologist, and she's called back to her old hometown when another Darling girl goes missing. She speaks with a girl who was with the missing Darling that night, and finds out they had been 'playing Gracie Darling' - a Talk To Me-esque game where local bored teens attempt to summon the spirit of the missing teenager from three decades ago. Coming back into town brings up a lot of memories for Joni, especially when she's around all her old friends, including Jay (Rudi Dharmalingam), who is now a police officer. The show is well-acted, well-paced and has a solid heaping of intrigue to keep you on your toes and desperate to get to the next episode. You'll also spend each episode wondering if this show is actually supernatural or if the paranormal activity is all in their heads? The cast also includes Harriet Walter, Celia Pacquola, Annie Maynard and Dan Spielman. Like The Last Anniversary, Playing Gracie Darling is also set around the Hawkesbury River, which is turning into quite the filming destination for Aussie TV. Netflix's altogether ookiest show is back with the return of Jenna Ortega's Wednesday. Four episodes have been released, constituting the first half of the second season; the rest is set to drop on September 3. This time around Wednesday's younger brother Pugsley (a significantly taller Isaac Ordonez) is joining her at Nevermore Academy, and parents Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Gomez (Luis Guzman) are sticking around too. There's several new faces this year, starting with Principal Dort (a spritely Steve Buscemi), Wednesday superfan Agnes (an impressive Evie Templeton), new music teacher Miss Capri (Billie Piper) and Grandmama (a delightful Joanna Lumley). There's also plenty of appearances from familiar faces like Christopher Lloyd (who was Fester Addams in the 90s), Thandiwe Newton, Heather Matarazzo, Anthony Michael Hall, Haley Joel Osment and Frances O'Connor. While this season still has plenty of panache and the casting and performances are all perfect (especially Fred Armisen as Fester, who is the high point of this first half of the season), Wednesday is suffering from a style-over-substance issue. Perhaps because we only get part of the season, the narrative feels much weaker than it did in the show's dynamic debut, and some storylines seem to distract from rather than flesh out the core plot. There's nothing here that's as instantly iconic as Wednesday's season one dance sequence, but there are fun sequences still. One of the best moments of this half season is Miss Capri and Morticia's beautiful campfire duet of Bad Moon Rising. If you've seen Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, then you basically already know this story. The crime drama lifted liberally from the details of this real-life heist for its lacklustre sequel, but reality is more interesting than fiction here. This doco covers the heist of at least $100 million worth of diamonds and other valuables from the diamond district in Antwerp in 2003. It's a fascinating case, told through unobtrusive reenactments and interviews with police who investigated the case, and even one of the criminals involved. As much a study of the crime itself as a character piece on one of the Italian men behind the heist (it is fascinating to watch him edit the story in real time to make himself less complicit), Stolen: Heist of the Century is a great way to pass an hour and a half. It's genuinely hard to believe this crime, which feels highly cinematic in nature, was actually commited. Outlander fans rejoice! The beloved epic romance series' spin-off Blood of My Blood has arrived on Stan. The series serves as a prequel to Jamie and Claire's story, and follows their respective parents' love stories. Episodes are dropping weekly. AppleTV+'s comedy series with Seth Rogen and Aussie Rose Byrne, Platonic, is back for season two, with episodes arriving weekly. In the mood for some Spanish black comedy? HBO Max has Rage, a show following five middle-aged women reaching their limits. Over on Prime Video you'll find a new buddy (kinda) cop comedy, The Pickup with Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson. A little spooky, a little mysterious and a lot of intrigue - Playing Gracie Darling is the next Aussie show to have you hooked. We open with a group of teens playing with a ouija board in a dark old shack. They seem to be conversing with a spirit of some sort, before one of them starts seizing. Cut to 30 years later, and those teens have grown up. Well, all except one, who's been missing since 1994 - Gracie Darling. Joni (Morgana O'Reilly, The White Lotus) is now a child psychologist, and she's called back to her old hometown when another Darling girl goes missing. She speaks with a girl who was with the missing Darling that night, and finds out they had been 'playing Gracie Darling' - a Talk To Me-esque game where local bored teens attempt to summon the spirit of the missing teenager from three decades ago. Coming back into town brings up a lot of memories for Joni, especially when she's around all her old friends, including Jay (Rudi Dharmalingam), who is now a police officer. The show is well-acted, well-paced and has a solid heaping of intrigue to keep you on your toes and desperate to get to the next episode. You'll also spend each episode wondering if this show is actually supernatural or if the paranormal activity is all in their heads? The cast also includes Harriet Walter, Celia Pacquola, Annie Maynard and Dan Spielman. Like The Last Anniversary, Playing Gracie Darling is also set around the Hawkesbury River, which is turning into quite the filming destination for Aussie TV. Netflix's altogether ookiest show is back with the return of Jenna Ortega's Wednesday. Four episodes have been released, constituting the first half of the