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Top of the Lake

 Top of the Lake
type
TVTItem
 Top of the Lake
label
Top of the Lake
 Top of the Lake
page
TopOfTheLake
 Top of the Lake
comment
Top of the Lake was a 2013 mystery television series. It was a coproduction between the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and America.Lake Top, a small remote town in New Zealand, is shaken up when twelve-year-old Tui Mitcham is found to be pregnant and then disappears. Robin Griffin, a big-city female police officer who grew up in the town and has returned to look after her cancer-stricken mother, is persuaded to investigate. As well as New Zealander male machismo, she runs into a conspiracy of silence and obstruction, which seems to center around Tui's father Matt, who happens to be the local gangster and has the cops in his pocket. Matters are also complicated by the arrival of an eccentric feminist women's commune led by weirdo therapist GJ, and old wounds related to Robin's own gang-rape after a high school prom years before.A Twin Peaks-like thriller series directed by Jane Campion, and starring, among others Elisabeth Moss, Holly Hunter, and Lucy Lawless.In 2017 a second season, subtitled Top of the Lake: China Girl, was released. This season has Robin, still suffering the emotional wounds of the Lake Top case, working for the Sydney police force and investigating the death of a woman whose body washed up on Bondi Beach inside a suitcase, while attempting to build a relationship with the teenage daughter she gave up as a baby for adoption.
 Top of the Lake
fetched
2023-05-18T13:28:47Z
 Top of the Lake
parsed
2023-05-18T13:28:47Z
 Top of the Lake
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Top of the Lake / int_1439161f
type
Heroic BSoD
 Top of the Lake / int_1439161f
comment
Heroic BSoD: Robin gets one when Matt tells her that she's his daughter.
 Top of the Lake / int_1439161f
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 Top of the Lake / int_1439161f
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Top of the Lake / int_1439161f
 Top of the Lake / int_166e33f3
type
Little Miss Badass
 Top of the Lake / int_166e33f3
comment
Little Miss Badass: Downplayed with Tui, but still very much there; she manages to live four to five months in the woods almost all by herself, only getting help in the form of food from some friends. She somehow manages to give birth to Noah all by herself, too, and then kills Matt for pointing a gun at him.
 Top of the Lake / int_166e33f3
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Top of the Lake / int_166e33f3
 Top of the Lake / int_1b4e322c
type
Mr. Fanservice
 Top of the Lake / int_1b4e322c
comment
Mr. Fanservice: Johnno holds his own with Robin.
 Top of the Lake / int_1b4e322c
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Top of the Lake / int_1b4e322c
 Top of the Lake / int_21d70919
type
Crapsack World
 Top of the Lake / int_21d70919
comment
Crapsack World: Small rural New Zealand town where a paedophile ring is being operated, the police are corrupt, and abuse towards women is rampant.
 Top of the Lake / int_21d70919
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Top of the Lake / int_21d70919
 Top of the Lake / int_222dc873
type
Black Comedy
 Top of the Lake / int_222dc873
comment
Also in Season 2, the scene in which Al tries to murder Robin starts off deadly serious but then unexpectedly veers into Black Comedy as Robin starts fighting back, the room accidentally catches fire, and the focus shifts to the stunned security staff belatedly noticing what's happening.
 Top of the Lake / int_222dc873
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Top of the Lake / int_222dc873
 Top of the Lake / int_22a59b45
type
Self-Harm
 Top of the Lake / int_22a59b45
comment
Self-Harm: Matt has a habit of whipping himself with a belt at his mother's grave.
 Top of the Lake / int_22a59b45
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Top of the Lake / int_22a59b45
 Top of the Lake / int_22cf536c
type
Chekhov's Gun
 Top of the Lake / int_22cf536c
comment
Chekhov's Gun: Al's barista scheme for disadvantaged local children gets far too much attention to be irrelevant to the plot. It turns out it's actually a cover for him pimping out the children to businessmen, and it's implied one of these people was the father of Tui's baby.
 Top of the Lake / int_22cf536c
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Top of the Lake / int_22cf536c
 Top of the Lake / int_23a06c52
type
TheUnReveal
 Top of the Lake / int_23a06c52
comment
The Un-Reveal: The father of Tui's baby. Al says it's Matt, but by the end of the last episode it's pretty obvious we can't believe a damn word he's said.
 Top of the Lake / int_23a06c52
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Top of the Lake / int_23a06c52
 Top of the Lake / int_24321e44
type
Only Sane Man
 Top of the Lake / int_24321e44
comment
Only Sane Man: Al seems to be the only competent or level-headed cop in a Bad Cop/Incompetent Cop station. This starts to slip when Robin finds out that he's been covering up investigations. Turns out he's the biggest villain in the entire force.
