Looking for a new fix of Irish drama? Look no further than The Gone
◆ The New Zealand-set crime series is engaging and thoughtful
Irish TV drama is on a roll. No sooner has sprawling Dublin-set Kin, about the antics and in-fighting of the drugdealing Kinsella clan concluded its second season on the BBC – then along comes another cracker in the form of The Gone on BBC4 and iplayer.
Made by Irish national broadcaster RTE in partnership with New Zealand On Air, it is a great example of international collaboration that enriches rather than dilutes the drama.
The Gone sees an Irish cop going over to New Zealand to help with the investigation into the disappearance of a young Irish couple on North Island. The missing pair include the daughter of a judge who sent down a leading Irish gangster and there are fears her disappearance could be some sort of revenge.
Richard Flood, who some may remember from his stint as Dr Cormac Hayes between 2019 and 2022 on Grey’s Anatomy, plays Theo Richter, a detective with (of course) a few demons who teams up with New Zealand cop Diana Huia, played by the excellent Acushlatara Kupe, who is heading up her first major investigation.
She has a few demons of her own as she is having to return to her home town, Mount Affinity, where bad memories and difficult family relations are always close to the surface.
The second major plot strand is that the case she is investigating also has parallels with two unsolved murders some 15 years earlier. Has a serial killer resurfaced? Add in a tech company wanting to develop on sacred land, a violent Irish gangster with a grudge who wants to settle with his family in New Zealand and an investigative reporter played by Carolyn Bracken who Richter used to have a thing with and all the elements are there for an engaging yarn.
What makes it so interesting is the way Maori culture is placed at the centre of the drama. Huia’s aunt and uncle, Buster and Wiki, played by Wayne Hapi and Vanessa Rare, act as our guides to the customs and beliefs. It is understated but powerfully present. A funeral for a young man who was in Buster and Wiki’s care is beautifully done.
We have two episodes to go, so hopefully it can conclude in style. And happily, a second season has already been commissioned.