second season; the rest is set to drop on September 3. This time around Wednesday's younger brother Pugsley (a significantly taller Isaac Ordonez) is joining her at Nevermore Academy, and parents Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Gomez (Luis Guzman) are sticking around too. There's several new faces this year, starting with Principal Dort (a spritely Steve Buscemi), Wednesday superfan Agnes (an impressive Evie Templeton), new music teacher Miss Capri (Billie Piper) and Grandmama (a delightful Joanna Lumley). There's also plenty of appearances from familiar faces like Christopher Lloyd (who was Fester Addams in the 90s), Thandiwe Newton, Heather Matarazzo, Anthony Michael Hall, Haley Joel Osment and Frances O'Connor. While this season still has plenty of panache and the casting and performances are all perfect (especially Fred Armisen as Fester, who is the high point of this first half of the season), Wednesday is suffering from a style-over-substance issue. Perhaps because we only get part of the season, the narrative feels much weaker than it did in the show's dynamic debut, and some storylines seem to distract from rather than flesh out the core plot. There's nothing here that's as instantly iconic as Wednesday's season one dance sequence, but there are fun sequences still. One of the best moments of this half season is Miss Capri and Morticia's beautiful campfire duet of Bad Moon Rising. If you've seen Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, then you basically already know this story. The crime drama lifted liberally from the details of this real-life heist for its lacklustre sequel, but reality is more interesting than fiction here. This doco covers the heist of at least $100 million worth of diamonds and other valuables from the diamond district in Antwerp in 2003. It's a fascinating case, told through unobtrusive reenactments and interviews with police who investigated the case, and even one of the criminals involved. As much a study of the crime itself as a character piece on one of the Italian men behind the heist (it is fascinating to watch him edit the story in real time to make himself less complicit), Stolen: Heist of the Century is a great way to pass an hour and a half. It's genuinely hard to believe this crime, which feels highly cinematic in nature, was actually commited. Outlander fans rejoice! The beloved epic romance series' spin-off Blood of My Blood has arrived on Stan. The series serves as a prequel to Jamie and Claire's story, and follows their respective parents' love stories. Episodes are dropping weekly. AppleTV+'s comedy series with Seth Rogen and Aussie Rose Byrne, Platonic, is back for season two, with episodes arriving weekly. In the mood for some Spanish black comedy? HBO Max has Rage, a show following five middle-aged women reaching their limits. Over on Prime Video you'll find a new buddy (kinda) cop comedy, The Pickup with Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson.
The Age
10-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Missing girls, seances and the supernatural: This Australian murder mystery has it all
Playing Gracie Darling ★★★ Opening with a flashback to a teen seance in an abandoned shack that quickly spins out of control, this Australian mystery comes on strong. There are signs of possession, ominous nightmares and a nerve-jangling score. 'Let me out!' demands an unseen presence at the seance, and the show has the same desire. Playing Gracie Darling wants to take the small-town murder mystery, where the crime of a previous era seeps to the surface, and use the supernatural to bend the genre's conventions. We should appreciate that seditious intent. Without it, this limited series could be overly familiar. The seance's convenor in 1997, 14-year-old Gracie Darling (Kristina Bogic), was never seen again, leaving her best friend, Joni Grey (Eloise Rothfield), traumatised. Cut to today and mother of two Joni (Morgana O'Reilly), now a child psychologist, is drawn to her coastal hometown, where Gracie's niece, Frankie, is now the face on missing posters. It is, as on so many other shows, happening again. The show's creator, Miranda Nation, previously made the 2018 independent feature Undertow, and her work examines how female perception can be a source of strength and vulnerability. Once Joni starts making enquiries, at the request of local police officer Jay Rajeswaran (Rudi Dharmalingam), who was also present on the fateful 1997 night, her empathy and expertise encounter supernatural portents, not least recurring sightings of the secret symbol she and Gracie created as teenagers. Every flashback adds to the unease. Loading Nation has her own take on the procedural. Joni and Jay are sidelined by barely seen homicide detectives, so their unofficial search unfolds in family visits and difficult reunions. Joni's understanding is stretched by the presence of her mother, the flinty Pattie (Harriet Walter), and her two daughters. Conversations between teenagers, including Jay's daughter Raffy (Saiesha Sundaralingam) and Joni's Mina (Chloe Brink), illuminate their parents. Suspects of various kinds dot the narrative, including the friction of Joni possibly being compromised in some way. Director Jonathan Brough (Bay of Fires) accentuates all this without initially tipping over into pure horror. Only the first three of six episodes were provided for review, so it's unclear how Playing Gracie Darling resolves what is a pungent, occasionally blunt, set-up. Certainly, with its dark forest canopy and a sense that past crimes and otherworldly incursions are one and alike, the show taps into a lineage that spans Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Kettering Incident. 'Can you feel it?' are the very first words spoken, and the answer is a clear yes.