 Top of the Lake / int_24321e44
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Top of the Lake / int_24321e44
 Top of the Lake / int_2493b31d
type
Fire-Forged Friends
 Top of the Lake / int_2493b31d
comment
Fire-Forged Friends: Robin and Miranda, after a lot of awkwardness and bickering.
 Top of the Lake / int_2493b31d
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Top of the Lake / int_2493b31d
 Top of the Lake / int_272abb98
type
Shoot the Shaggy Dog
 Top of the Lake / int_272abb98
comment
Shoot the Shaggy Dog: In the second series it turns out that both suspicious deaths were probably suicide, Puss runs off to Thailand with all the pregnant women, apparently having planned to do so from the start and keep the money, and the cops are left with only a couple of small fry to deal with.
 Top of the Lake / int_272abb98
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Top of the Lake / int_272abb98
 Top of the Lake / int_32768814
type
Kick the Son of a Bitch
 Top of the Lake / int_32768814
comment
Kick The Son Of A Bitch: To some, Matt's sons finally standing up to their abusive father. Though it turns out that Matt isn't the worst character on the show by far, and by the end of the final episode, it's clear that his unintentional drowning of child rapist Bob Platt was this. Johnno kicking Sarge out of town. A woman even applauds him as he's doing it.
 Top of the Lake / int_32768814
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Top of the Lake / int_32768814
 Top of the Lake / int_355bc288
type
Lingerie Scene
 Top of the Lake / int_355bc288
comment
Lingerie Scene: Some of the scenes with middle-aged people in their underwear (in a non-sexual context) can be considered a deconstruction of this trope: they just look cold and underdressed. The scenes with the sex workers in Season 2 have a similar effect.
 Top of the Lake / int_355bc288
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Top of the Lake / int_355bc288
 Top of the Lake / int_35b241c0
type
Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping
 Top of the Lake / int_35b241c0
comment
Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: While Elisabeth Moss made out generally (and, to some, surprisingly) well with a character whose background called for a hybrid Australian/New Zealand accent, there are nevertheless scenes in which she can just barely conceal her native American accent.
 Top of the Lake / int_35b241c0
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Top of the Lake / int_35b241c0
 Top of the Lake / int_36135fb0
type
Official Couple
 Top of the Lake / int_36135fb0
comment
Official Couple: Robin starts the series engaged to Steve and eventually hooks up with Johnno. Their relationship is obviously strained when Robin is revealed to be Matt's daughter, but later it's revealed that Johnno isn't related to Matt, and their relationship is basically Left Hanging by the end of the series. As of Season 2 Robin has left Johnno, after he got arrested for drug possession while in the company of another woman, on their wedding day.
 Top of the Lake / int_36135fb0
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Top of the Lake / int_36135fb0
 Top of the Lake / int_3a1c2171
type
The Man Behind the Man
 Top of the Lake / int_3a1c2171
comment
The Man Behind the Man: Al appears for most of the story to be a corrupt cop who's acting as Matt's minion, but the final revelations suggest that it may have been the other way round all along.
 Top of the Lake / int_3a1c2171
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Top of the Lake / int_3a1c2171
 Top of the Lake / int_40b1c664
type
The Patriarch
 Top of the Lake / int_40b1c664
comment
The Patriarch: Matt
 Top of the Lake / int_40b1c664
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Top of the Lake / int_40b1c664
 Top of the Lake / int_40cc0c7e
type
Bittersweet Ending
 Top of the Lake / int_40cc0c7e
comment
Bittersweet Ending: Both seasons. Season 1 ends with Tui and her baby safe and the pedophile ring exposed, but Tui loses Jamie and has to kill her own father, while Robin has to cope with the possibility that Ray may have raped her while she was passed out at his house. Season 2 ends with Mary out from under Puss's thumb and reconciled with her adoptive parents, but Puss got away with his scheme, Miranda is severely wounded and may never see her baby, and it's strongly hinted that Robin and Julia are going to continue waging Passive-Aggressive Kombat over Mary and Pyke.
 Top of the Lake / int_40cc0c7e
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Top of the Lake / int_40cc0c7e
 Top of the Lake / int_4548bae
type
Teen Pregnancy
 Top of the Lake / int_4548bae
comment
Teen Pregnancy: Tui. Deconstructed in that she has a regular 12-year-old's opinion to children; she's disinterested and even disgusted in the ultrasound, and when Noah's born, she'd rather play with her friends and doesn't understand why he's crying, wishing that he'd shut up.
 Top of the Lake / int_4548bae
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Top of the Lake / int_4548bae
 Top of the Lake / int_4583a262
type
Shirtless Scene
 Top of the Lake / int_4583a262
comment
Shirtless Scene: Johnno gets a lot of these.
