Critical Incident, Stan review: Sydney crime drama leads the pack

Critical Incident opens with its two main characters in police custody, and neither of them look happy to be there. We’re used to crime series dangling a mystery in front of us to lure us in, but this flash-forward is more of a tease than anything else. There’s a lot to like in this gritty crime drama, and its propulsive storytelling is a big part of its appeal. It’s not about what happened, but what happens next.

Senior Constable Zil Ahmed (Ashkay Khanna) is the poster boy for the NSW police – literally, as he’s the face of a diversity campaign. But today he’s taking a break from his high-flying duties to rejoin his former colleagues in Blacktown tackling street crime, which also means he’s back patrolling with his bestie, Senior Constable Sandra Ali (Roxie Mohebbi).

On those same streets but a world away is teen Dalia Tun (Zoe Boe). Living in a group home, she’s constantly on edge, but not so nervous she can’t get a little flirty with local drug dealer Hayden (Jai Waetford). There’s a big party on tonight, and everyone (including Hayden) will be there. And it’s not like staying at home holds much appeal.

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Unfortunately, ‘everyone’ includes Zil’s squad, and their arrival tips the party from chaotic to violent. Dalia and Hayden slip out through a hole in the fence while the (mostly stoned) partygoers go wild; when Sandra cops a brick to the back of the head, the party is most definitely over.

The next day the police are out for blood. Social media means they have a pretty good idea who they’re looking for, but ‘pretty good’ isn’t good enough when, during a chase, Zil catches sight of an innocent but fits-the-description Dalia. She runs, he follows, she heads into a train station, the platform is crowded, and suddenly we know why Zil is currently answering questions from Detective Sergeant Edith Barcelos (Simone Kessell) and facing misconduct charges.

Often this kind of crime drama will use a later investigation to recontextualise scenes we’ve already seen or direct our attention to things coming up. There’s a bit of that here – was Zil too tired to be on duty when he started chasing Dalia? – but despite the title, this isn’t a story focused on re-examining one incident. The accident kicks things off, but what’s done is done. This is about the ramifications of one mistake, and how it can throw two (or more) lives off track.

Across the following five episodes, the balance of power between Zil and Dalia swings back and forth. There’s a big focus on the system and the ways it can be manipulated, with both sides bending (or breaking) the rules to get at the other. It’s not some dry chess game; Zil is surprisingly emotional whether he’s driven by revenge or guilt, while Dalia turns out to be more of a schemer, her troubled past and precarious present giving her the skills to carve out a better future – if you consider getting mixed up with Hayden’s boss Ty Egan (Hunter Paige-Lockard) ‘better’.

The Sydney setting is authentically lived-in; this is a story of police versus criminals with both sides willing to push things too far, but the down-to-earth locations ground the series in reality, rather than being used to heighten the mood. Stoned party-goers might seem like comedy relief, but they can turn nasty in an instant.

Creator and writer Sarah Bassiuoni (House of Gods, Ladies in Black) was a juvenile justice lawyer, and there’s a refreshing scepticism towards some aspects of the police here. It may be a tough job dealing with a community that lacks respect, but the police are also the front-facing aspect of a system that often couldn’t care less about the troubled and at-risk teens they’re dealing with.

Both Khanna and Boe give nuanced performances here, playing characters that go well beyond the superficial stereotypes. Zil’s initial swagger gives way to a broken vulnerability he struggles to hide; Boe’s guarded nature gradually becomes a trap as she travels down a path where showing weakness can be fatal.

Australia’s had a good run of smart and gripping crime dramas of late. Critical Incident is at the head of the pack.

All six episodes of Critical Incident are streaming now on Stan. Watch the trailer.