Drama
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Captain Pike finally gets his time in the Star Trek spotlight, but his story is one filled with tragedy and foreboding.
Buried secrets often tend to stay, well, buried. Especially in small towns. That is, until investigative journalist Martin Scarsden wanders in with questions of his own. And what started out as a supposedly easy story about how the town of Riversend recovered from a massacre the year before turns into a case filled with deception and lies.
Martin was once a renowned reporter who published stories on corrupt governments and interviewed high-profile criminals. So, he saunters into Riversend expecting this story to be simple and quick. But when residents refuse to talk, Martin’s curiosity takes hold. A local bookstore and café owner, Mandy Bond, believes there was more to the five murders committed by a priest named Byron Swift than what was reported. She encourages Martin to dig deeper. But when more deaths are uncovered, still more secrets come to light along with more danger.
On the Shores of Port Silver
Fast forward a year, and Martin Scarsden is back home in Port Silver with Mandy Bond (who’s now his partner). They’d like nothing more than a bit of relaxation, a break from his successful book tour detailing how he unraveled the Riversend massacre a year earlier.
But what begins as a quick trip to visit an old friend turns into a terrible murder. Worse yet, Martin finds Mandy at the murder site covered in blood and holding a knife. The same type of weapon used on the victim: Martin’s childhood friend Jasper.
Now moving along the beaches of Port Silver, Martin must unveil the truth behind his friend’s murder, prove his girlfriend’s innocence, all the while facing his own past that his town has not yet forgotten.
More Than Murder Here
Scrublands first season was based on a book of the same name. The second season was based on the novel Silver, both by Australian author Chris Hammer.
A slow-burning and suspenseful crime thriller, Scrublands takes audiences from a rural town in New South Wales, Australia, all the way to Victoria’s coastline. However, right off the bat, audiences are introduced to the murders, accompanied by plenty of blood.
In the first season, five men get shot in the head in the first few minutes. The second season commences with an unknown individual lying on the floor in a pool of blood.
The language on this TV-14 show is similarly harsh. The f-word is dropped multiple times throughout the show, along with the s-word and the English profanity “bloody.” “Bulls—,” “a–hole” and “b–tard” also make appearances. Both Jesus and God’s name are abused a few times.
Many of the characters, some underage, drink alcohol. Drugs play a prominent role in the plotline of both seasons.
While this thriller may keep some on their toes, wondering how all the puzzle pieces connect, families might find it best to leave these Australian mysteries unsolved.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at [email protected], or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
Outside of St. James Catholic Church, residents of Riversend believed it to be just another day. Dressed in Sunday attire, community members express gratitude, talk about family, and—in the case of two teen boys—talk dirt bikes. Until, that is, the priest, dressed in an alb and a stole, returns outside. But instead of shaking hands, he raises a rifle. He aims. And fires. All told, the priest takes down five different men, among screaming women and children.
A year later, Martin Scarsden drives into town. The talented investigative journalist is tasked with reporting on how Riversend residents have recovered in the wake of the massacre.
But whenever Martin tries to talk to somebody, he gets quickly shut down. That is until he meets Mandy Bond, the owner of the local bookstore and café. She tells him the priest was a good man. It didn’t make sense that he would do something that terrible. So, Martin starts investigating; the more he learns the more questions he begins to ask.
We see teens smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol. There’s a bike crash (the end-result of a game of chicken). One person dies due to a cracked head while another swallows his tongue.
We see a “Missing” poster for two kids. Mandy’s mom was said to be a lifelong atheist and suffered from cancer.
The f-word is used 14 times, while the s-word is used nine times. “Arse” is written in dripping red letters on a town sign. We also hear “p—,” “a–hole,” and “f-ggot” once each, and “bulls—” twice.
Allegations of child abuse are a prominent part of the show.
In flashbacks, the priest recites Psalm 23, Matthew 11:15 and Jeremiah 29:11.
In the first-season finale flashback, Priest Byron Swift asks Mandy Bond to run away with him in his final moments. “It’s already too late,” he explains, trying to convince her.
Jump to present day, and Martin Scarsden is still pursuing the tangled web of secrets buried in town—even after getting shot by an unknown enemy. Martin has learned that the priest was working with five other people, growing and selling illegal marijuana.
The puzzle starts to come together. Martin uncovers the involvement of other townspeople in the massacre, along with discovering the priest’s past involvement in the Australian military. As Martin digs deeper, he discovers there is more to the story than just a few guys operating an illegal farm. In fact, there may be someone else leading the scheme.
One side of Martin’s face has scars from being shot at. A car rams into another, running it off the road. A teen boy witnesses two people getting shot in the head. One guy shoves and threatens another with a hammer. While recovering from a military operation, Byron’s eye is swollen shut, and we see small scars on his face, too. We learn he killed 12 enemy soldiers, seven civilians and is the reason four of his team members were killed. Two men fight over a rifle, resulting in one man getting shot and chemicals getting spilled. A house and a barn are both accidentally set on fire with some men and a pregnant woman inside. Someone runs into the burning building to save another man.
There are more than 25 uses of the f-word and 17 of the s-word. We hear one c-word as well as the British profanities “b-gger” and “bloody.” God and Jesus’ names are misused twice each. “H—” is also used. Name-calling includes “mongrel,” “scum” and “wuss,”
[Spoiler Warning]: Jamie, a teen, was forced by his dad to falsely accuse Priest Byron Swift of committing child abuse. His dad sought to get back at Byron by destroying his marijuana crops. Martin discovers that the allegations leveled against Byron were false. That said, those accusations continue to play a prominent role in the show as Martin continues to investigate the town’s massacre.
After finishing his book tour for Unburied Pasts: The True Story of the Riversend Massacre, Martin Scarsden is ready to join his girlfriend Mandy Bonds and her son, Liam, in Martin’s hometown of Port Silver.
While in the car, Martin receives a phone call from his old childhood friend Jasper Speight. Jasper stresses that he needs to talk about urgent matters with him and then abruptly hangs up.
When Martin shows up at Jasper’s house, he makes two unsettling discoveries. One, Jasper, lying on the kitchen floor in his own pool of blood. The second is Mandy coming out of the hallway covered in blood, frightened and holding a knife. Mandy believes she was drugged, as she can’t remember a thing from the previous night.
We see a woman wearing only a towel. Martin and Mandy, who are a couple but not married, sleep together.
A flashback shows a teenaged Martin and his friends, Jasper and Scotty. We see Jasper brewing beer while Martin and Scotty smoke cigarettes.
Both the f-word and s-word are used five times. We hear one use each of “h—,” “b–tard” and “s—hole,” while the English profanity “bloody” gets paired with “h—” once. Both God and Jesus’ names are misused once. A cop calls Martin a “blowhard.”
The Foo Fighters song “Learn to Fly” can be heard, and it includes the line, “Think I need a devil to help me get things right.”
While driving, Martin sees a cross planted at the side of the road, memorializing a family member’s death. Martin visits the yoga center where Mandy had been taking classes; we see a sign there advertising “transpersonal therapy” that tells guests, “Expand your inner world.”
Natalie Dean is Plugged In’s 2025 Summer Intern. A native from South Dakota, she recently graduated from South Dakota State University with a degree in Journalism and in the fall will be pursuing a master’s at Liberty University. Growing up in the Black Hills, Natalie enjoys spending her time outside, whether that be riding bikes or kayaking with her sisters, walking the dogs or going on long hikes. Her love for movie soundtracks stems from her sister asking, “what movie is this from” and “name the movie scene.” She has a passion for writing and hopes to one day be a published author.
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