 Top of the Lake / int_4583a262
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Top of the Lake / int_4583a262
 Top of the Lake / int_49d59be9
type
Scenery Porn
 Top of the Lake / int_49d59be9
comment
Scenery Porn: Used as a constant counterpoint to the grubby and depraved events.
 Top of the Lake / int_49d59be9
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Top of the Lake / int_49d59be9
 Top of the Lake / int_4e7c4536
type
Wham Line
 Top of the Lake / int_4e7c4536
comment
Wham Line: "Your father's not dead. Followed by a Wham Shot where Matt shows Robin a video of her father. It's him.
 Top of the Lake / int_4e7c4536
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Top of the Lake / int_4e7c4536
 Top of the Lake / int_524f94d3
type
Rape as Backstory
 Top of the Lake / int_524f94d3
comment
Rape as Backstory: Robin was a victim of a gang rape, leading her to think that Tui's "no one" means that she wasn't raped by one man, but multiple men. Al points out that her history is coloring her judgement. Turns out that he's the head of a sex ring where wealthy businessmen drug and rape kids, so Robin is right for the wrong reasons: Tui genuinely doesn't know she was raped, and Al is deliberately misleading her.
 Top of the Lake / int_524f94d3
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Top of the Lake / int_524f94d3
 Top of the Lake / int_5bca5a56
type
Surprise Incest
 Top of the Lake / int_5bca5a56
comment
Surprise Incest: Robin and Johnno, seeing as Robin is Matt's daughter. It's subverted later, though, with the reveal that Johnno isn't actually Matt's son.
 Top of the Lake / int_5bca5a56
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Top of the Lake / int_5bca5a56
 Top of the Lake / int_606244c2
type
Parental Incest
 Top of the Lake / int_606244c2
comment
Parental Incest: Robin suspects this occurred between Matt and Tui.
 Top of the Lake / int_606244c2
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Top of the Lake / int_606244c2
 Top of the Lake / int_6439de78
type
Heroic Sacrifice
 Top of the Lake / int_6439de78
comment
Heroic Sacrifice: Jamie impersonates Tui when Matt's bikers hunt for her and ends up getting chased over a cliff to his death.
 Top of the Lake / int_6439de78
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 Top of the Lake / int_6439de78
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Top of the Lake / int_6439de78
 Top of the Lake / int_648fe274
type
But for Me, It Was Tuesday
 Top of the Lake / int_648fe274
comment
But for Me, It Was Tuesday: What really sets Robin off when Sarge hits on her in the bar is that he either doesn't recognize her as the woman he raped or has forgotten about the incident altogether.
 Top of the Lake / int_648fe274
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Top of the Lake / int_648fe274
 Top of the Lake / int_67792344
type
Grievous Bottley Harm
 Top of the Lake / int_67792344
comment
Grievous Bottley Harm: Not a good idea to hit on a woman you once raped, even if it was several years ago.
 Top of the Lake / int_67792344
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 Top of the Lake / int_67792344
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Top of the Lake / int_67792344
 Top of the Lake / int_6ba906f
type
Berserker Tears
 Top of the Lake / int_6ba906f
comment
Berserker Tears: Tui after Jamie's death
 Top of the Lake / int_6ba906f
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Top of the Lake / int_6ba906f
 Top of the Lake / int_6bf93fc7
type
FanService
 Top of the Lake / int_6bf93fc7
comment
Fanservice: Robin has quite a few lingerie and nude scenes. On the flipside, Johnno is basically a walking fanservice machine. Pyke in Season 2 is less of a Hunk and mostly keeps his clothes on, but one scene quite blatantly showcases his none-too-shabby naked behind.
 Top of the Lake / int_6bf93fc7
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Top of the Lake / int_6bf93fc7
 Top of the Lake / int_6d332aea
type
Driven to Suicide
 Top of the Lake / int_6d332aea
comment
Driven to Suicide: Wolfgang, after he's accused of kidnapping Tui. It's implied, but never confirmed, that he may have been murdered instead, though. Jamie's death could be seen this way as well. Tui going out to the lake in the beginning is implied to be her trying to commit suicide, though Matt asks if she was trying to kill the baby instead. The young April Stevens apparently walks in front of a car. It might have been a murder covered up by Al in order to hide the sex ring, or she might have really committed suicide, knowing what happened to her.
 Top of the Lake / int_6d332aea
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Top of the Lake / int_6d332aea
 Top of the Lake / int_71329e49
type
Turn in Your Badge
 Top of the Lake / int_71329e49
comment
Turn in Your Badge: Robin, temporarily, after she stabs one of her rapists with a broken bottle.
 Top of the Lake / int_71329e49
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Top of the Lake / int_71329e49
 Top of the Lake / int_7332c94f
type
Suicide by Sea
 Top of the Lake / int_7332c94f
comment
Suicide by Sea: The series begins with Tui being rescued from an attempt to drown herself in the lake.
