By Kylie Northover

Copyright theage

Mystery Road: Origin (season two) ★★★★

It’s been three years since the first award-winning season of the Mystery Road prequel that saw Mark Coles Smith step into the role of the younger incarnation of Detective Jay Swan, played in the original series (itself a film spin-off) by Aaron Pedersen. The first Mystery Road: Origin explained Jay’s backstory, especially his bitterness and his struggle with walking between cultures. Last season’s ending hinted at Jay’s future (some of which, of course, fans already know), and the journey towards that is continued in this second instalment, which is set some six months later.

Jay and his wife Mary (Tuuli Narkle) are embarking on a fresh start, having moved to Mary’s mother’s Country, a fading timber town called Loch Iris, shaded by the region’s towering karri trees. They are now carers for Mary’s young niece Anya, and Mary, now pregnant, has started work as a nurse at the local hospital. Jay, who comes to town after Mary and Anya, is joining the local police force (which consists of precisely one other cop) as a detective.

But before he even arrives in Loch Iris, Jay is forced off the road by a car driven by a visibly shaken Indigenous boy, Swayze (Aswan Reid), who is reluctant to reveal who or what he’s fleeing. So Jay takes Swayze into town where he’s headed to meet his new colleague, Sergeant Paula Simmons (the always incredible Robyn Malcolm). Simmo, as she’s known, isn’t at the police station, but at the local pub – where, when she’s not fishing, she can usually be found. Jaded and aggro, Simmo is unimpressed with Jay even before they’ve met; his reputation as a blackfella copper who has risen through the ranks precedes him.