The show begins with Tyson Walker (Rob Collins) working frantically to rescue Shanika “Neeks” (Santae Barnes-Cowan) who previously fell into a bloodsucker shaft. Blood Hunter, Jalingbirri (Kelton Pell) protects her from the bloodsuckers. Tyson continues to work on rescuing Shanika, as Jalingbirri fights off bloodsuckers. Shanika kills a bloodsucker as it attacks Jalingbirri. Tyson winches the two to freedom. He recognizes Jalingbirri who is injured from the bloodsucker attack.

Tyson takes Jalingbirri and Shanika home. A call to Kitty Sinclair (Ngaire Pigram) is unsuccessful. Shanika wants to know more about Jalingbirri and blood hunters. They help him onto a table. Tyson inspects and irrigates his wound. Shanika refuses to go find Kitty if he doesn’t tell her about Jalingbirri. Blood hunters do not travel in groups, they train and hunt vampires alone. He continues to apply pressure to Jalingbirri’s wound as Shanika heads out in search of Kitty.

The Vampire King (Callan Mulvey) assesses the carnage left over from the attack. Two sets of footprints tell him Jalingbirri is not traveling alone. He gives an order to find him.

JT (Zachery Scott) searches for Black Elvis (Samuel Pilot) as Coralee (Elaine Cromble) watches from a distance. Bloodsucker, Lucas (Sam Dugmore) approaches and asks for Jalingbirri. Aunty Maria (Tessa Rose) says there is no one by that name in the village. A bloodsucker attacks and kills JT. The vampire king tells the bloodsuckers to not attack Aunty Maria.

Kitty is at a bar when her phone rings. She asks bartender, Eleona “Ellie” (Yael Stone) how she deals with the male customers. She doesn’t make eye contact with the sleazy men. She sees the call from Tyson, calling him a “jerk.” Ellie buys Kitty a whiskey. Bar owner, Spud (Jai Koutrae) scolds Ellie for a stack of unwashed glasses. She tells him to wash them while she serves the customers. The vampire king and several bloodsuckers enter the bar. Kitty refers to them as “lost cowboys.” A female vampire delivers three beers to their table. The vampire king dips his fingerprints into his beer. Shanika enters the bar and catches a glimpse of the vampire king who also sees her before Spud throws her out. Kitty follows Shanika outside.

Tyson tries to wake Jalingbirri with no luck. He searches his pocket and finds a paper with his phone number. He conceals his rifle from Shanika and Kitty who demands to know who’s the patient. Jalingbirri’s blood pressure is low. His would is close to the main artery. He refuses to go to the hospital. She disputes Tyson’s story about rescuing Jalingbirri from a motorcycle crash. Tyson sleeps while Kittie sutures his wound.

A fight breaks out between two men playing pool at the bar. Two bouncers (Jordan Steffans and Matthew Dean) escort them outside. The vampire king orders Lucas to kill the people who “don’t fall in line.” The vampire king watches as Ellie asks Spud if she can crash at the bar. He gives her a room in the back. Spud tells him Ellie isn’t for sale. A bar patron taps the vampire king on his arm, empties his beer on the floor, and accuses him of spilling it. He laughingly apologizes and offers to replace the beer. He pretends to reach for his wallet as the bloodsuckers approach. The man gets spooked and back off.

Sleeping Auntie Maria is startled when a ball hits her leg. She orders the children to get ready for school. She walks inside and says they can’t keep their secret much longer. Smokey (Greg Tait) says Black Elvis cannot be found anywhere. Law enforcement refuses to search. She initially says to call off the search because it is risky, but changes her mind when Smokey says he will not give up looking for his brother.

Tyson makes Shanika breakfast. She recommends telling Aunty Maria what really happened. He wants to keep it a secret between the two of them. A comes in from her school, he says you are late. She says I’m suspended. He leaves to answer the phone. With Tyson out of earshot, Jalingbirri says, “Women shouldn’t hold boomerangs.” She says a woman saved you with a boomerang. Kitty assesses his wound. He thanks her for saving his life. She grabs her medic box and heads off to work. Outside, Kitty tells Tyson she thought they shared something special. He says we still do. She leaves when he refuses to tell her the truth.

Shanika prepares to leave the room but changes her mind. She takes a seat in a chair beside Jalingbirri’s bed. He jerks the curtain closed and says he taught you about bloodsuckers. He asks her how to kill vampires. She says you hit them in the heart with a boomerang and sunlight. Tyson doesn’t permit her to enter the bloodsucker tunnel. They only do above-ground pest control. Jalingbirri is angry because Tyson isn’t following lore. It is impossible to wipe out a colony of bloodsuckers above ground. Jalingbirri says selfishness prevented Tyson from being a blood hunter. Tyson orders Shanika to check the gate and demands to know why he is in Opal City. He tells him about the last vampire king and the last colony of bloodsuckers. Blackfellas are missing up and down the desert. Tyson’s decision to stay above-ground infuriates Jalingbirri. Shanika eavesdrops on their conversation before taking a few shots at a punching bag.

Tyson training Shanika southpaw broke lore laws. Bloodsuckers are everywhere and Tyson refuses to go underground. He protects Shanika instead of a community. Jalingbirri calls him a “failure,” disappointment,” and “shellfish.” Tyson says no one will cry when they bury him. Tyson and Shanika drive to the school for a meeting with the principal.

Aunty Maria gives Smokey some food and suggests he take Carolee to the clinic.

On the drive to school, Shanika demands to know if the bloodsuckers took or killed her mum. Bleeders are blackfellas held hostage by vampires. He doesn’t know if her mother is a bloodsucker. They killed her mum. Tyson describes Shanika to the principal (Anna Steen) as a treasure, A1 plus, helpful, and history genius. The school is concerned about her escalating behavior. He blames her behavior on rap music and video games. She says Tyson is a “dickhead” but not an “asshole.”

Smokey arrives at the clinic to pick up Carolee. The doctor prescribes antianxiety medication. She asks if they are for the springs. When the lights go out, Carolee says it is them. Bloodsuckers are standing at the entrance of the clinic. The nurse is put under a spell and ordered to give them the blood machine. Carolee and Smokey are killed.

Tyson pulls off beside the road. He tells Shanika they need to talk. He tries to get her to pull his finger, but she refuses. She calls him a “dickhead.”

Tyson arrives at Kitty’s home with a bouquet of flowers. She slams the door in his face and reopens it. He says the flowers are from a cemetery when she asks where they are from. He thanks her for taking care of Jalingbirri. She tells him about the whitefellas looking for a blackfella at the bar. He runs to his car.

Jalingbirri picks up and lays his boomerang on a table. Tyson tells Shanika the bloodsuckers are looking for the blood hunter. Jalingbirri checks out Shanika’s room. A noise urges him to retrieve his boomerang. He is knocked down to the ground as the bloodsuckers try to gain access to Tyson’s home. The vampire king says, “The last blood hunter.” He swings his boomerang as the episode comes to an end.

Firebite Review

The show moves along at a decent pace and there is enough going on to hold your attention throughout the episode. Poor lighting alters visibility in the night scenes, which is nearly every scene. It would be nice to see Shanika without her baseball cap. It is so large, her face is barely visible.

Rob Collins and Sanae Barnes-Cowan have a great on-scene relationship. While they are distant at times, they rely on each to survive in a difficult environment.

It is still unclear where the show is going. It is not too terrible, so I will stick around to the end. The episode deserves a 5.5.

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