 Top of the Lake / int_7332c94f
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 Top of the Lake / int_7332c94f
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Top of the Lake / int_7332c94f
 Top of the Lake / int_767f84ea
type
Does Not Like Men
 Top of the Lake / int_767f84ea
comment
Does Not Like Men: Averted with the women's commune; it might seem as though they've gotten their own place in order to get away from the men in their lives, but they're not antagonistic towards the men who arrive and treat the handsome Johnno very warmly.
 Top of the Lake / int_767f84ea
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Top of the Lake / int_767f84ea
 Top of the Lake / int_7870735b
type
From Bad to Worse
 Top of the Lake / int_7870735b
comment
From Bad to Worse: The finale. Matt is killed by Tui. Tui is brought to the commune with her baby, but goes missing along with some friends. Robin goes over to Al's house and finds the pedophile ring that's been alluded to for the last few episodes.
 Top of the Lake / int_7870735b
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Top of the Lake / int_7870735b
 Top of the Lake / int_7b454a57
type
White Sheep
 Top of the Lake / int_7b454a57
comment
White Sheep: Johnno Mitcham. He's a recovering drug addict while his father and brothers are dealers and he doesn't seem to have their He-Man Woman Hater streak. Which could foreshadow the revelation that he's not really Matt's son.
 Top of the Lake / int_7b454a57
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Top of the Lake / int_7b454a57
 Top of the Lake / int_7c0bfb83
type
Obviously Evil
 Top of the Lake / int_7c0bfb83
comment
Obviously Evil: Matt is set up to be this way; Tui even points a gun at him in the first episode. He's a bastard, sure, but he's not the Big Bad.
 Top of the Lake / int_7c0bfb83
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 Top of the Lake / int_7c0bfb83
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Top of the Lake / int_7c0bfb83
 Top of the Lake / int_7d3f1d63
type
The Ending Changes Everything
 Top of the Lake / int_7d3f1d63
comment
The Ending Changes Everything: Al is the leader of a paedophile ring, and almost certainly lied about Tui's baby's parentage. Also, Matt is Robin's father but not Johnno's.
 Top of the Lake / int_7d3f1d63
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Top of the Lake / int_7d3f1d63
 Top of the Lake / int_80b5924
type
Left Hanging
 Top of the Lake / int_80b5924
comment
Left Hanging: By the end of the final episode, no one knows the real father of Tui's baby, though he's probably some middle-aged businessman participating in the sex ring. Al's fate is uncertain, and Robin and Johnno's relationship is as well. The possibility of Wolfgang Zanic being murdered isn't touched upon, and we can never be really sure if April Stevens was murdered or if she really did commit suicide.
 Top of the Lake / int_80b5924
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Top of the Lake / int_80b5924
 Top of the Lake / int_8387bb18
type
Good Girls Avoid Abortion
 Top of the Lake / int_8387bb18
comment
Good Girls Avoid Abortion: Deconstructed with Robin, who only kept the child conceived by her gang-rape because her devoutly Catholic mother forbid her to abort.
 Top of the Lake / int_8387bb18
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Top of the Lake / int_8387bb18
 Top of the Lake / int_8c23b321
type
Harmless Villain
 Top of the Lake / int_8c23b321
comment
Harmless Villain: Mark and Luke Mitcham are loud and sexist and set up to be bigger bads, but the most they ever do is get high and make drugs. Not to mention that they genuinely seem bothered when they mention that they've seen Matt in Tui's bed, and in the last episode they beat up on Matt, blaming him for them growing up so badly.
 Top of the Lake / int_8c23b321
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Top of the Lake / int_8c23b321
 Top of the Lake / int_8c52888c
type
What a Drag
 Top of the Lake / int_8c52888c
comment
What a Drag: Matt and his two younger sons dragged Bob Platt to his death behind a boat after he sold the land Matt's mother was buried on to the feminist commune.
 Top of the Lake / int_8c52888c
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 Top of the Lake / int_8c52888c
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Top of the Lake / int_8c52888c
 Top of the Lake / int_8ec0abf
type
The Voiceless
 Top of the Lake / int_8ec0abf
comment
The Voiceless: Jamie mostly refuses to speak and communicates with "yes" and "no" written on his hands.
 Top of the Lake / int_8ec0abf
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Top of the Lake / int_8ec0abf
 Top of the Lake / int_8ed5c6e4
type
Asshole Victim
 Top of the Lake / int_8ed5c6e4
comment
Asshole Victim: Unrepentant gang-rape participant Sarge is a non-fatal example. Bob Platt's death is pretty shocking, considering he's killed off at the beginning of the first episode, but in-universe, it's noted that no one really cared about him, save for his wife. He retroactively becomes this once it's revealed he participated in the sex ring.
