Top of the Lake

A twelve-year-old girl walks into the ice waters of an alpine lake. A local woman saves her before she freezes or drowns. As the girl changes into dry clothes at school, her teacher notices that she is pregnant. The police are called.

Robin goes to the Mitcham compound to follow-up on Tui. Matt revels in telling her that Tui has gone, disappeared. He assumes she’s run off into the bush but he’s confident; all his children know how to survive.

Robin takes up her search at the women’s camp in Paradise. The women want to help but offer nothing concrete. Robin’s meeting with GJ, their spiritual leader, is more confrontational - she seems at once to know nothing about Tui and to know everything. She warns Robin that her search will bring her to her knees. We have the feeling she’s right.

Robin arrives at Al Parker’s for dinner. Al tries to indicate that Robin may be bringing too many of her own issues to the case - we learn the full story of Robin’s history in the town, one that she has kept well hidden. Profoundly distressed by the resurfacing of her past, Robin drinks heavily and passes out. Al puts her to bed.

Robin wants to pick up the conversation she and Johnno began earlier - their difficult memories of their high school dance. It is a purging for Robin and an expiation of the guilt Johnno has carried as the powerless witness to the evening’s events. The process drives Johnno into an explosive outburst against the guilty. And through his resulting actions, Robin and Johnno seem to have found a new closeness.

Robin becomes convinced that Matt Mitcham and his drug trafficking operation must be connected to Tui’s disappearance. She’s determined to go after him. Bob Platt’s widow has allowed Robin access to her husband’s computer files. With the help of some computer hacking friends, Robin discovers disturbing images of some kind of strange nightclub.

Prepared with recording equipment and police back up, Robin goes to hear Matt’s confession. His revelation is not what she has been suspecting.