Rake

Channel: ABC1
Day & time: Thursday, 9.30 p.m.
To watch full episodes of Rake, CLICK HERE

Let’s face it: Australian drama plays it straight most of the time. Almost all of the time, in fact. There’s so many movies and television series about white, suburban and dysfunctional families, you would think we were all like that. But every now and then something great comes along, something that really shakes our ponderous television tropes. Something like Rake.

Rake is a mixed bag of delights. It’s not a show that doesn’t know what it wants to be, but rather a show that keeps the viewer guessing and constantly alert. The cast is extensive, bolstered with single-episode appearances by the likes of Hugo Weaving and Lisa McCune. Richard Roxburgh plays Cleaver Greene, a skilled and clever barrister, but one with questionable moral grounding. The show follows Cleaver as he tries to win impossible cases, all the while dodging around the ATO, various lovers, and his son from a previous marriage. All this amounts to whirlwind episodes that never let up on the drama, comedy, or action. It’s a blend of so many parts that the whole surprisingly surpasses expectations for what could have been a flailing mess.

But there must be something that holds it all together. Maybe it’s the writing. Every episode tries to outdo the previous one (though the first had Cleaver defending a cannibal, a tantalising opening for sure). They may be outlandish, but they are also coherent. Nothing seems strange, save perhaps Cleaver’s decision to defend the indefensible. But he has his reasons for taking them on, and he has the ability to almost make it a fair fight. It’s refreshing to see a show look at crimes after the perp has been caught. Not only does Rake take an unconventional route when it comes to plots, but also in terms of its style. One moment its very serious, with a suburban shootout or the break down of marriages. The next we’re inside a court room where Cleaver is banging out witty remarks and ingenious retorts.There’s a real fluidity to the progression of character and plot arcs, and the pace keeps you engaged.

How well would this writing do without the cast to convey it? Well, we will never know, because the acting bar is set high, with everyone bringing the most out of the script. Cleaver is a despicable person, but you can’t help like him, no doubt thanks in part to Roxburgh’s fantastic delivery. But he isn’t alone, and Rake is a showcase of the acting talent that Australia has on offer. Everyone brings their best to the fore and takes the already classy writing somewhere royal. And it all looks superb too, a whole swathe of camera and editing tricks bringing even more pizazz to the affair. All of this together makes Rake riveting viewing.

If anything can be said against the show, it might be that it surely can’t keep up the awesome sprint it started with. Then again, television doesn’t have to be about endurance, and a brilliant, short series is still brilliant. Nonetheless, a second series has already been commissioned, so hopefully neither the writers nor the actors lose their energy and vision.

Rake really is different, but different done well. It isn’t your typical crime show. It depicts crime at the end of the process, but still manages to make the world of lawyers and business lunches exciting and, to be honest, naughty. The first series may be halfway finished, but it will remain on iView for about two months. Don’t procrastinate; watch this now.

Thomas Wilson