 Top of the Lake / int_8ed5c6e4
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Top of the Lake / int_8ed5c6e4
 Top of the Lake / int_8f7f2c6a
type
National Stereotypes
 Top of the Lake / int_8f7f2c6a
comment
National Stereotypes: The sheepshagger does nothing to dispel a common slur levelled against all New Zealanders.
 Top of the Lake / int_8f7f2c6a
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 Top of the Lake / int_8f7f2c6a
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Top of the Lake / int_8f7f2c6a
 Top of the Lake / int_93399c3c
type
Patricide
 Top of the Lake / int_93399c3c
comment
Patricide: Tui shoots Matt dead believing that he's about to kill her son.
 Top of the Lake / int_93399c3c
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Top of the Lake / int_93399c3c
 Top of the Lake / int_96a33f11
type
Riddle for the Ages
 Top of the Lake / int_96a33f11
comment
Riddle for the Ages: It's never entirely clear whether the death of Wolfgang Zanic was murder or suicide. The show also doesn't completely resolve who the father of Tui's baby was. Tui doesn't remember who it was and while Al claims it was Matt, he almost certainly doctored the test results to cover up his paedophile ring. Did Matt know about the paedophile ring and that Tui may have been a victim of it?
 Top of the Lake / int_96a33f11
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Top of the Lake / int_96a33f11
 Top of the Lake / int_9830549e
type
He-Man Woman Hater
 Top of the Lake / int_9830549e
comment
He-Man Woman Hater: This trait is common among the residents of Laketop: Sarge is an unrepentant rapist and is still largely accepted in the town even though this is common knowledge. Matt, Mark and Luke Mitcham openly look down on the women in Paradise, at different times calling them "lezzers" and "unfuckable". There are also the men in the pub who question Robin to see if she's a feminist, before declaring "no one likes a feminist except a lesbian". One of these men is also the sheepshagging man mentioned elsewhere on the page.
 Top of the Lake / int_9830549e
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Top of the Lake / int_9830549e
 Top of the Lake / int_9d12bbc1
type
Foreshadowing
 Top of the Lake / int_9d12bbc1
comment
Foreshadowing: In the penultimate episode, Matt tells Johnno that he's no son of his. Turns out he's not his son at all.
 Top of the Lake / int_9d12bbc1
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 Top of the Lake / int_9d12bbc1
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Top of the Lake / int_9d12bbc1
 Top of the Lake / int_a11f8240
type
Bad Cop/Incompetent Cop
 Top of the Lake / int_a11f8240
comment
Bad Cop/Incompetent Cop: The Lake Top police are corrupt, lazy, and completely unprepared to deal with a crime that demands actual investigation.
 Top of the Lake / int_a11f8240
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Top of the Lake / int_a11f8240
 Top of the Lake / int_a201dad2
type
Passive-Aggressive Kombat
 Top of the Lake / int_a201dad2
comment
Season 2 ends with Mary out from under Puss's thumb and reconciled with her adoptive parents, but Puss got away with his scheme, Miranda is severely wounded and may never see her baby, and it's strongly hinted that Robin and Julia are going to continue waging Passive-Aggressive Kombat over Mary and Pyke.
 Top of the Lake / int_a201dad2
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Top of the Lake / int_a201dad2
 Top of the Lake / int_a2492aff
type
Dogged Nice Guy
 Top of the Lake / int_a2492aff
comment
Dogged Nice Guy: Al, the local police chief, towards Robin. It's portrayed as a harmless crush at best and an annoyance at worst. And then it's downright terrifying when the last episode comes into play.
 Top of the Lake / int_a2492aff
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Top of the Lake / int_a2492aff
 Top of the Lake / int_a4c37cbe
type
Mood Whiplash
 Top of the Lake / int_a4c37cbe
comment
Mood Whiplash: Because of the show's mix of quirky characters and deeply disturbing subject matter, this happens quite a lot. Matt takes ecstasy with a woman from the commune. The two get half-naked together and have a good time in the wilderness, and it seems as though Matt's having a serious Pet the Dog moment... And then he takes her to his mother's grave, she stands on it, and then he starts whipping himself with a belt. It goes downhill from there. A birthday party hosted by Tui's friends is lighthearted and fun; They're caught by Matt's men and Jamie dies shortly after. In Season 2, Miranda Hilmarson's Cloudcuckoolander behavior often goes from funny to creepy to sad and back again in the space of a single scene. Also in Season 2, the scene in which Al tries to murder Robin starts off deadly serious but then unexpectedly veers into Black Comedy as Robin starts fighting back, the room accidentally catches fire, and the focus shifts to the stunned security staff belatedly noticing what's happening.
