The Killings at Parrish Station review – a whacked-out murder mystery packed with twists
Created by Ben Jenkins and directed by Daniel Nettheim, the show jumps between 1987 killings at a remote desert facility and a mirrored 2024 investigation, keeping viewers engrossed despite some familiar genre tropes.
The Guardian has published a review of Stan’s new six-episode Australian murder mystery series, The Killings at Parrish Station. Created by Ben Jenkins and directed by Daniel Nettheim, the show jumps between timelines starting with 1987 killings at a remote desert space research facility and moving to 2024. The plot involves detectives Georgia Cooke (Mia Wasikowska) and Michael Thorne (Xavier Samuel), a sole survivor, and a present-day case mirroring the original massacre.
The review describes the series as pulpy, lurid, and weird, featuring paranormal phenomena, conspiracies, and biblical symbolism. It notes the show’s momentum and kookiness keep viewers engrossed, despite some familiar genre elements and a lack of chemistry between the lead actors. Heather Mitchell is highlighted as the standout performer. The series premieres on Stan on 24 June.
Jenkins and Nettheim, whose previous credits include The Tourist, Black Snow, and Line of Duty, embrace a loud and bumpy narrative style. The series is described as being like The X-Files on steroids, with a juicy mystery reaching in various directions including rituals and splashes of biblical symbolism. The story begins in 1987 at a space research location deep in the remote desert, where four scientists meet a grisly end.
Detectives Cooke and Thorne arrive by small plane to investigate the spate of killings. There is a sole survivor, Kate Reynolds, who is in a state of delirium. The timeline jumps forward to 2024, where two podcasters discuss the unsolved Parrish station massacre. This structure allows for exposition and cultural commentary on true-crime obsession, suggesting how tragedy becomes content for the market.
The plot thickens as it is revealed that the massacre effectively hospitalised Cooke, who has been in a psychiatric facility for 37 years. Her former protege, Millie Farah, enlists her to help on a new case with eerie similarities to the original events. The review notes that while the lead actors lack chemistry, Heather Mitchell delivers a standout performance as the older Cooke, bringing a haunted presence to the role.
Atmospherically, the series impresses with an eerily polished varnish, presenting a world that feels poisoned from the inside. The review encompasses all six episodes, noting that the pacing utilises its many outre elements well. Ultimately, it is Parrish Station’s momentum and sheer kookiness that kept the reviewer engrossed, despite some scenes feeling broadly familiar.
The Killings at Parrish Station premieres on Stan on 24 June.