Owen (Damian Walshe-Howling) will serve as her right hand, with Lina (Andrea Demetriades) and Richard (Hamish Michael) as backup. Andy (Christopher Morris) will be her police liaison and a new face, Heather (Leah Purcell), a local attorney from the town where the murder occurred, will join the team as well. Finally, Bianca (Anita Hegh) will serve multiple roles, but will go undercover as well as serve as Janet's protection. We definitely get the feeling there is some history between Janet and Bianca. However, the first task at hand is to solve the murder of "regular Joe" Todd Wilson (Cody Kaye), a man who is gunned down in the street while giving a ride to local bartender Keisha (Melissa Bonne), a woman Richard will later become involved with as the case progresses.
Additionally, Janet's final case with the DPP before she transitions to the Royal Crown Commission has her looking into the suicide of a soldier who may have had PTSD and the main witnesses in the case start popping up in relation to the shooting on Australia Day, whether as incidentals or as close friends of the deceased.
To complicate matters further for Janet, she is embroiled in a legal battle with a member of Ash's family over one of their frozen embryos, so she has that pulling at her, while she needs to focus on the cases at hand.
What I both love and hate about Janet King, in general, is the sheer number of things going on in a given series. Most of them tend to be interconnected in one way or another, but some just seem so random, such as the community battle over whether one of the local magnates of business should be allowed to build a casino or a slew of net ball courts for the community. As everything finally shakes out at the end of the series, I can't help feeling like the majority of the matters that come up are just pushing one or another hot button social agendas. Whether it is hate crimes against Arabic members of the community, secretive homosexual behavior by members of the military, out of control gun crime, or even whether or not a frozen embryo is considered life or property, Janet King: Series 2: The Invisible Wound just felt a bit more preachy than last season.
The end is rather intense and does have Janet finding some much needed answers to the crime that so deeply affected her life, but we also see some changes among her staff. Lina and Andy are pregnant and very excited about it, while Richard decides to make a big career change and be his own man. Owen, once again, proves he will jump at a promotion if given half the chance, but he will be there for Janet when push comes to shove.
Special features include a bevy of short featurettes on the characters, the action and the story of Janet King: Series 2: The Invisible Wound, as well as a photo gallery. There is some repeat throughout the featurettes, but if you want more insight into the season, they are worth watching.
I didn't enjoy Janet King: Series 2: The Invisible Wound nearly as much as last season, but it's still compelling and a good legal crime drama. The cast's acting is perfect and the storyline is a good one, it just felt like it had more message to it, almost as if it was crafted to hit on as many social issues as possible. If you've enjoyed Janet King or Crownies in the past, you'll enjoy Janet King: Series 2: The Invisible Wound.