 Top of the Lake / int_a4c37cbe
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Top of the Lake / int_a4c37cbe
 Top of the Lake / int_a70223
type
Karma Houdini
 Top of the Lake / int_a70223
comment
Karma Houdini: The second season reveals that Al got off in exchange for testifying against the other members of the paedophile ring he ran, although he was paralysed when Robin shot him. Also in the second season, Puss gets off scot-free for his vile abuse of Mary and general arseholishness.
 Top of the Lake / int_a70223
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Top of the Lake / int_a70223
 Top of the Lake / int_a7aef9ff
type
Obfuscating Stupidity
 Top of the Lake / int_a7aef9ff
comment
Obfuscating Stupidity: Matt likes to act like a permastoned old hippie, although few people buy it.
 Top of the Lake / int_a7aef9ff
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 Top of the Lake / int_a7aef9ff
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Top of the Lake / int_a7aef9ff
 Top of the Lake / int_ba44639
type
Killed Offscreen
 Top of the Lake / int_ba44639
comment
Killed Offscreen: Robin's mother dies between two episodes.
 Top of the Lake / int_ba44639
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 Top of the Lake / int_ba44639
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Top of the Lake / int_ba44639
 Top of the Lake / int_bdc453a0
type
Incest Subtext
 Top of the Lake / int_bdc453a0
comment
Incest Subtext: Who is the father of Tui's baby? Suspicion falls on her father and brothers. Hints are also been dropped that Robin might actually be Matt's daughter, which would make her relationship with Johnno Surprise Incest (subverted when it is revealed that Johnno is not Matt's son)
 Top of the Lake / int_bdc453a0
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Top of the Lake / int_bdc453a0
 Top of the Lake / int_c3fbac64
type
Bestiality Is Depraved
 Top of the Lake / int_c3fbac64
comment
There are also the men in the pub who question Robin to see if she's a feminist, before declaring "no one likes a feminist except a lesbian". One of these men is also the sheepshagging man mentioned elsewhere on the page.
 Top of the Lake / int_c3fbac64
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 Top of the Lake / int_c3fbac64
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Top of the Lake / int_c3fbac64
 Top of the Lake / int_c660bc15
type
Fan Disservice
 Top of the Lake / int_c660bc15
comment
Fan Disservice: There's quite a lot of nudity but the clinical style and the fact that most of the actors aren't stereotypically hot means that it isn't particularly erotic - with some obvious exceptions. This trend continues in Season 2, where much of the nudity involves exploited sex workers and their clients.
 Top of the Lake / int_c660bc15
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 Top of the Lake / int_c660bc15
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 Top of the Lake
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Top of the Lake / int_c660bc15
 Top of the Lake / int_c75df49a
type
Shout-Out
 Top of the Lake / int_c75df49a
comment
Shout-Out: to a dark British drama, The Lakes, which was also about murky goings-on, sexual irregularity, violence and skullduggery under the surface of a remote inbred community living next to a scenic lake. It also has some character and atmosphere similarities to the first season of Forbrydelsen.
 Top of the Lake / int_c75df49a
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 Top of the Lake / int_c75df49a
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Top of the Lake / int_c75df49a
 Top of the Lake / int_c83a589c
type
Luke, I Am Your Father
 Top of the Lake / int_c83a589c
comment
Luke, I Am Your Father: Matt Mitcham had an affair with Robin's mother, and is in fact her real father.
 Top of the Lake / int_c83a589c
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 Top of the Lake / int_c83a589c
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 Top of the Lake
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Top of the Lake / int_c83a589c
 Top of the Lake / int_caa28b82
type
Cloudcuckoolander
 Top of the Lake / int_caa28b82
comment
In Season 2, Miranda Hilmarson's Cloudcuckoolander behavior often goes from funny to creepy to sad and back again in the space of a single scene.
 Top of the Lake / int_caa28b82
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 Top of the Lake / int_caa28b82
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Top of the Lake / int_caa28b82
 Top of the Lake / int_cc8b2fd
type
Ascended Fridge Horror
 Top of the Lake / int_cc8b2fd
comment
Ascended Fridge Horror: People on the YMMV page speculated that Al probably raped Robin during her blackout in the fourth episode of the first season. In the first episode of the second season, there's a line of dialogue that confirms that she thinks he did.
 Top of the Lake / int_cc8b2fd
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Top of the Lake / int_cc8b2fd
 Top of the Lake / int_d08595d3
type
Broken Bird
 Top of the Lake / int_d08595d3
comment
Broken Bird: Robin.
 Top of the Lake / int_d08595d3
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 Top of the Lake / int_d08595d3
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Top of the Lake / int_d08595d3
 Top of the Lake / int_d39e327f
type
What the Hell, Hero?
