The Kettering Incident is an eight episode mini-series full of gothic creepiness and X-Files-y appeal available for binge watching on Amazon (it’s free with Prime!). It’s the perfect show to watch while basking in late-summer early-fall AC and knitting a bunch of Conversationalist hats by Plucky Knitter. Not that I did that (I totally did that).
This mini series originally premiered in Australia on Foxtel. It’s set in Tasmania, in the beautiful, dark, primeval Kettering Forest. The show opens with a young Anna Macy and her friend Gillian cycling through the forest, having an argument. Gillian wears a Red Riding Hood-eque coat. The girls see strange greenish lights in the woods and hear a hypnotic droning sound. Anna is terrified. Gillian runs toward the light while Anna screams after her. Fade to black.
Fifteen years later, adult Anna Macy (Elizabeth Debicki) is a hematologist living in London. She’s experiencing lost time–black outs where she wakes up with no memory of what happened or how she got where she is. She’s also having nose bleeds. Her boss/ boyfriend assumes that her lost time is due to either drinking or mental illness and it’s clear that Anna’s world is falling apart. She’s unable to manage her patients. She seems strung out. Then she has another episode, and wakes up back home, in Tasmania, Qantas ticket in hand.
The people of Anna’s hometown don’t seem pleased to see her. There are two theories circulating about Gillian’s disappearance fifteen years ago: 1. aliens or 2. Anna killed her. Anna’s dad was chief of police and she was found covered in blood, so people suspect a cover up. Then there’s a lot of tension (sometimes escalating to violence) between the “Greenie”/ environmentalists and the local logging industry which employs most of the town.
The only person who does seem excited to meet Anna is Chloe, a local teen with dreams of getting the hell out of Kettering. Chloe is a bit of a lost soul. She’s involved in the local drug trade. She’s also an excellent knitter. And I’ll be honest – knitting may be the more expensive vice.
Anna goes with Chloe to a bonfire/ ecstasy party in the forest and the next day Chloe disappears. Again, suspicion is back on Anna.
As the miniseries progresses so does the creepiness factor: dead birds falling out of sky. Moths appearing everywhere. Radios going wacky with static and mysterious distress calls. There are tiny little snippets of eeriness that you catch of the corner of your eye. I kept pausing and rewinding to get a better look.
The beauty of this series is trying to figure out WTF is going on here. Is it supernatural? Environmental? A mass hallucination? Chupacabra–that goat sucking bastard? Where are Gillian and Chloe? Why can’t Anna remember anything? Why haven’t Mulder and Scully shown up?
I watched this show with my husband and we had a lot of fun coming up with theories as to what the hell was happening.
I would classify this show as creepy, not scary. It’s never overtly violent or gory. It doesn’t make you jump. The atmosphere is dark and cold and suspicious, and the town is full of people who look menacingly at one another. It’s spooky, but it’s not horror.
The only thing I didn’t like was that there wasn’t really anyone to root for. None of the characters are extremely likeable, not even Anna, who often comes across as cold and aloof. Everyone speaks with double-meaning and you get the impression that none of the characters are trustworthy. That said, the mystery is so engaging, that it pulled me through even when the characters didn’t.
Now, you don’t get full closure at the end of the series. I’ve heard that The Kettering Incident is likely to be renewed which is good because I need answers dammit.
The Kettering Incident is wonderfully creepy and will keep you guessing. It’s eight episodes of pure gothic delight. Queue it up, grab your knitting and a cold beverage. We’ve got a mystery to solve, folks.
That sounds fantastic! Adding that show – and the Conversationalist hat pattern – to my queue!
Thanks for the recommendation! I discovered Elizabeth Debicki through “The Night Manager” (awesome BBC/AMC miniseries) and have been wanting to see more of her work.
Oh this sounds good. I love Australian tv and like Jane — I really liked Elizabeth Debicki in “The Night Manager” so I can’t wait to give this a try.
I have 3 days off this weekend and was looking for something to knit too – this sounds perfect, thank you!
I’m too sick to leave the house but not sick enough to just sleep all day, so I’m in for some tv knitting. Thanks for the recommendation of both show and pattern!
This has been sitting on my Amazon Prime recs for a week or so. Thanks for the prod I needed to pull the trigger and watch!
My Nan grew up in Kettering, back in the days when the only access to Hobart was via boat up the coast, she said it was a damned creepy place, and my Nan knew creepy, she used to live in the Superintendents cottage of the old Female Factory (woman’s convict prison) there were rumours of ghosts of convicts who tried to escape, old hermits and just plain old people who didn’t like outsiders. I suspect she would have loved this.
I used to live near Kettering a few years back and there wasn’t anything creepy about the town! It’s just the jumping off point for the ferry to Bruny Island, or the Bruny Island tours where you can spot whales, dolphins and seals. Tassie deserves the fame, it’s a great place.
I have just finished watching and was so baffled I googled to see if everyone was just as confused as me. WTF was the first thing that came out of my mouth. There better be another series as there is no closure. Argh!!!
OMG I’m so glad you are all posting about this. I watched it, and like Andy, the ending left me thinking WTF??? It was really intriguing and you can’t stop watching, and I’m thrilled that they’re planning a season two because all those loose threads are driving me crazy!
[…] Stuff You Should Be Watching via Smart Bitches, Trashy Books […]
Update: Binge watched/knitted yesterday and today. And I did not see HALF of what happened in the last episode coming AT ALL. I do however have 3 inches started on a dress for my neighbor’s grand-daughter, to go with all the unanswered questions 🙂
P.S. was anyone else thinking, from the 2nd episode, “Damn, ‘Lize’ is a very apt name from this girl. Why are you believing the things she is saying?!?!? AGGGHHHHH,” or was it just me?