‘Mystery Road: Origin’ Recap – ‘Episode 4’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Four of ‘Mystery Road: Origin’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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Over the course of the past couple of weeks, we’ve talked at length about the incredible storytelling that the Acorn TV series, Mystery Road: Origin, has put forth. Simply because this series has indeed been a master class in how to set up the future for a character. Since we’ve come to learn in great detail, how the future Detective Jay Swan found some of the darkness and pain that he carried with him in the original series. Part of which relates to the fact that he never resolved his shattered relationship with his dad before his dad died, something that can indeed poison a soul and change one’s perspective for the worst. But while that has indeed been fascinating to watch and experience, this is a series that also understands… it is still a crime drama and that the other elements it has introduced, need resolution.

Which is why the next episode of the story, quickly shifted gears once Ziggy was sent off to jail to prepare for trial. Because having her behind bars… gave Jay some breathing room and left him wondering if by chance she was indeed capable of murder or if something more was at work here. Which pushed him to dig deeper into his family’s affairs and it turned out… there was indeed something suspicious at play here. Since Jack Swan was involved in a land deal of sorts, one that was as shady as they come, and he pulled Jay’s brother into it and well, the more he dug and the more he explored… the more it became clear that there was a chance that money brought about his father’s end, not the suicide that everyone else in Jardine believed. 

Not to mention, members of the Sons of the Soil opted to break out of jail in this tale, adding new trouble to the mix and those weren’t the only criminal themed plot threads present here as well. Since Anousha and Mary started to work together regarding the death of Mary’s brother and were slowly coming to realize that perhaps there was more to this than what was originally believed, and to top it all off… Max finally enjoyed a little poetic justice for a change. Since a push to bring Xavier back into the fold as her CI, broke him in this tale. To the point where he donned some Ned Kelly gear and pointed a gun right at her to give her a scare for a change, and while that had its own level of satisfaction since Max has been in need of a wakeup call for ages… the fact that Xavier dropped his camera in the midst of his escape is of note. Because clearly, he wanted that on his person and that might have something worthwhile on it. Especially when one considers the attention it received visually here.

If anything, those are… a lot of plot threads to chew upon, but that’s not a bad thing by any means. Just because… this is the stuff that absolutely had to take a back seat to give us some foundational work on Jay and at some point, it must get resolved. And clearly such matters are now in process with everything in play, and who knows, all of this might lead to more developmental moments for Jay as well, since these messy cases have gravity and power. But… make no mistake about it, this episode made sure to drop some more formative moments into our lap here in a subtle and wonderful manner. Since Mary and Jay did finally come to explore the magnetic attraction they share, which would lead to so much more for the both of them and oddly enough… this episode features the moment that Jay donned his iconic white hat.

For he lost the old black one in an unsuccessful attempt to get his brother to stop drinking. But beneath his father’s bed, was the iconic white one that would come to define his heroic look, and watching him put that sucker on, was the stuff of legend. Comparable to the first time we saw Clark Kent emerge from a phone booth as Superman, or the first time we saw Bruce Wayne don his cap and cowl as Batman. But what matters more, is that we are in the endgame now, and this series is clearly ready to ramp up and bring all these cases and plot threads to resolution and further push Jay toward his future, and that is going to make for one wild ride. One that will undoubtedly be satisfying and powerful… and moving. Since emotion will undoubtedly come into play when Jay learns the truth about what happened to his estranged yet beloved father. Until next time.

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