 Top of the Lake / int_d39e327f
comment
What the Hell, Hero?: A minor version, when Johnno calls Robin out on accusing him of conspiring with her rapists, after he confessed that he had the shit kicked out of him during her rape. Al, not unreasonably, calls Robin out on whenever she does something in the investigation that goes against protocol. An anti-hero (or anti-villain) version when Matt's sons are horrified to find that their father has unintentionally killed Bob Platt.
 Top of the Lake / int_d39e327f
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Top of the Lake / int_d39e327f
 Top of the Lake / int_d56c9b8d
type
Eagleland Osmosis
 Top of the Lake / int_d56c9b8d
comment
Eagleland Osmosis: Robin says that Tui is the victim of a statutory rape. This is a real offense in the US, such offense exists in New Zealand law - the correct terminology is "unlawful sexual connection". Also, Robin carries a gun, which the vast majority of New Zealand police officers do not, unlike American police officers.
 Top of the Lake / int_d56c9b8d
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 Top of the Lake / int_d56c9b8d
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Top of the Lake / int_d56c9b8d
 Top of the Lake / int_d9cf40fa
type
Screw This, I'm Outta Here
 Top of the Lake / int_d9cf40fa
comment
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: G.J. gets fed up with the commune and leaves in the final scene of the finale, despite Tui begging her not to go.
 Top of the Lake / int_d9cf40fa
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 Top of the Lake / int_d9cf40fa
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Top of the Lake / int_d9cf40fa
 Top of the Lake / int_daee232f
type
Who's Your Daddy?
 Top of the Lake / int_daee232f
comment
Who's Your Daddy?: A big plot point is trying to figure out who the father of Tui's baby is; when Robin asks her who impregnated her, she writes down "no one." Turns out she really doesn't know; she admits that she doesn't know how it happened and it was most likely drugged at the time. Al says that Matt's the father, but that's almost certainly just him covering up for his sex ring.
 Top of the Lake / int_daee232f
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 Top of the Lake / int_daee232f
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Top of the Lake / int_daee232f
 Top of the Lake / int_dbca2c99
type
Red Herring
 Top of the Lake / int_dbca2c99
comment
Red Herring: Wolfgang Zanic. He's a convicted paedophile, but he's not guilty of kidnapping Tui. It's briefly implied that Matt may be keeping Tui in a secret room under his shower. This is not the case - the secret room is actually Matt's drug lab. Jamie; he was teased in the first episode, he's a close friend of Tui's, they ran around the woods together, and Jamie had roofies in his possession when he was arrested. He's actually gay and therefore couldn't have impregnated Tui. The roofies are the same ones from the sex ring, implying that he was raped, too.
 Top of the Lake / int_dbca2c99
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 Top of the Lake / int_dbca2c99
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Top of the Lake / int_dbca2c99
 Top of the Lake / int_dcbe8a6e
type
Chekhov's Gunman
 Top of the Lake / int_dcbe8a6e
comment
Chekhov's Gunman: Tui's friend Jamie is mentioned briefly in the first episode and turns out to have a large role in the plot later, as he's the one helping Tui survive out in the bush. Bob Platt dies in the first episode but posthumously proves quite important. It's evidence on his computer that first alerts Robin to the existence of the paedophile ring.
 Top of the Lake / int_dcbe8a6e
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Top of the Lake / int_dcbe8a6e
 Top of the Lake / int_dde43ab
type
Tattooed Crook
 Top of the Lake / int_dde43ab
comment
Tattooed Crook: Matt's sons have some striking ones.
 Top of the Lake / int_dde43ab
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 Top of the Lake / int_dde43ab
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Top of the Lake / int_dde43ab
 Top of the Lake / int_e154ff08
type
Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique
 Top of the Lake / int_e154ff08
comment
Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Attempted unsuccessfully by Al on Jamie.
 Top of the Lake / int_e154ff08
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 Top of the Lake / int_e154ff08
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Top of the Lake / int_e154ff08
 Top of the Lake / int_e502e268
type
Family Theme Naming
 Top of the Lake / int_e502e268
comment
Family Theme Naming: The male Mitchams are named Matt (presumably short for Matthew), Mark, Luke, and Johnno (presumably long for John).
 Top of the Lake / int_e502e268
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 Top of the Lake / int_e502e268
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Top of the Lake / int_e502e268
 Top of the Lake / int_e5fd8bc2
type
Hate Sink
 Top of the Lake / int_e5fd8bc2
comment
Hate Sink: Puss actually isn't responsible for Cinnamon's death, but he's such an arrogant Troll and his treatment of Mary is so despicable that he comes off as the most villainous character introduced in the second season.
 Top of the Lake / int_e5fd8bc2
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 Top of the Lake / int_e5fd8bc2
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Top of the Lake / int_e5fd8bc2
 Top of the Lake / int_e6132e31
type
Old Flame
 Top of the Lake / int_e6132e31
comment
Old Flame: Robin and Johnno.
