Reef Break Season 1 Episode 3 Recap & Review

Chasing The Gold Bar

Reef Break returns this week with another stand-alone case, this time revolving around a mysterious gold bar. We begin with two kids deep in the heart of the sticky jungle who stumble upon a solid gold bar. They hurry back to the shore and show Petra who they believe can help sell it. She in turn leads them to a seller called Frank who confirms the validity of the gold. However, before they can complete the sale Frank’s shot in the chest and the kids scramble to escape the masked thugs, presumably after the precious gold.

The three kids then relay what’s happened to Kat who promises to look into the case further, but not before visiting Tom in prison. He tells her Jasper needs help; a supposedly sweet kid pushed into the world of crime by his Uncle. After some gentle persuasion, she agrees to help and heads back to the police station, asking Ana for a transfer.

This leads Kat to Jay’s where they have a discussion regarding their divorce papers. On her way home, Kat is ambushed by a gunman on a motorbike, leading to her careering off the road and straight into the sea. She hides underwater while the gunman sprays a barrage of bullets wildly in her direction, hurrying away at the sound of police sirens approaching.

Kat talks to Jay again the next day about an old case regarding a man named Sonny. He agrees to follow along, despite his initial annoyance at his car being stuck at the impound for water damage. It appears as though they’ve found the culprit too, acting as a pastor. Jay believes hes the one responsible for the shooting but after studying his behaviour Kat isn’t so sure, reminding him that people can change including herself.

Wyatt meanwhile looks into the case too and finds numerous tracks heading into the nearby national park. Wyatt and Jake then team up and head into the jungle together to save the kids who find themselves tied up at the hands of the real criminals. Kat and Sonny team up too and head in from another direction. After a tense few minutes, including some gunfire and shouting, they stop the two criminals and wrap up the case.

Back at the police station, Jay interviews Sonny and gains some closure on this old case, letting him go free and prompting Kat to thank her ex-husband for a job well done. He replies by telling her he’s waiting for the divorce papers. As day turns to night, Kat receives a call from Jasper who confirms the transfer was successful before we suddenly cut to the other prison with Tom where Kat suspects he’s up to something and promises to find out what it is.

With more of Kat’s backstory explored and a nice dynamic brewing between her and Jay, Reef Break does have some promise although the series continues to be held back by its questionable stylistic choices. Some of the editing is quite choppy and the constant barrage of music in every scene takes away some of the tension. At its worst, the vocal music tracks laid over the dialogue give the scenes a more cacophonous feel than it should. Of course, the dialogue itself continues to be chock full of exposition, masking the few well-timed quips.

Still, it’s not all bad though and if you’re looking for escapist drama this summer without having to think too hard then Reef Break’s your ticket. It’s a simple enough crime drama, with just enough characterisation to see it through. It’s not perfect, and at times the series does falter quite badly, but if you enjoyed the first two episodes, it’s a safe bet you’ll enjoy this one too.