Run Sofie Run
The Break-Out
Episode 4 of Stateless is where all of our characters entwine together as the escape from the Detention Centre begins. With the protest looming on the horizon, the guards gear up and ready themselves for what could be a lot of violence. Harriet is every bit as harsh and riled up as before, desperate to “get some punches in” if things do turn ugly. Outside the front gates, Clare gives them all a very different message and tells the guards they need to refrain from using brute force. When a series of cars arrive and start conducting a peaceful protest, they soon change their tone and question whether things will actually turn violent or not. It turns out the protest was just as a distraction. Javad escapes from maximum security after duping one of the guards and slips through the hole under the fence. While dealing with the situation at the front gates, Cameron hears reports about blocked cameras (courtesy of Sofie’s handiwork) and heads over to investigate. Once there though, he restrains one of the men looking to escape while watching helplessly as Sofie, Rosna and several other detainees escape.
Ameer
In the aftermath of the breakout, Ameer pleads with Mina to be on her best behaviour and not do anything that could jeopardize their chance of staying in Australia. Inside the compound, Mohsid and Ameer discuss the interview and whether he’s admitted the truth. For now, what happened between them remains a secret but it’s clear it won’t stay that way for long.
Sofie
The escape from Barton catches us up to the events that took place at the start of the first episode as Sofie rushes out and is picked up en-route by Janice. Javad is hiding in the backseat and and they drive together to a different compound where he picks up his family. With everyone bundled together in the car, Sofie learns they’re being smuggled back into the city. Unfortunately, Janice is stopped by the police and while she heads out to distract the guard, Sofie drives them to safety. On the way, Eva happens to be waiting as a hitchhiker by the side of the road which brings back flashes of the past when Sofie tried to use her passport to leave the country. Sofie drives the family up to a safe house where they’re tasked with staying until the police stop their search. That evening, Sofie phones Margot and learn she’s gone to the police as she’s desperate to find her. Despite not knowing where she is, Margot is relieved to hear she’s alive.
Cameron & The Guards
Clare scrambles to round up the UNCs that have escaped, playing a game of cat and mouse as she notices that Javad and his family are missing. She manages to find some of them hidden within the church, including Rosna who spits in her face before being taken back to the Detention Centre. Back home, he comes across David and they sit together and share a beer. Cameron returns home and questions Janice over what happened with the riot, believing he’s been duped by her. As Janice tells him to leave in disgust, he takes her cellphone. Sitting with Angie he questions whether to hand in his own sister’s phone but she convinces him to do just that. Eventually he makes a decision and phones in the location of Javad and his family. In the wake of this decision, Janice is arrested and police find the safe-house, arresting everyone inside and taking both Javad and Sofie back to Barton and into isolation.
The Review Write-Up
After several episodes of bubbling tensions and frustration with the various men and women inside the compound, the break-out attempt is a great way of alleviating some of that while crescendoing all of these stories together into a thrilling series of scenes. Seeing Sofie in the thick of all this is certainly a welcome inclusion and overall the series has done well to keep a decent amount of momentum flowing throughout. Alongside that, there’s some nice depth given to Cameron too as he starts to question a lot of the decisions he’s been given whilst simultaneously you can see just how much of a strain this job is putting on his mental health. While Ameer’s storyline is pushed to the wayside this episode, this feels more like a temporary pit-stop rather than a continuous trend going forward. We’ll have to wait and see how all of this transpires though as the show moves into its final act.
