Miranda Nation’s new mystery series, Playing Gracie Darling, might he all the hallmarks of a compelling occult drama, but unfortunately, it falls flat under the weight of its well-worn tropes and predictable narrative. While the performances are strong and the direction confident, the show ultimately feels like an outdated exercise in genre conventions, failing to inject fresh energy into a familiar formula.
The title Playing Gracie Darling immediately evokes comparisons to Donald Crombie’s 1986 adaptation of Playing Beatie Bow, an Australian production that similarly tied a young woman’s name to a fantastical situation involving time trel. Here, however, it’s not a time portal but the supernatural realm that provides the connection. The show’s premise centers around a seance gone wrong, with a group of children attempting to contact the spirit world. In typical fashion, the ritual descends into chaos: the Ouija board catches fire, the titular Gracie Darling (Kristina Bogic) starts spitting out demonic-sounding phrases, and then, of course, she vanishes.
AdvertisementsSet in 1997, the first part of the series focuses on the aftermath of that seance, with Gracie’s disappearance casting a long shadow. Flash forward to years later, and we meet Joni (Morgana O’Reilly), Gracie’s former friend, now a child psychologist. When another young girl goes missing under similar circumstances in the same eerie shack, Joni is dragged back into a mystery she had hoped to lee behind.
AdvertisementsThe premise itself, while intriguing, treads familiar ground. We’ve seen it all before: the ghostly communication with the dead, the creepy old shack, and the eerie warning signs of history repeating itself. Phrases like “It’s happening again” feel overly familiar, setting the stage for a series that never quite surprises. The writing, from Nation and Anya Beyersdorf, relies too heily on genre cliches, with dialogue that often feels as though it’s lifted from a playbook of tired occult tropes. This is compounded by the performances, which, while competent, struggle to overcome the limitations of the material. The poker-faced delivery from much of the cast adds to the overall feeling of a show that is trying hard to be serious and eerie but ends up feeling self-conscious and formulaic.
AdvertisementsOne might he hoped that Playing Gracie Darling would do something unique with the occult genre, especially considering its thematic similarities to the excellent 2023 film Talk to Me by Danny and Michael Philippou. In Talk to Me, occult practices are portrayed not just as supernatural events but as a form of reckless, adrenaline-pumping escapism for teenagers. The Philippou brothers injected fresh energy into the genre by linking the ancient desire to transcend the ordinary with modern adolescent rebellion. Unfortunately, Playing Gracie Darling never quite reaches those heights, sticking instead to predictable character arcs and familiar plot points.
Rudi Dharmalingam, who plays Jay, a local cop involved in the original seance, does his best with the material, but the character’s role feels more like a narrative convenience than a fully realized person. This is a recurring issue in the show, where many characters exist primarily to push the plot forward, with little in the way of genuine depth or intrigue. Other key players include Dame Harriet Walter as Joni’s mother, Pattie, and Celia Pacquola as Ruth Darling, whose daughter Frankie is the latest to go missing. The cast performs admirably, but there’s only so much they can do with characters who feel like mere pieces on a chessboard.
The show also introduces a subplot involving the local community’s opposition to newly constructed wind turbines, which some believe are causing health issues and disrupting bird migration. This environmental conflict, while interesting, is an all-too-familiar plot device in recent Australian drama, seen in shows like Last Days of the Space Age and The Family Next Door. The problem with this background narrative is that it never fully intersects with the main mystery, leing it feeling tacked on and underdeveloped.
Atmospherically, Playing Gracie Darling is expertly crafted, with director Jonathan Brough (known for Bay of Fires and Rosehen) bringing a steady hand to the proceedings. The show is visually engaging, with strong attention to mood and setting, particularly in the sequences involving the shack and the occult rituals. However, this visual competence is not enough to overcome the shortcomings of the script. The show’s attempt to explore deep themes of unresolved trauma and personal guilt feels forced and underexplored.
Ultimately, Playing Gracie Darling is a show that hits all the right notes in terms of atmosphere and casting, but it feels fusty and antiquated in its execution. With the occult genre being so ripe for fresh interpretations, this series struggles to do anything new or interesting with its premise, leing audiences with an experience that’s more derivative than delightful. Despite some compelling performances and strong direction, it’s hard to shake the feeling that the show has missed an opportunity to cast a true spell on its viewers.
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