Spoiler alert: this recap is for people watching Top of the Lake weekly on the BBC. Please do not add spoilers from later episodes.
After the plot fiasco of episode three, in which Al popped over from New Zealand and shook off his injuries to wreak violent and extremely unlikely revenge on Robin, I had given up hope of Top of the Lake: China Girl redeeming itself. But some commenters suggested that perhaps I was misguided, that I was expecting a naturalistic drama when it had never promised to be anything of the sort. With that in mind, I watched this week’s instalment and attempted to see it as impressionistic. Surreal, even.
Well. Certain parts certainly ticked the box – the nose-biting, for example – though it did little to assuage my continuing disappointment in its effectiveness as a drama. I spent much of this hour wondering if I’d skipped an episode, and many scenes had me wondering what I’d missed. Robin bounced back from the attack by not really mentioning it. “Ready to work?” asked Adrian, which was the only indication that it had happened at all. Mary fell further into the clutches of Alexander/Puss when, for her 18th birthday, he expressed his desire for her to become a sex worker, to prove that she does not think she’s better than the other girls in the brothel. I got a cake, but each to their own.
And so there’s a drawn-out sequence in which Mary, under the control of the world’s worst Russell Brand impersonator, determined to throw off the burden of her middle-class-ness, dresses up as Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge (a deliberate nod to her co-star?) and picks up a punter on the street. It’s sad, and tawdry, and brings Mary to the conclusion that she needs to leave Puss but can’t. I have many questions about why Mary’s birth mother and father would, knowing that Puss is a violent pimp and potential murderer, be so casual about her continuing to hang out with him, but let’s put that down to it being a story and not real. The final scene, in which Robin cradled her daughter, was, again, very sweet.
That’s to say nothing of Puss biting Robin on the face, or the investigation into Cinnamon’s murder, which feels increasingly tacked on to this claustrophobic horror-film family melodrama. The parents appear to have got the wrong girl, as their surrogate – actually, one of three – has been in touch. Robin needs to get to the bottom of who’s doing the (illegal) egg transfers as that should open up the case. That is, if Brett, who appears increasingly unhinged, with his visions and his gun, doesn’t interfere first.
For me, the most interesting part of this episode was Robin’s seeming conflict between being a good cop and solving the case and warning her daughter away from harm. It seems as if she’s more on the side of giving up compromising information about the case to protect Mary, but we all know how her work drives her – is there any chance she’ll choose the job over Mary?
Notes and observations
• The most horrific notion in the series so far is clearly the notion of a dads-and-daughters dance. Would any Australian readers be able to explain what this is and why?
• I’m still not convinced the relationship between Adrian and Miranda is real (plus, she’s carrying on with Robin’s brother). Are they leading us towards Miranda being an illegal surrogate, which is why she’s acting so shady?
• Not nearly enough Nicole Kidman, as always.
• Did Robin’s new fast-healing tattoo of Mary’s name and date of birth set alarm bells ringing for Pyke, or endear her to him? It looks as if they’re setting up a possible romance.
• The scene where Miranda and Robin aired their personal grievances was so peculiar. It was like they’d stopped being police officers and wandered on to the set of a talk show.
• “My green little frog” – I know she’s supposed to be under his spell, but seriously, what does Mary see in Puss?
• Mary texts in all capitals, which explains a lot.
Misogyny watch
Brett, the nice-guy of the cafe bros, is not very nice to his mum.
Quote of the week
“I’m gazing into the abyss and I’m going to keep gazing until the abyss gazes back.” Puss sums up the experience of going from season one of Top of the Lake to season two.
