My wife and I enjoy binge-watching Brit crime series. The drama in these television shows is understated causing the viewer to think more deeply than the typical American crime (with notable exceptions like The Sopranos). Australia and New Zealand also have excellent crime series with New Zealand having two of our favorites- Outrageous Fortune and The Blue Rose.
Outrageous Fortune is a multi-seasonal
saga of the fictional West crime family, and The Blue Rose is a one-season
effort with 13 episodes. Interestingly, both series feature two actresses-
Antonia Prebble and Siobban Marshall. In Outrageous Fortune they play two
sisters who are competing for the attention of their parents. As good as they
are portraying the West siblings, their acting is even richer and more complex in
The Blue Rose.
In The Blue Rose, Prebble plays Jane, an office temp who begins
work at a major Auckland law firm replacing Rose, the former personal assistant
to a major partner in the firm. Rose is dead, the police speculating that she jumped to her death from a bridge spanning the harbor. Jane soon meets Linda (played by Marshall) who is
convinced that Rose has been murdered, Linda draws Jane into the mystery and together they
convince Elizabeth, a retired accountant, and Ganesh, the IT tech at the law,
to join them in ascertain who had murdered Rose. To help them forge their comrades
in their mission to find the killer, they all get a blue rose tattoo on their
bodies.
They all have their own subplots to
deal with during the series. Two subplots pertain to Jane. She begins her
stint as an office temp at the law firm as naïve, ever trusting, and idealistic.
She is bullied by Linda, her live-in
boyfriend cheats on her even as he takes her money, and she is intimidated by Krystle,
the personal assistant to the managing partner. Krystle is insecure and shallow
even as she is overbearing, judgmental, and convinced of her superiority to all
other office assistants, especially Jane.
Then Krystle violates serious
office protocols and faces dismissal from the firm. Unlikely, Jane becomes Krystle’s
advocate even as the other assistants and junior attorneys in the firm are
relived that they will not have to deal with Krystle henceforward. Nevertheless,
Jane pleads the case for Krystle, informing her own boss, the managing partner,
all others in the office, and her Blue Rose group that Krystle, despite her obnoxious
behaviors, was being treated unfairly.
Finally, Elizabeth challenges Jane
with an encrustation poorly disguised as a question- “Are you some sort of
secret Christian?” Jane quickly denies Elizabeth’s charge and there is no
further word of religion or faith in the series except for several funeral
services in a church building.
Christians and those of other faiths
have historically been persecuted and continue to face prosecution and discrimination
either formally by their own governments, informally by their own families and
social groups, or both. In countries like New Zealand of the Western tradition,
Christians rarely face official sanctions, but it is not unusual for Christians
to endure being ostracized by family members and friends,
For example, many years ago I read
some books by Episcopal priest John Westerhoff. In one of his volumes he shared
a story about a wealthy man who decided to follow Jesus in his senior years of
life. The man left his mansion, began to live simply, and started to give away
his money. His adult children, concerned about their inheritances, hunted for their
father and finally found him working as a janitor for a church. His appalled and
shocked children had him committed to a mental institution.
Although Jane would not have faced what
the wealthy man in Westerhoff’s story endured, Elizabeth’s questioning accusation
against her did show at least some degree of contempt against Christians in Jane’s
circle. Yet Jane protested with a degree of annoyance that she was not a
follower of Jesus. With her denial, I believe what Jane said,
Jane is a deeply flawed character; theologically,
she is a sinner, as I am and indeed, the entire human race. But what separates
me from the fictional Jane is that I have decided ti follow Jesus and adhere to
his teachings. As admirable as it is for Jane and her new friends forging a bond
through a shared tattoo, it is eternally significant to bear the marks of Christ
with fellow believers
Yet, Jane is the hero, the Christ-figure
so-to-speak, of The Blue Rose. Krystle is reinstated to her position as a result
of her advocacy, she kicks out her cheating boyfriend, Linda comes to respect
her, and she becomes a moral compass for her boss.
Albeit Jane;a good deeds it is a
confession of faith in the Risen Christ is what makes one a Christian
(literally, a little Christ), not a random sampling of good deeds notwithstanding
one’s motivations. The Christian New Testament teaches that good deeds flow
from faith, not vice versa, And there is in reality no such thing as a “secret
Christian”!
Oh yes, Jane, Linda, Elizabeth, and
Ganesh did ascertain that Rose was murdered and they also discovered the
identity of the killer.