Mr Inbetween

Scott Ryan is a unicorn. A rare magical creature, singular and dazzling. What a beast he is. Scott Ryan is the creator, writer, and star of the Australian show, Mr Inbetween. The show ran for three seasons from 2018 to 2021. Ryan plays Ray Shoesmith, a bouncer at a strip club, The Playhouse. He is also an independent contract killer. He is divorced and has a daughter, Britt, with whom he shares custody. Ray has a brother, Bruce, who has some sort of undisclosed illness, ALS or something similar. Bruce is played by Nicholas Cassim. I actually looked up to see if Cassim has some sort of disability or disease. He does not. That's how good he is in his role. Ray's sidekick is Gary (Justin Rosniak) who is constantly asking for Ray's help or coming up with silly ways to make money. Gary is comic relief with his golden shower DVDs and his foot fetish sex toys. There is no theme song for the show. It feels stripped down to the barest of bones. At first I thought it was cheap and low budget but I think it's more of a stylist choice. There is a simplicity to the show, all the fluff is stripped away and raw honesty is what is left. The dialogue between Ray and Gary feels like something Tarantino would write, but even more earnest. It feels like a conversation you might actually have with your friend. But let me remind you, this is a show, where the lead is a killer for money. Ray doesn't seem to have any problem inflicting violence on anyone if the price is right. Ray is loyal to a few friends and his family and that's it. The show goes in directions I didn't expect. Sometimes you can see the violence coming, and sometimes you can't. Breaking Bad remains one of my favourite TV crime dramas of all time. Coming in a very close second is, Mr Inbetween. Catch it streaming on Disney+ (of all places) or rent it from Movies 'N Stuff.