australian television information archive

Episode 1

We meet 14-year-old Wellington schoolgirl, Jo Tiegan. Jo's mother, Catherine Guthrie, is principal of Jo's school, which causes friction because Jo believes her mother is too tough on her. Jo and her friends Tama, Mia and Jesse are involved in an archaeological dig at their school. Jo's enemy, Jade Coigely, is there too. Jo visits an antique shop where she is given a mirror by the owner, Old Nicholas. When she takes it home and looks into it, she is able to see into the past—to 1919! It's the same room as her own, but she sees a girl the same age as herself who is dressed in the clothes of the time. Jo finds she can not only see through the mirror, but can also "walk" through to 1919, where she meets the girl, Louisa Iredale. Meanwhile, Mia and Jesse are badly injured by toxic waste from a drum which has mysteriously appeared on the dig site and which is dated 1919. Is it just a coincidence, or are there sinister connections to Jo's mirror?

Episode 2

Louisa comes through the mirror to 1995 to comfort Jo who is upset about her friends' accident and is fascinated by the things she sees in Jo's room. Jo is convinced that if she can go back in time, she can prevent the toxic waste being dropped and so prevent the accident. When Tama unsuccessfully tries to follow Jo through the mirror, he knocks it out of alignment. As Jo, Louisa and her younger brother Titus search for the drum in 1919, they are caught by Sir Ivor Creevy-Thorne, who refuses to listen to their wild stories about toxic waste. We meet his "charge", young Nicholas, who has been watching the girls from an upstairs window.

Episode 3

Jo discovers she can't get back to 1995. She is caught by Primrose, who doesn't believe her story. Joshua agrees to her staying, believing she is lost. The girls try to sneak into Sir Ivor's garden to find the drum, secretly watched by young Nicholas. He convinces his "protector" Sir Ivor to invite the girls and Titus to afternoon tea. Meanwhile, Dr Coigley (who is chairperson of the school board and an opponent of Catherine Guthrie), visits the Tiegan household with her daughter Jade. Dr Coigley wants Catherine to resign as headmistress. Jade lies, telling Jo's parents their daughter threw the chisel at the drum. Royce doesn't believe that Jo disappeared through the mirror, but the scientific Tama convinces him to do a chemical analysis of the mirror and find a logical way to get Jo back. Royce steals the keys from his mother and the boys take the mirror to the lab. But what is Jade doing there and how does she manage to grab the mirror?

Episode 4

Jo, searching for the drum in Sir Ivor's cellar, is captured by Sir Ivor who interrogates her and dismisses her story about having toxic waste on his property. He promises to board up the well if Jo stops sneaking around. Sir Ivor unsuccessfully tries to cancel a cricket match between Titus, the girls and young Nicholas. Sir Ivor summons the children's tutor, Frid, who he intends to blackmail. Louisa tells her father about the toxic waste, but he doesn't believe her. Sir Salisbury visits Joshua to dispel rumours about the toxic waste. While running home with the mirror, Jade is stopped by Old Nicholas, who orders her to return it to Jo's house. Royce and Tama wonder how much Jade knows. While playing cricket with Titus, Jo hits the ball through Louisa's window, knocking the mirror back into alignment. Jo is able to go back to 1995.

Episode 5

Jo surprises Tama and Royce, who feared she was forever stuck in 1919. She thinks she's changed the course of history, but in 1995, Jesse and Mia are still sick. Jo is shocked by what Jade told her parents—that she was responsible for the accident. Her parents do not believe Jo's story about the mirror. They all attend an emergency school meeting about the accident and Jo realises she can, in fact, change the course of events by going back in time. Louisa tells her father all she knows about the toxic waste and Joshua says he'll make inquiries. Sir Ivor bullies Nicholas into giving him his family signet ring for safekeeping during the cricket match. Nicholas asks Louisa to help him find his family.

Episode 6

Jo goes back to 1919, despite Tama and Royce's opposition. Tama uses the computer to find out how to neutralise the toxic waste. Catherine tells her family she is going to resign as principal. Tama finds a police report, dated 1919, detailing an investigation into a consignment of toxic waste. It mentions Sir Ivor's name. Nicholas appeals to Jo, Louisa and Titus to help him escape from his room. The girls visit him, but Sir Ivor tells him he must not have anything further to do with them. Sir Ivor won't give him back his signet ring.

