One of the most profound changes in the television industry within the 21st century was a shift in which well-known filmmakers and movie stars began making streaming shows, as they seemed to have more freedom when working on the small screen. Although some may cite House of Cards or True Detective as the beginning of this era, the shift occurred slightly earlier when the future Academy Award-winning director Jane Campion made her ambitious mystery drama Top of the Lake.
Top of the Lake was considered to be a perfect standalone entity, but Campion eventually began developing a sequel series. It might’ve had some flaws, but Top of the Lake: China Girl got a major burst of star power thanks to a fascinating performance from Nicole Kidman, in one of her most unusual roles ever.
Nicole Kidman Launched Her TV Renaissance With ‘Top of the Lake: China Girl’
Kidman had already been celebrated as being one of the greatest living actresses, but 2017 marked a notable shift in her career in which she began to prioritize event limited series. Big Little Liesended up being one of the biggest successes of her career, as the highly acclaimed novel adaptation earned multiple Emmy Awards and even inspired a controversial second season. Top of the Lake: China Girl cast Kidman in a thankless, “unlikable” role that seemed odd for an actress of her stature. If Big Little Lies proved that Kidman was still a huge draw while working on the small screen, Top of the Lake: China Girl was confirmation that she was still a fearless actress who wasn’t afraid to play “difficult women.”
Part of the reason that there was so much trepidation going into Top of the Lake: China Girl was that the first season had seemingly resolved the story of the Sydney-based detective Robin Griffin (Elisabeth Moss), who is an expert in solving cases related to sexual abuse. The first season had revealed that Robin had given up her daughter for adoption, but Top of the Lake: China Girl shows her trying to reconnect with Mary Edwards (Alice Elgert), who is now 17-years-old, and wants nothing to do with her birth mother. Kidman stars as Mary’s disaffected adoptive mother Julia, who recently became estranged from her husband Pyke (Ewen Leslie) after having an affair with one of her daughter’s teachers.
Despite the fact that she is an overbearing and unhelpful presence within Mary’s life, Julia casts judgment upon Robin, who she blames for not contacting them earlier. Even though she claims that Robin would be an ill-equipped parent, Julia does nothing to prevent Mary from falling under the influence of the German man Puss Braun (David Dencik), who has clearly been grooming her. Hostility and sexism are core themes within both seasons of Top of the Lake, as Robin finds it more difficult to do her job because she must work within a system that doesn’t want to give women any opportunities for success.
The second season complicates Robin’s decision because it shows that giving up Mary for adoption, which she assumed would be an honorable action, has ended up placing her in an even more toxic household. Kidman masterfully explores the wealth, privilege, and haughtiness of Julia, who is intended to be the complete opposite of Robin. The conflict initially emerges because Robin is frustrated that Julia has seemingly been oblivious to Puss, who has warped Mary’s personality into someone that neither of them recognize. Even though Julia and Robin are ultimately both fighting for Mary’s well-being, Robin questions whether it was the lack of compassion that Julia showed Mary which caused her to fall in with a duplicitous figure like Puss in the first place.
‘Top of the Lake: China Girl’ Is an Ambitious, Yet Frustrating Sequel
Top of the Lake: China Girl has been both praised and criticized for its realism, as the season’s willingness to trek into deeply uncomfortable territory is highly authentic, but often leads to moments of dramatic stagnation. That being said, Kidman is able to add depth to a character who may have seemed one-note, as there are indications that Julia has become so self-loathing that she has targeted her wrath towards Robin. While Julia claims that Mary started acting out because Robin didn’t contact her sooner, this may be a result of her guilt about not being a present parent; Julia may have assumed that Pyke would be able to handle raising Mary on his own, but she did not realize that their daughter needed a comforting maternal presence in her life. Perhaps the most nauseating scene in the entire series is a sequence in the episode “Surrogate,” in which a desperate Julia teams up with Pyke to confront Puss about his relationship with Mary. Tragically, the first time in which Julia seems to be acting responsible blows up in her face, as Mary only falls deeper enraptured with Puss in the aftermath.
Kidman’s casting in Top of the Lake: China Girl was a strategic decision that mirrored the role that Holly Hunter had occupied in the first season as the spiritual leader GJ, as both Oscar-winning stars are used in unusual capacities to reflect the respective themes of both seasons. If GJ gives wisdom and guidance that almost seem to exist beyond the confined narrative, Julia is a representation of the crimes that Robin cannot solve, as nothing in the justice system will allow her to change human nature or convince people to have more empathy.
It’s a cynical message that ended Top of the Lake: China Girl on a sour note, but Kidman cannot be criticized for doing what was asked of her, and it’s admirable that she lent her star power to such a niche project. Kidman created a character that was intentionally frustrating, which emphasized the themes of Top of the Lake China Girl better than any other component; if much of the season feels too depressing and disturbing for its own good, then Kidman was able to show a more callous, casual side of cruelty. Appearing in Top of the Lake: China Girl didn’t bring Kidman any awards, but it showed her willingness to support an edgy, experimental project from a female storyteller, which is far too rare in Hollywood.