 Top of the Lake / int_e6132e31
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 Top of the Lake / int_e6132e31
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Top of the Lake / int_e6132e31
 Top of the Lake / int_e78119cb
type
Girls with Guns
 Top of the Lake / int_e78119cb
comment
Girls with Guns: Tui.
 Top of the Lake / int_e78119cb
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 Top of the Lake / int_e78119cb
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Top of the Lake / int_e78119cb
 Top of the Lake / int_e8e56799
type
Blue-and-Orange Morality
 Top of the Lake / int_e8e56799
comment
Blue-and-Orange Morality: Matt, G.J., and Puss.
 Top of the Lake / int_e8e56799
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 Top of the Lake / int_e8e56799
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Top of the Lake / int_e8e56799
 Top of the Lake / int_eb251937
type
Dirty Cop
 Top of the Lake / int_eb251937
comment
Dirty Cop: Al seems like a nice guy but he's far closer to Matt Mitcham and his drug operation than a policeman should be. And it turns out this is only the tip of the iceberg - he's also running a paedophile ring disguised as a work experience programme.
 Top of the Lake / int_eb251937
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 Top of the Lake / int_eb251937
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Top of the Lake / int_eb251937
 Top of the Lake / int_eb857152
type
Quirky Town
 Top of the Lake / int_eb857152
comment
Quirky Town: A peculiar subversion of the trope: practically all the characters constantly cross the line between "amusingly quirky" and "scarily dysfunctional".
 Top of the Lake / int_eb857152
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 Top of the Lake / int_eb857152
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Top of the Lake / int_eb857152
 Top of the Lake / int_efbd4c52
type
All Bikers are Hells Angels
 Top of the Lake / int_efbd4c52
comment
All Bikers Are Hell's Angels: Matt is in a meth racket with a local biker gang and tends to recruit them as muscle when required.
 Top of the Lake / int_efbd4c52
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 Top of the Lake / int_efbd4c52
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Top of the Lake / int_efbd4c52
 Top of the Lake / int_f081b6bc
type
EmoTeen
 Top of the Lake / int_f081b6bc
comment
Emo Teen: Tui's same-aged male friend Jamie.
 Top of the Lake / int_f081b6bc
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 Top of the Lake / int_f081b6bc
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Top of the Lake / int_f081b6bc
 Top of the Lake / int_f8e7ac96
type
Overlord Jr.
 Top of the Lake / int_f8e7ac96
comment
Overlord Jr.: Matt's two younger sons. Pity that, unlike their father, they're about as intelligent as the sheep.
 Top of the Lake / int_f8e7ac96
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 Top of the Lake / int_f8e7ac96
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Top of the Lake / int_f8e7ac96
 Top of the Lake / int_fb3576b2
type
The Dog Bites Back
 Top of the Lake / int_fb3576b2
comment
The Dog Bites Back: After bullying and threatening them, Matt's attacked by his two sons, who blame him for their problems (which probably isn't too far off the mark).
 Top of the Lake / int_fb3576b2
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 Top of the Lake / int_fb3576b2
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Top of the Lake / int_fb3576b2
 Top of the Lake / int_fced5df7
type
Disposable Fiancé
 Top of the Lake / int_fced5df7
comment
Disposable Fiancé: Steve.
 Top of the Lake / int_fced5df7
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 Top of the Lake / int_fced5df7
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Top of the Lake / int_fced5df7
 Top of the Lake / int_ff7f34c5
type
Pet the Dog
 Top of the Lake / int_ff7f34c5
comment
Pet the Dog / Kick the Dog: Matt has a brief sexual relationship with one of the commune women, which appears to be humanizing him, but ends up exploding at her after she disrespects his mother's grave and nearly drives his car over her.
 Top of the Lake / int_ff7f34c5
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 Top of the Lake / int_name
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ItemName
 Top of the Lake / int_name
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 Top of the Lake / int_name
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Top of the Lake

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Top of the Lake
hasFeature
Bad Cop/Incompetent Cop / int_9dc4ec9b
 Top of the Lake
hasFeature
Corrupt Hick / int_9dc4ec9b
 Top of the Lake
hasFeature
Lingerie Scene / int_9dc4ec9b
 Top of the Lake
hasFeature
New Zealand Media / int_9dc4ec9b
 Top of the Lake
hasFeature
Rural Gangsters / int_9dc4ec9b
 Top of the Lake
hasFeature
Second Season Downfall / int_9dc4ec9b
 Top of the Lake
hasFeature
Small-Town Tyrant / int_9dc4ec9b
 Top of the Lake
hasFeature
Suicide by Sea / int_9dc4ec9b
 Top of the Lake
hasFeature
What a Drag / int_9dc4ec9b
 Top of the Lake
hasFeature
You Wouldn't Shoot Me / int_9dc4ec9b