North Shore Episode 1 has given us a lot of intel to base our assumptions on. Max Drummond will have to help amateur Meg Driscoll solve the murder of Sophie Chalcott without making it seem to Meg that he is trying to take over her case, and at the same time, do whatever it takes to make sure no evidence is overlooked because he has made a promise to Abigail. But Max also has his relationship with his wife, Anna, to worry about as it isn’t quite what it should be. So he has to handle his work life and personal life while making sure that neither falls apart. Will he be able to do that?
Spoilers Ahead
A New Home
The British PM’s 6-year-old viral video of him verbally abusing his wife has become inadvertently beneficial for Abigail. It’s keeping the news of her daughter’s death off the front page. But that’s really none of her concern, as sitting with lead investigators Meg and Max reveals that there are no concrete leads in the case. And Abigail’s preference for Max and the fact that she knows it is Meg’s first case make Meg think that Abigail finds her incompetent, which is not the case. She blames Max for informing Abigail about it being her first case, whereas the truth is, it was their boss, Andrew Newell. Well, it’s done and dusted, and they decide to get Abigail to appeal to the public to get more information on Sophie’s whereabouts. Also, there is no update on Erika’s whereabouts. They are almost in the dark about the case, and they must quicken their pace. Later on, Max meets Tori, Anna’s sister, and finds out that he is going through a separation. The fact that Anna addresses the separation as a trial gives it a whole new meaning. It’s like a court case that they are having at home, and that too without Max receiving any notice. And it hurts. Tori realizes that Max is not in a state to stay alone, so she invites him to stay with her family. He is on a different continent, away from his family, and has just found out that he and his wife are potentially on the verge of divorce. It is better for Max to stay with someone he knows rather than be alone.
Going Public
Abigail and Simon speak to the press and urge the public to share any information they might have on their daughter. Their words, especially Abigail’s, have moved the press to tears, and they are sure to reach the public in the way they intended. But this isn’t the case for Lloyd Macklin, who appears rather distressed as he watches Abigail on TV. When he tells Tom and Oscar to meet him the same morning, we realize that they know something about Sophie that can perhaps compromise them. But it seems that there isn’t anything that Lloyd doesn’t already know or needs to worry about. But we can tell that the boys know more than their letting on. They are just hiding it from Lloyd. Oscar reveals that Erika has gone underground and is unreachable. Why is this now? Where has she gone with the $20,000?
To Avoid A Scandal
A friend of Sophie and Erika from the party arrives and tells the police that the girls sold drugs. This is new. But what’s more interesting is what Oscar reveals about the girls. The girls did sell drugs. Erika gets the pills from a guy at work in Manly. The fact that Oscar knows what an indictable amount of drugs is, proves that he knows more than he seems to know. The break-in at Erika’s apartment was nothing. As for the scratches on his hand, they are a result of his job, i.e., gardening. Meg believes that Oscar knows more about the break-in, and they cannot rule out Oscar being the supplier. As she and Max discuss all this, they find out that the $20,000 that was transferred to Erika’s account from Sophie’s was credited by Think Big Unlimited directors Justin Makepeace and his wife, Mary. Surprisingly, Justin is Greg Hardy’s chief of staff. Well, that’s useful. Max and Meg visit him and find out that Sophie is Greg’s daughter. The money was paid to her so that she could lay low until after the elections. This is almost what we conjectured in the North Shore Episode 1 article, although all he did was send her away and not get her killed, hopefully. Greg didn’t want such a scandal to ruin his campaign. However, Sophie didn’t leave and ended up being shot. Naturally, Greg and Justin will become suspects, if not now, then later. Justin also reveals that he was with a man on the night of Sophie’s death. He is having an affair, but he wants to keep it away from his wife’s knowledge.. Charming. On the other hand, Tory is starting to like how Max is getting along with her kids. Her husband is at work most of the time, and it is nice for the kids to have a father figure who can read them bedtime stories and play the piano with them. The next day, he and Meg visit the guy Justin said he was with the night Sophie died, and he conforms to Justin’s words. But how do we know that Justin didn’t warn him? We don’t.
Ascension
Lloyd has invited Simon and Abigail to his place. We find out about Abigail’s trade deal and how Lloyd’s animal station is a part of it too. It is clear that Lloyd would like it if she dropped the demand regarding standardizing food production as per British consumer needs, which, according to Abigail, are much better than Australian standards. But the deal is at a standstill for the moment due to the murder of a British minister’s daughter on Australian soil. Lloyd asks them about the progress the police have made, and though he claim that he doesn’t want to pry, we know that he intends to know about what’s going on because his son and his son’s friend are somehow involved in it, and he needs to be careful. The British press believes that Abigail is going to be the next PM. She has made quite an impression on the public. And now it’s affecting her career big time. The same night, she tells Simon how terrible she feels because she intends to take a chance on the PM candidacy. Her words make sense because capitalizing on the death of a child isn’t something one can think of. But then again, it comes with the kind of work she does, maybe she didn’t have a choice. However, it is also not wrong if people judge her for it. As she is talking to Simon, she gets a call from Sophie. She is shocked beyond belief. Someone has Sophie’s phone. Who can this be? Erika? If she can have Sophie’s debit card, it’s only normal for her to have Sophie’s phone as well.
An Anonymous Contact
Back at Tory’s house, Max tells Tory about how he doesn’t want to be a father unless he knows he can take care of a child. For him, it’s not about not wanting to be a father as much as it is about failing to be a good one. Clearly, he doesn’t want to be like Tory’s husband, Hamish, who doesn’t spend time with their kids or doesn’t get to due to his work. And Max is someone who goes all in on his assignments, and maybe that’s the reason why he and Anna have moved away from reach other in the first place. But Tory likes Max for accepting it and feels that he will be a good father. Later on, after leaving a voicemail for Anna, Max gets an anonymous text from someone who apparently knows why Sophie Chalcott was killed. It can’t be a coincidence that both Max and Abigail get contacted by anonymous people on the same night. Did the same person contact them them? Does Lloyd have something to do with this? Also, his little chat with Abigail does reveal that they have a disagreement over a trade deal. And this isn’t something that we can ignore.
North Shore Episode 2 moves steadily ahead while offering some information and more questions that require answering. It explores not just events but relationships as well. Considering the nature of the show, it is nice to see how well it blends investigation with emotions without letting the former get overwhelmed by the latter. This is good. North Shore Episode 3 will reveal more of both, and let’s wait and see if Max finds out who sent him the text.
