Dogwoman: episode guide


Dead Dog Walking

Sunday, April 09, 2000
Written by Magda Szubanski
Directed by Rowan Woods

She's glamorous, she's sixty-something and she's dead. Freda Bell is found murdered in her unit at Serenity Plus, an old people's home. She has been killed by a dog bite to the throat. Her German Shepherd, Golden, is found next to her body, his snout covered in her blood. There is no sign of forced entry. No-one else was sighted in the vicinity.

It looks like an open and shut case. But Margaret O'Halloran, the legendary "Dog Woman", suspects foul play. Called in to placate the dangerous dog, Margaret's instincts tell her that Golden is not the killer dog. He's been set up. But by whom and for what reason? It's a race against the clock as Margaret tries to uncover the truth whilst Golden awaits his fate in "death row" at the Lost Dog's Home.

Margaret's investigation leads to a web of secrets and lies, intrigue and conspiracy. First, she meets Andrew Bell, Freda's scientist nephew, who stands to inherit a lot of money if Freda dies. He's got a motive—a serious gambling problem. He's got a murder weapon — a ferocious dog guarding his backyard. Could Andrew have murdered Freda and framed Golden?

Then there are the other residents of Serenity Plus. Some of them have got a real motive to commit murder. The unscupulous Freda had swindled a group of residents out of their superannuation savings. What revenge have they been plotting? And what is their connection to the security guard, Darren, and his ferocious bull mastiff? Just as Margaret begins to track down her suspects, she is stopped in her tracks. Golden attacks someone else! This time, an innocent visitor to the Lost Dog's Home.

A doubt is raised in Margaret's mind. Perhaps Golden is a "Manchurian Candidate"—an apparently placid animal programmed to kill when "activated" by the right signal? Time's almost up. This second attack by Golden leads to a magistrate's order. The killer dog is to be destroyed the following morning. Margaret has less than twenty four hours to find out if Golden really killed Freda Bell. In uncovering the truth, she unravels a mystery whose dimensions go far beyond anything she could have possibly imagined. And in the end, it's not just Golden's life on the line. It's her own.

Cast:

  • Magda Szubanski as Margaret O'Halloran
  • Tara Morice as Pauline O'Halloran
  • Raj Ryan as Brian Jayasinghe
  • Sandy Winton as Jeremy Maitland
  • Anthony Simcoe as Andrew Bell
  • Anne Phelan as Joan Jarvis
  • Stephen Shanahan as Gavin
  • Teague Rook as Simon Scott-Harvey
  • Alethea McGrath as Pam Davis
  • Bob Hornery as Wally Holloway
  • Ron Haddrick as Barry Holloway
  • Elaine Lee as Freda Bell
  • Torquil Neilson as Darren
  • Greg Saunders as Phil O'Halloran
  • Genevieve Morris as Arlene
  • Tony Rickards as Steve Finlay
  • Sharon Kershaw as Jenny Finlay
  • Jared Daperis as Sean Finlay
  • James Ryan as Policeman #1
  • Conrad Bishop as Policeman #2
  • Ian Robertson as Police Photographer
  • Paul Bonet as Postman
  • Monty Maizels as Elderly Man #1
  • John Browning as Elderly Man #2
  • Jean Clayton as Joan's Friend
  • Victoria Wu as Simon's Housekeeper
  • Jane Kinnear as Infomercial Woman #1
  • Andrea Close as Infomercial Woman #2
  • Steve Lane as Academic
  • Jo Hall as Television Presenter
  • Mark Mitchell as Prologue Narrator
  • Tracy Mall as Stunt Double
  • Warwick Sadler as Stunt Double
  • Phil Reilly as Stunt Double

Canine Cast:

  • Blue as Kelty
  • Ranger as Golden
  • Hero as Tyson
  • Icypole as Sandra
  • Elsa as Archer