WITH just one episode left in the mystery of who killed Hugh Lang, things in Savage River are spicing up, with the latest episode doing more to further the murder mystery than the four episodes preceding it.

The episode features some bombshells including the revelation that in their teenage years Jasmine (the Lang's murdered child which got Miki Anderson jailed in the first place) was sleeping with an older man that Miki had a crush on, denoted in Jasmine's diary by the letter "K".

Deborah (Leah Vandenberg) takes on Miki's case and attempts to broker a deal to buy the meatworks with the workers after Kevin's attempt to sell out to a big company fails.

The B through F plots advance minimally – Miki's brother Terry and Kevin's wife Chandra make out a bit, Deborah and Connor formally try to adopt Tim, and we learn that Miki's mother Lynne has been sleeping with migrant worker Sujan (who may or may not be Adam Lang's boyfriend) because, sure, why not.

If you're having trouble keeping up, I do not blame you – 'Savage River' seeks to characterise what a small town could be like, with the intersecting stories and motivations, so there is always a lot going on.

As the series progresses, the fat is trimmed, and we can see which storylines the writers are prioritising – murder mystery, Ivy Pattison's youthful relationship(s), and the inherent creepiness of Simon, Miki's former teacher who makes out with her in the episodes, which is just five different flavours of red flag.

This, on top of the fact that Simon deletes CCTV footage of him and Miki kissing, but doesn't definitively delete the vision of Miki rinsing herself of Hugh Lang's blood from episode two, paints him as a suspect.

Virginia Gay again shines as Rachel, but the true MVP of the series is shaping up to be Dale, Miki's supportive and often vulgar older female friend from the meatworks.

Certain subplots and dialogue choices seem either very contrived or just poorly written, but the final episode is shaping up to be a cathartic explosion.

It's been a slow build, but 'Savage River' has built to a crescendo – the final episode will reveal whodunnit.

MY PICKS FOR THE MURDERER

Kevin Pattison – the meatworks owner who has been a terrible bloke from episode one and is the prime suspect, which exactly why he feels like a red herring in the second–to–last episode.

Bill Kirby – the shady police officer with Jasmine's autopsy folder which is conveniently missing a page.

Simon Englert – he's a creepy bloke.