Characters leave you guessing

The show: Top of the Lake: China Girl, Season 2, Episode 2 The moment: The odd conversation

Sydney police detective Robin Griffin (Elisabeth Moss) and her new partner, constable Miranda Hilmarson (Gwendoline Christie), are watching video of a legal escort who may have been murdered.

Miranda zooms in on Cinnamon’s boots. “Prada,” she declares. “Could be fake?” Robin asks. “No, they’re real,” Miranda says. “How many guys would that be?” Robin asks.

“For her?” Miranda replies. “One.” She pauses. “Have you ever thought about being an escort?” “No,” Robin says. “Have you?” “I’ve had offers,” Miranda says. “I’ve thought about it, because the money is so good. But the work — a bit bleak.”

Showrunner Jane Campion got raves for this series’ first season. Season 2 has received some virulently bad reviews and I think conversations such as this may be a reason. It’s odd. You don’t quite know what to make of it. Physically, petite Moss and extremely tall Christie are opposites, but they don’t conform to any type.

But for me, they’re like jolts of electricity, precisely because they frustrate and perplex me. I bingewatched this season in high-wire excitement because — as with real humans — I had no idea what they were going to say or do next. Top of the Lake: China Girl airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on CBC. Johanna Schneller is a media connoisseur who zeroes in on pop-culture moments. She usually appears Monday through Thursday.