

Season 1 • Episode 13
LatestTess tells Matthew that she's pregnant, but his joy is tempered by a sighting of the (dead) Old Monk. When the monk confronts Matthew in a shop, he tells him that it is time to 'come home'. Shocked and frightened that the monk is warning him of impending death, Matthew locks himself in a room, desperate to avoid this fate. But the monk appears in the room with him, and Matthew panics, thinking he's having a heart attack. Tess helps him rush to hospital. However on the way they get caught in a huge traffic snarl-up and Matthew jumps out to walk. He soon encounters the source of the traffic jam: Tim, threatening to blow himself up. Tim has decided the solar eclipse signifies that 'it is time'. He follows Sam, who is rushing Julie to hospital to have the baby, and creates a traffic jam, With plastic explosives strapped to his body.
The Insiders Guide To Happiness is a New Zealand drama series that explores the lives of a group of six previously unconnected people. Each life is connected by a bizarre car accident, the outcome of which forces them to examine and explore the happiness in their own lives. The series was followed by a prequel, The Insider's Guide To Love, with James the only character in common.
Writing
Tight puzzle-box plotting that actually pays off emotionally.
Acting
Rotondo and Sami anchor chaos with heartbreaking specificity.
Direction
Kiwi indie sensibility meets ambitious structural experimentation.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Pre-Lord of the Rings NZ television boom; this was peak ambitious local drama before global co-productions took over.
The prequel 'Guide To Love' exists solely because test audiences demanded to know James's backstory—originally he was meant to stay mysterious.
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