Episode 7

Jo and Louisa discover a way to sneak Nicholas out of the house, but he refuses to leave without his family ring. Joshua gets suspicious about the ship's cargo and goes to the wharves to check. Sir Ivor and his henchmen race to the wharves to "teach Iredale a lesson". The girls and Nicholas follow them in a hansom cab. Joshua finds the toxic waste in the warehouse, but is attacked by the henchmen who pour the gunk over him. The girls and Nicholas find him and take him home, and Jo takes a drum for evidence. They tell Primrose that Sir Ivor is to blame for Joshua's accident, but when Jo tries to prove it, both the drum and the hansom cab have disappeared. Catherine, meanwhile, decides not to resign.

Episode 8

Jo tells her story to the incredulous police as Joshua lies dying. Nicholas sneaks back into Sir Ivor's House. Meanwhile, Royce follows Old Nicholas' advice and goes through the mirror to find Jo. Sir Ivor hears his shouted warning to his sister. Worded about her father, Louisa goes through to 1995 to look through records to see if her father survives the accident. A smitten Tama discovers that Joshua does survive—only to be killed in a train crash in 1928. As Louisa goes back through the mirror, she is caught by Andrew Tiegan who wants to know what's going on.

Episode 9

Louisa and Royce tell Andrew the story—he is disbelieving until he sees Louisa go through the mirror. Andrew unsuccessfully tries to follow. He tells Catherine the whole story, but she doesn't believe him. Meanwhile Jo searches the wharves for the toxic waste—watched by Frid. She visits Nicholas to discuss what to do about the missing drum. Frid tells Sir Ivor that he has the drum and that Nicholas drove the hansom cab. An angry Sir Ivor prevents Nicholas from escaping again. Meanwhile Old Nicholas visits Jade, with specific instructions...

Episode 10

As Nicholas sneaks Jo out of the house, she overhears Sir Ivor and Frid discussing their "arrangement". Frid agrees to return the drum to Sir Ivor but is seen doing so by Nicholas. While escaping from his room, Nicholas falls and injures his arm. He sneaks into the Iredale home, finds Jo's 1995 encyclopedia and discovers that his family, the Russian Royal Family, were assassinated. Meanwhile, Old Nicholas gives Jade written instructions, telling her if he follows the rules, she will never have to worry about Jo again. Jade visits Catherine and tells her the accident wasn't Jo's fault. She gets into Jo's room and tries to move the mirror, but is stopped by Royce and Tama.

Episode ll

Nicholas tells the girls his story and how Sir Ivor rescued him. He tells Jo he is a haemophiliac and in the fall, he injured his arm. The girls hide Nicholas when Frid returns, but he demands to know where Jo got the encyclopedia from, so they show him the mirror. Jo goes through to 1995, to get a cure for his ailment. Primrose, discovering Nicholas in her daughter's room, gets the doctor to look at his arm. Sir Ivor discovers Nicholas has escaped and goes to the Iredale house to get him back. Nicholas demands to be released from "captivity", but Sir Ivor refuses. Jo returns to 1919, taking with her two walkie-talkies, one of which she sneaks into Nicholas' room.

Episode 12

Sir Ivor takes Nicholas to his study, where he drops his family ring into the drum of toxic waste. Salisbury tells Sir Ivor he'll move the drum out on a train. Jo sneaks into Sir Ivor's cellar. Meanwhile, Sir Ivor asks Titus questions about Jo and the mirror; he gets the mirror and takes it into his cellar, where a trapped Jo sees it all. Meanwhile, Old Nicholas tells Jade to sneak into Jo's room and take the mirror, which she does. She takes it to the school cellar and carefully positions it as instructed. In 1919, Jo sees the mirror shimmer, but she is unable to get through with the drum. She leaves it behind and goes to 1995, startling Jade as she appears in her 1919 clothes. She takes the key to unlock the cellar, but can't get back to 1919.

Episode 13

Jade brings the mirror back to Old Nicholas, but she is suspicious of his motives. Louisa follows Sir Ivor and Campbell to the train station to get back the mirror and young Nicholas's ring. She gets Ani to drive the horse-drawn gig and to help her sneak onto the train. So, meanwhile, calls on Tama's help to get back to 1919. He tells her of his plan: to get the correct alignment of the mirror, they will have to catch a train leaving at the same time as Sir Ivor's train. They manage to catch the train and get the alignment right—so Jo goes to 1919 where she surprises Louisa. They are caught by Sir Ivor, but the drum rolls away into a ravine. The girls flee, with Campbell in hot pursuit. They trip him up in the bog and are rescued by Ani. Meanwhile, Catherine's leadership is put to the vote.

