The Brokenwood Mysteries (NZ)

Did your mother know best when she left me in charge of you?

Yeah, that's what I thought.

Evening.

It is indeed, sir.

Good morrow!

Okay.

This town gets weirder every year.

Yeah, steampunkers, Mike.

Not really my thing,

but you got to admire the creativity, I guess.

I never picked you to be a corgi guy.

Friend of a friend.

Yeah.

I'm about to head out to the lookout.

Want to join me?

I'd love to, but he struggles with the hills.

You know, short legs.

Okay.

Hey, corgis are cute,

but look out 'cause they're one of the more deadlier breeds.

Ciao!

Come on. Yeah!

Thank you, thank you.

And now please welcome our leader,

ace dirigible pilot Captain J.R. Brocklesby!

Thank you!

Salutations, all,

and welcome to the annual

Brokenwood Aeronauts steampunk convivial!

Huzzah!

- Huzzah! - Huzzah!

I wish to offer my heartfelt gratitude to Mrs. Winsley

for providing such sumptuous vittles.

And of course to Dr. Devious for his devilish libations.

As you know, each year we fund-raise to take us all down

to the grand steampunk festival in Oamaru,

and it's a wonderful time.

But Lord knows it's expensive too.

So this year I decree that the Brokenwood Aeronauts

will not be launching

an official contingent to the festival.

No, no.

Fear not, my friends. All is not lost, no.

To elaborate, I'd like to invite the town big bug,

the Right Honorable Mr. Neil Bloom!

Yeah! come on!

Gosh, look at you. Heh heh.

Thank you, Alden.

I have to admit, I don't fully understand what steampunk is

or what's going on here.

But I have it on good authority from my nephew, Bart,

that it is a lot of fun,

and I'm assured by Captain Brocklesby

that it celebrates diversity.

Absolutely!

And if Brokenwood is to be known for one thing,

it should be inclusiveness.

Yes!

Which is why the district council has agreed to support

the first-ever official Brokenwood steampunk festival!

Magnificent news! Magnificent news!

And hear me, it shall be bigger, better, grander by far.

We shall be the talk of all things steam.

The Brokenwood Aeronauts shall reign supreme!

Huzzah!

- Huzzah! - Huzzah!

Now let's all get slaughtered!

This one's called "Steampunk the Funk."

One, two, three, four!

These fireworks, ladies and gents,

have been banned in 50 countries.

Smuggled into New Zealand for the Chinese New Year.

Extremely dangerous in the wrong hands.

Just bloody get on with it.

Sorry for trying to create a sense of occasion, Eric.

Wait, wait.

You!

Huzzah!

Just go.

I promise I'm not watching.

This one's gonna be a doozy!

- My God. - Don't look at me!

Alden! Hey! Alden. Hey. Hey.

- My God. - Alden?

Aah! Help me! Help me!

Typical.

Just finishing up a lovely Sunday roast lamb.

A Roxy special?

Breen special, actually.

You?

Nothing fancy. Can of soup.

You've been on the soups a lot since you and Kahu broke up.

You should come 'round after. There's leftovers.

As I've already explained, Kahu and I haven't broken up.

Right, you're just not seeing each other.

He's 60 miles offshore working on an oil rig,

and I don't do long-distance relationships.

Got it.

I see budget cuts have really hit the dog section this year.

Belongs to the senior.

- He's just 'round the corner. - Mike's got a dog.

- This a midlife crisis? - It's a corgi.

Hardly the sports car of the canine world.

Think I might pass on the roast lamb.

Yeah, copy that.

Hold up. We've got a biohazard.

So far, one confirmed fatality. A Lionel Bridges.

Another male rushed to hospital, serious condition.

What the hell happened here?

A steampunk-club party thing.

The portaloo exploded.

Do we know what caused it?

A suspected gas leak.

What? Didn't say anything.

There's a propane gas bottle visible,

but we can't get in there until the hazmat team

have deemed the area safe.

You should walk in single file.

Less chance of stepping on another mine.

I highly doubt a land mine caused this.

What else?

Probably quite a few things.

Such as?

Well, that's what we're here to investigate.

But no answers yet.

So you should consider the worst-case scenario.

In Russia there is a saying -- "Life is like a land mine."

"Life is like a land mine..." That's it?

"Every step you take might be your last."

You Russians are a cheery bunch.

Try to be.

Mike, the victim is in several pieces.

This will take some time.

And nothing doing till hazmat give you the all clear?

Good things happen to those who wait, Mike.

Right. Witnesses.

Let's see if this is anything more than a freak accident.

Well, exploding portaloo.

Nothing suspicious about that.

No.

Victim -- Lionel Bridges.

60 years old.

Owner of the Brokenwood Models and Trains shop.

Also founding member of the Aeronauts Steampunk Society.

Do we know what steampunk is yet?

Quite strange.

Yeah, I can corroborate that.

Lionel was also the father of one of the members.

Poppy, do you recall where you were at the time of the blast?

Seriously? Her dad has just been killed.

Right, um, sorry.

Look, this can wait.

It's Cleo, yeah?

Can I organize you two a ride home?

Yeah.

Are you hurt?

She's embarrassed 'cause she wet herself.

Poppy!

We were outside watching the fireworks display when --

When "boom."

I see. Well...

Don't worry. It happens.

- Shock, you think? - Maybe.

Probably didn't help that she'd been drinking.

Actually most of them seemed pretty drunk,

or as they like to say in their steampunk vernacular --

"full as a tick," "soaked," "sloshed," "fully roostered"...

Yeah, for a bunch of nerds, they really like to get on it.

The owner of the portaloos, a Tim Werner,

was certainly embodying all of those terms.

Has anything like this ever happened

to one of your portaloos before?

Timmie Time Toilet Tanks don't explode.

That wouldn't be very good word of mouth.

What was the gas tank for?

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.

Is there someone we can call?

No. I'm okay.

No, no, no.

Let's, um -- We'll, get you a ride home?

Okay.

I've just got to use the toilet.

No, no. No, no. You can't.

- Blew up, right? - Yeah.

He smelled like the floor of the Frog and Cheetah.

How do you know what the floor

of the Frog and Cheetah smells like?

I'll follow up today.

Is it possible a firework hit the gas tank?

Yeah, possible but unlikely.

We got a license for them.

You don't need a license for fireworks, Nigel.

Okay. But we read all the safety precautions on the box.

- Jesus! - Sor-ry!

We bought them off a stall on the side of the road.

Honestly, they were rubbish, really.

Did any of them go near the portaloo?

Most of them didn't go anywhere at all.

And the owner of the hangar, he flies hot-air balloons?

Yes, Alden Coombes.