Sydney Morning Herald
10-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Missing girls, seances and the supernatural: This Australian murder mystery has it all
Playing Gracie Darling ★★★ Opening with a flashback to a teen seance in an abandoned shack that quickly spins out of control, this Australian mystery comes on strong. There are signs of possession, ominous nightmares and a nerve-jangling score. 'Let me out!' demands an unseen presence at the seance, and the show has the same desire. Playing Gracie Darling wants to take the small-town murder mystery, where the crime of a previous era seeps to the surface, and use the supernatural to bend the genre's conventions. We should appreciate that seditious intent. Without it, this limited series could be overly familiar. The seance's convenor in 1997, 14-year-old Gracie Darling (Kristina Bogic), was never seen again, leaving her best friend, Joni Grey (Eloise Rothfield), traumatised. Cut to today and mother of two Joni (Morgana O'Reilly), now a child psychologist, is drawn to her coastal hometown, where Gracie's niece, Frankie, is now the face on missing posters. It is, as on so many other shows, happening again. The show's creator, Miranda Nation, previously made the 2018 independent feature Undertow, and her work examines how female perception can be a source of strength and vulnerability. Once Joni starts making enquiries, at the request of local police officer Jay Rajeswaran (Rudi Dharmalingam), who was also present on the fateful 1997 night, her empathy and expertise encounter supernatural portents, not least recurring sightings of the secret symbol she and Gracie created as teenagers. Every flashback adds to the unease. Loading Nation has her own take on the procedural. Joni and Jay are sidelined by barely seen homicide detectives, so their unofficial search unfolds in family visits and difficult reunions. Joni's understanding is stretched by the presence of her mother, the flinty Pattie (Harriet Walter), and her two daughters. Conversations between teenagers, including Jay's daughter Raffy (Saiesha Sundaralingam) and Joni's Mina (Chloe Brink), illuminate their parents. Suspects of various kinds dot the narrative, including the friction of Joni possibly being compromised in some way. Director Jonathan Brough (Bay of Fires) accentuates all this without initially tipping over into pure horror. Only the first three of six episodes were provided for review, so it's unclear how Playing Gracie Darling resolves what is a pungent, occasionally blunt, set-up. Certainly, with its dark forest canopy and a sense that past crimes and otherworldly incursions are one and alike, the show taps into a lineage that spans Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Kettering Incident. 'Can you feel it?' are the very first words spoken, and the answer is a clear yes.
West Australian
09-08-2025
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Screen Queen TV: Playing Gracie Darling, Fit For TV, Outlander: Blood Of My Blood, Sausage Party: Foodtopia
Remember scaring yourself stupid at sleepovers as a kid? It was a rite of passage. We started in primary school, telling ghost stories over torchlight under doonas, and things progressed as we got older. By the time we hit high school it was all escaped lunatics from asylums, calls coming FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE — and was there one about a man hiding under some poor kid's bed at night licking her hands? She thought it was her dog. Spoiler alert: it wasn't. By the time the Nineties rolled around, my friends and I had graduated to doing seances, summoning spirits with ouija boards and cups — 'Does Matty P like me? Y-E-S!' — and lifting each other up by our fingertips. What a time to be alive! It all came back to me while watching scenes from the first episode of this great locally produced six-part mystery. White Lotus star Morgana O'Reilly plays Joni. When she was 14, her best friend Gracie Darling disappeared during a seance. Fast forward two decades and the local kids in the town she grew up in are 'Playing Gracie Darling' when another teen girl goes missing in eerily similar circumstances. The story that unravels is dark, moody and instantly gripping, and says some interesting things about memory, trauma and secrets long-buried. It criss-crosses between the present day — Joni, now a child psychologist, has returned to her home town to lend a hand as news breaks of the latest disappearance — and the Nineties, focusing on her and her friends as kids. This has a stacked cast, including Celia Pacquola, Annie Maynard, Rudi Dharmalingam and Dame Harriet Walter, who plays Joni's mum. For those of us who lived through the sleepover years (both literally and metaphorically), there's much fun to be had in revisiting this time . . . from the comfort of our couch. What a long way we've come since The Biggest Loser. These days weight loss can be as simple as a little jabby-jab — forget slogging it out on national television! This three-part documentary explores the true story behind the hit weight-loss reality series, The Biggest Loser, which first began in 2004 in the States before making its way to our shores. The American version ran for 18 seasons until 2016, when audiences appear to have twigged to the unique toxicity of watching a bunch of people starve themselves in the quest to win some cash. This series talks to previous participants, trainers, producers and health professionals, looking at 'the good, the bad and the complicated' of it all — you know I'll be tuning in. Love yourself a bit of kilted rumpy-pumpy in the Scottish Highlands? Of course you do. So you'll be tuning in to peep the Outlander prequel series, which takes a squiz at the origin stories of Jamie and Claire's parents. See you on the misty moors! The Voice is back, and there's a heap of new mentors along for the ride. Returning judge Kate Miller-Heidke is joined this time around by Sporty Spice Melanie C, dad crooner Richard Marx and all-round nice guy Ronan Keating. Family-friendly singalong, anyone? This eight-part series spin-off takes its origins from the movie that came out a few years ago. It looks super crude and utterly ridiculous. Suffice to say: I am entirely there for it.
