Well, I certainly hope we get another season, especially since we don’t get an answer about a particular couple of characters’ relationship status, any resolution for Lucy Lawless’s brother (who doesn’t appear in this episode), or just her life in general. In fact, this episode sort of walks back some of the character development from the last episode. Or at least ignores it. Or seems to ignore it.
The hook of the episode is Renée O’Connor guest-starring, reuniting with Lawless from “Xena.” Instead of friends, O’Connor is a suspect, or at least would be if it weren’t a locked room murder. Or maybe murder.
O’Connor runs a wellness cult; her husband, Michael Hurst, died during a sex game with their chief assistant, Shoshana McCallum. But it’s apparently not murder; self-induced, as it were. Only copper Rawiri Jobe doesn’t believe it—the cult’s too weird, especially with O’Connor professionally embracing husband’s mistress McCallum—and so Lawless and Ebony Vagulans investigate.
The initial part of the investigation is fun; Lawless acts like a rube to ingratiate herself to O’Connor and McCallum. Meanwhile, Vagulans buddies up with O’Connor’s son, Miles Muir (also O’Connor’s real-life actor son, no explanation why they don’t have accents), who runs all the computer stuff. Vagulans then finds out Muir’s got a crush on McCallum and fought about it with his dad, who cut him out of the will.
So everybody’s got a motive if Lawless can just prove there was an actual murder and not an accident.
But in trying to establish the crime, the relationships change between Lawless, O’Connor, and McCallum and cease being much fun. O’Connor’s doing an actual creepy cult leader thing, not like a fun reuniting cameo. She’s too good of a villain for it just to be a smile. Her performance is fine too, ditto Muir. Neither of them is great, but they’re fine. McCallum’s good in an impossible part (a relatable cult devotee).
There’s not really a B plot; Lawless is bitching about social networking this episode, resulting in some amusing scenes, and there’s some nice camaraderie stuff between her and Vagulans, but again… they’ve already done this character development.
I wonder if this one’s airing out of order.
Regardless, fingers crossed they get another season. If it’s back to Australia for a refreshed supporting cast, something might get lost overboard in the Tasman.
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