I've not been a big fan of BlackJack, with its tired cold-case premise and the clunky pairing of hot, tech-savvy newbie, Sam (Marta Dusseldorp) and her grizzled Luddite mentor, Jack (Colin Friels) a setup which should feel fresh but still somehow feels like a cop drama cliché and plot lines that were often less than gripping. This episode however, breaks the pattern, thanks mainly to the superior writing of Tim Pye and some fine performances, Garry McDonald especially. It works because the story is built around a strong emotional core Sam's guilt about the disappearance and presumed murder of her best friend who vanished on the night of her engagement party. When a fresh case with some similarities hits the headlines, she and Jack can't help but start digging up the past. Pye quickly establishes numerous credible suspects and some amusing subplots, while including enough backstory angst to ground the tale in emotional reality, and enough quirky humour to stop it ever toppling over into melodrama. It all works nicely as it shimmies its way to a fine and surprising conclusion. With higher production values, this could easily have been the basis for a serviceable big screen thriller.
Review of BlackJack: Dead Memory
