It was one of Australia’s shining dramas last year and Stan is back for a second bite of Bloom, but is it worth your Easter weekend?
When we left the town of Mullan, Ray (Bryan Brown) made the choice to give Gwen (Jackie Weaver) another berry. When we pick up three months later, it’s clear Gwen has survived. Returning to her younger self (Phoebe Tonkin), what does this mean for her relationship with Ray?
With Ray and Gwen’s house now strangely empty, we meet Anne (Jacqueline McKenzie), who arrives in Mullan with her apologetic thirteen-year-old daughter Eva (Ingrid Torelli), and troubled “teen” Luke (Ed Oxenbould) for a ‘tree-change’. In remission from breast cancer, Anne tells Eva that Luke is the son of a friend and that he’ll only be staying with them for a short time. But this is all just a cover story and it soon becomes clear that Anne’s motives are a lot more personal than they appear.
Also arriving is John Melvin (Toby Schmitz), the troubled new priest who is trying hard to rally faith in the town. Escaping his own demons, he councils Shane (Thomas Ersatz) who opens up about the events that occurred to him during the first season.
As the premiere progresses, we also check in on some of our other favourites from last year, including local cop Rhonda (Genevieve Morris) who runs into a mysterious individual Ben (Christiaan van Vuuren); widow Loris (Anne Charleston) who is grieving the loss of Herb, and the arrival of her granddaughter Isabella (Lucy Barrett) and boyfriend Skeeter (Scott Lee) only complicate matters.
Just what happens when a second berry plant appears, and what affects does it have on a person?
Having watched the first two episodes for this review, the second season premiere, penned by creator Glen Dolman, expands the world of Bloom with a bunch of new characters alongside old favourites that will grip your form the get-go as we are asked if we really want to live forever.
The casting is once again sublime, with Bryan, Phoebe and Jackie reprising their roles. The new additions of Ed, Scott, Jacqueline and Toby, just to name a few, all give gripping performances, and I’m curious to see how their story arcs unfold over the course of the season.
Rich storytelling and a cast full of names makes Bloom the sweetest treat you will get this Easter. It’s definitely worth bingeing while you enjoy your Easter eggs!
5 Stars
Bloom season 2 drops on Stan on Thursday, April 9.
