32/43

Coups threaten to destroy a waning dynasty

Chronology

With no heirs to Lawson’s massive cattle station, rival factions in Australia see an opportunity to take over. The series was filmed in the Northern Territory and South Australia, in places so remote they are barely inhabited, let alone shown on screen. Locations include the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park – with special permission from the traditional owners – and Tipperary Station, a real working cattle station so large it has its own airport and school.

Yes, it gets compared to Yellowstone

Yes, it has the same great drinks, conflict and quirky characters. Yes, you can relate to a lot of similar problems. The two main problems for me are things that happen simply because they need to advance the plot.

Plots that don’t make sense

The family patriarch simply decides the succession without considering the pros and cons of each option. Secondly, there are plot holes, which are there for the same reason, to advance the plot. The station is supposed to be the size of Belgium, but it is run by a family (starting with 4 members, then expanded a bit more) and it seems to be a skeleton crew.

Tensions rise, conflicts deepen, passions are reawakened

But of course greedy corporations try to take it away from them. I also didn’t like the fact that everything is constantly evolving. and then things are resolved (fashionably) in half an hour.

The camera work is good, the nature looks beautiful

But it’s not a bad show if you can look past it.