TV picks, Thursday, August 9
BATAVIA REVEALED: SHIPWRECK PSYCHO
★★★
8.30pm, SBS
The grisly fate of 125 Dutch men, women and children marooned on Beacon Island off the coast of Western Australia in 1629 is explored in this atmospheric documentary. The real-life Lord of the Flies story is a fascinating tragedy, pieced together by a surviving journal and the remains unearthed in an archaeological dig. Moving re-enactment scenes depict the carnage wreaked by one man who rose to murderous leader.
EVERYONE'S A CRITIC
★★★
8.50pm, ABC
Actor Gerard O'Dwyer, who has Down syndrome, and his brother, Denis, provide some of the most poignant conversations of this art appreciation series. Tonight, their discussions about the notion of family, prompted by Patricia Piccinini's work at Melbourne's Lyon Housemuseum, are a case in point. The responses of everyone to a work inspired by the Australian flag are of great interest.
BLUE BLOODS
★★★½
10pm, Ten
The cases and consternations on this NYPD procedural are fairly indistinguishable from those of other US cop shop shows. Issues that arise in this episode, around a viral video thanks to the unpaid surveillance force known as the general public, have certainly been thrashed out in this setting. It's the family dynamics of the Reagan clan of law enforcers that facilitates a different connection.