Episode 14

Andrew scolds Tama for Jo's time travel and warns him not to help her again. Catherine says she's been sacked as headmistress and wants to leave the area as soon as possible. In 1919, the girls discover Titus gave the mirror to Sir Ivor in exchange for a cricket bat. Louisa is glad her father is much better and Joshua calls the girls into his study, where they explain how Sir Ivor is to blame for Joshua's poisoning and of Frid's involvement. He sends his soldiers to look for the missing drum. The girls distract Bullseye so that Jo can sneak in to see Nicholas and tell him they didn't find his ring. She is caught by Sir Ivor who takes her to the police station. Salisbury and the soldiers bring the drum to Joshua; he opens it to discover it is only cooking oil! Salisbury tells him not to pursue the toxic waste issue any more. Sir Ivor tells Jo that unless her parents turn up within two days, she will be sent to a women's prison in the South Island.

Episode I5

Louisa pleads with her father to help Jo, but to no avail. So Louisa goes to 1995 to get Tama's help. But Tama can't go through the mirror. Royce, meanwhile, has exacted a "sticky" revenge on Jade, whom he blames for his mother's sacking. They concoct an elaborate plan to rescue Jo from prison, but Royce is commandeered to help his mother pack. Louisa convinces Tama he is the only one who can help and gets him through the mirror to 1919. Meanwhile, Sir Ivor tells Frid to watch Louisa to see if she leads them to the real drum of toxic waste, which they believe the girls have deliberately swapped to throw them off the trail. Sir Ivor asks Frid to get the mirror for him, but he is stopped by Titus, who is guarding it. At the prison, Ani distracts the policemen, with the help of 1995 toys. They manage to get Jo out and Nicholas saves the day as he whisks her away on horseback.

Episode 16

Jo and Nicholas hide out in a disused summerhouse in the bush. Joshua confronts Louisa about Jo's escape, but she denies all knowledge. She tells Primrose (who believes her daughter's story) why she had to help Jo break free. She gets Louisa food and blankets to take to Jo and Nicholas, but Frid follows her and discovers the pair's hiding place. He tells Sir Ivor and Salisbury who ambush the fugitives, but Nicholas distracts his pursuers so Jo can get away. Sir Ivor tells Nicholas he is sending him back to Russia! Meanwhile, Tama goes back to 1995 to move the mirror to an agreed place, but Catherine unknowingly packs the mirror away. Andrew and Tama hunt for it and take it to the graveyard, just in time for Jo to get back to 1995.

Episode 17

Jo admits she's scared to go back to 1919, in case she becomes trapped there. Sir Ivor scolds Frid for Jo's escape. Primrose answers Sir Salisbury's allegations that she helped Jo flee custody, saying that Sir Ivor must have been drunk to see someone escape through a mirror! Nicholas gets a note to Louisa and her mother promptly sacks Frid. He goes to Sir Ivor begging for a job. Titus discovers where Frid has hidden the drum of toxic waste and tells Louisa. In 1995, Jo and her mother resolve their differences. Jade tells a surprised Jo not to give up the fight.

Episode I8

Tama develops a neutralising potion for the poison. Jade delivers an unexpected present which allows Jo to go back to 1919 and rescue Nicholas. The girls and Nicholas swap the drum of cooking oil for the drum of toxic waste—but they are chased by Campbell who threatens to break open the toxic drum, but Bullseye saves the day! Sir Ivor, busy preparing for an elaborate ball, is unhappy about Nicholas' escape—especially when the two Russian envoys arrive to take Nicholas away.

Episode 19

Nicholas and Jo argue after he tells them he hid the drum in the well. Sir Ivor attempts to placate the Russian envoys and the ball begins. Nicholas teaches Jo how to dance—1919 style—but the pair realise their feelings for each other cannot go any further. Tama arrives with the neutralising agents and Nicholas goes down the well. In 1995, Andrew and Catherine visit Old Nicholas who tells them everything, including his true identity.

Episode 20

Old Nicholas tells a shocked Andrew and Catherine that history will be changed forever once the drum is neutralised in 1919. Frid attempts to get his own back on Sir Ivor, not realising the drum in the cellar isn't cooking oil. He bursts in on the ball and warns the guests they are about to die of toxic fumes. His plan is foiled and he is duly arrested—as are Sir Salisbury and Sir Ivor. Nicholas must decide which neutralising potion is the correct one, but Jade comes through to 1919 to tell him which one to use. His plan works, and the course of history is changed forever. Back in 1995, Tama returns Nicholas's ring—they realise who Nicholas really is and offer him a choice: to return to 1919 or to stay in 1995 with Jo.