Aussie Cops Keep It Real In "Critical Incident"

Critical Incident takes place in a city called Blacktown. In real life it is a suburb of Sydney, Australia. However, It is portrayed as a diverse, urban center or smaller city not unlike Compton, CA with its share of criminal activity, heavily patrolled by the constabulary.

The series centers around Zil(Akshay Khanna), an up and coming constable who chases Dalia(Zoë Boe) through the center of Blacktown mistaking her for a person of interest connected to a scuffle the night before. During this pursuit, another civilian is knocked into a moving train and seriously injured. These events trigger critical incident procedures jeopardizing Zil’s  career and Dalia’s freedom. The local news begins to run the story and so begins a six episode slow burn of police corruption, politics and general nefarious behavior.

Dalia is a very sympathetic character. Other than living in a group home and going to school, her life is uneventful. Her friends use drugs but she doesn’t seem interested. Her affection toward a much older Hayden(Jai Waetford) ends up facilitating some bad decisions. Dalia’s real troubles don’t start until her fateful encounter with Constable Zil. 

After the fallout from the chase, Zil tries to cleanse himself of the stench of police misconduct. He also unsuccessfully navigates his tarnished public image. Part of this involves abuses of power, dragging some fellow constables into his corruption. His anxiety and guilt is palpable. Viewers might even feel sympathetic toward him in his ongoing struggle for survival.

There are also strong, well-acted female characters significant to the principal story as well as part of a subplot. Sandra(Roxie Mohebbi) is Zil’s live-in girlfriend and fellow constable who acts as something of a moral compass.

If you’ve never been exposed to police procedurals from overseas, be warned. They are nothing like their American counterparts. There are very few high-speed chases or gun violence. They are typically character driven with just enough intensity to keep you interested. Although some can be slightly pedantic, Critical Incident stays relevant with familiar themes from urban life.

I’ve never been to Australia so I don’t know if the casting accurately reflects the demographics of Blacktown but it is definitely not homogenous like most American police procedurals that too often engage in blatant tokenism. 

Again, not being familiar with Australian society it’s hard to say if the law enforcement procedures are accurate but they are believable and reminiscent of cops in the US. Apparently, no matter what part of the world you live in, police brutality is universal. This is the draw of the series – these nuggets of familiarity.

One thing that was a head-scratcher for me was the portrayal of the criminals. They were not that imposing. With the absence of raw violence or firearms there needed to be something more to make me believe Dahlia and her drug-dealing boyfriend, Hayden, were racked with fear. I wasn’t convinced. I think it was meant to be more about perception or reputation. Which lends itself to the more cerebral take on the genre.

Critical Incident is worthy of a weekend binge. The story is engaging and keeps you guessing right up until the end. The characters are surprisingly familiar and relevant despite having a cultural reference thousands of miles away. Sadly, there is only one season that ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger, so be prepared to get up from the couch wanting more.