australian television information archive

Where The Heart Is

Episode 2.01
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Ratings: 604,000 viewers (14th)
Written by Adrian Russell Wills
Directed by Adrian Russell Wills

When Amy's dad Richard is in an accident, her other father Peter fights to retain custody of her, but is hamstrung by his own recklessness. Richard and Peter are a loving couple who have made a life, family, and home for themselves raising their daughter, Amy. Like every other couple they have found themselves in a funk, and with pressure from work and tension increasing, Peter and Richard start arguing.

But in just one morning their whole world is turned upside down when Richard is involved in a freak car accident. As he lies on life support, Peter is the one who has to break the news to Richard's estranged mother, Margaret. It is the call a mother never wants to get and one Peter doesn't want to make. Richard's condition goes from bad to worse, and as his next of kin, Peter is faced with the heartbreaking decision of switching off his life support. Under protest from Margaret the decision is made.

Months later at the coroner's inquest it is revealed that Peter could have played a small part in Richard's accidental death, news that Margaret does not take well. Peter struggles through his grief, finding comfort in other men. When Margaret discovers what Peter is doing, and so soon after her son's death, she files for full custody of Amy in a bid to get back what is left of her son and her family.

Peter can't believe that the judge might find against him, but when Margaret shows up to the Family Court with a team of lawyers and a well prepared case, the threat of losing custody of Amy becomes all too real. Peter's best friend Lorraine decides it's time for a few home truths: quit the drinking, quit the smoking, quit the selfpity.

At first it's hard to hear, but Peter realises that Lorraine is right and that he's going to have to fight like hell to keep the thing he loves most in the world, Amy.

Cast: Josef Ber as Luis, Linda Cropper as Mediator, Alan Dukes as Doctor, Noni Hazlehurst as Margaret, Celia Ireland as Nurse Edwards, Deborah Mailman as Lorraine, Hamish Michael as Steven, Kirk Page as Peter, Oscar Redding as Richard, John Sheerin as Family Court Judge, Matty Shields as David, Guy Simon as Kyle, Saskia Williscroft as Amy

Starting Over

Episode 2.02
Thursday, November 07, 2013
Ratings: 529,000 viewers (16th)
Written by Jon Bell
Directed by Rachel Perkins

After his involvement in a tragic event that rocked the local community [episode 1.06], Aaron Davis is trying to find his place in the world again, with the help of his family, therapy, and a new love prospect.

Aaron's life as he knows it has been completely turned upside down since the tragic death of Lenny, an Aboriginal teenager who died in police custody during Aaron's shift. His career in the force is on hold whilst he goes through psychological assessment. And in fact he's not even sure going back to the police force is what he wants. He is being ostracised by the local Redfern community; he can't even enjoy a beer at the local 'Koorioke' as the bartender refuses to serve him. Aside from the shining beacons that are his daughter Robyn and granddaughter Donna, things are pretty dim for Aaron. That is until romance sparks with his very attractive neighbour, Allie. The only problem is that Aaron has just been involved in the arrest of Allie's partner, Indigo, even though it was Allie who called the police after Indigo hit her.

Determined to get on with life without Indigo, Allie makes the bold move of attending the local 'Koorioke' with her bruised eye on display, a move that is frowned upon by her local community. It is here that Allie and Aaron, both on the outer, bond over their mutual experience of being treated like outsiders in their small community. And it is not long before their newfound friendship turns into something more serious — although several hurdles will need to be overcome if they are going to be together.

In trying to get his life back on track, Aaron has to feel his way through the new challenges he faces to discover whether rejoining the police force is ultimately the right decision.

Cast: Wayne Blair as Aaron Davis, Stephen Curry as Ryan Hobbs, Dean Daley-Jones as Indigo, Lisa Flanagan as Allie, Deborah Galanos as Therapist, Rarriwuy Hick as Robyn, Wes Patton as Man, Mirranee Penrith as Sonny, Patricia Morton Thomas as Anuty Mona, Leonnie Whyman as Selene, Ray Anthony as Nathan's Mate, Cramer Cain as Jumpy, Alison Chambers as Customer, Kylie Coolwell as Annette, Alec Doomadgee as Koorioke Announcer, Glenn Millanta as Police Officer, Arana Mundine as Donna, Rosealee Pearson as Vivian, Irvine Robertson as Hooded Man 2, Joe Rokoqo as Hooded Man 1, Susan Ling Young as Rose Seller

Babe In Arms

Episode 2.03
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Ratings: 449,000 viewers (<20th)
Written by Steven McGregor
Directed by Adrian Russell WIlls

New parents, Janine and Justin are tested to their limit when their newborn son goes missing and suspicions grow in the community and between one another.

After welcoming their first child, a son, into the world, Janine and Justin's dreams and hopes for their new life quickly unravel as Janine struggles with the responsibility of looking after a newborn. With Justin at work all day, Janine, with no family support of her own, finds caring for their son all day alone more of a challenge than she expected. The child won't settle, won't feed, won't sleep, and Janine is way out of her depth. Her sense of isolation is exacerbated by the feeling that Justin's parents disapprove of him marrying a white girl. Sleep deprivation and the end of her once ordered life places a strain on her relationship with both her new son and her husband.

Justin's insistence that caring for a child should come naturally to every woman doesn't go over well with Janine, and it sparks a huge argument that sees Justin storm off for some much needed peace and quiet.

This triggers an incident, which is every parent's nightmare — their son goes missing. The authorities are called, a media blitz is undertaken and professional mourners set up vigil outside the family home. As the days roll on and there is no word or clue as to the whereabouts of the child, suspicion switches to the parents, especially when a neighbour says that the baby had been crying all hours of the day and night. And when Janine reveals, during a media plea, that they had not named their son, it fuels further suspicion.

Justin is supportive of his wife and refuses to believe that she had anything to do with the disappearance. But with the court of public opinion swirling around them, and Justin's parents expressing their doubt over Janine's version of events, Justin soon begins to suspect his wife may have had something to do with the disappearance of their child after all. What transpires is a collision of love and loyalty versus fact. Justin must decide who to believe — his wife, or the evidence.

Cast: Bob Baines as Superintendant Giles, Sibylla Budd as Detective Morris, Sam Conway as Norman Myles, Matt Doran as Dean, Daniel Frederiksen as Detective Harrison, Deborah Jones as Lucy Marks, Caren Pistorius as Janine Myles, Melodie Reynolds as Dottie Myles, Natasha Wanganeen as Emily, Meyne Wyatt as Justin Myles, Andrea Berchtold as Stunt Police Officer, Rebecca Clay as Reporter 1, Nicola Frew as Pharmacy Attendant, Alice Keohavong as Reporter 2, Jenny Munro as Aunty 1, Fabrizio Omedei as Reporter 3, Jillian Russ as Police Officer 3, Leon Stripp as Police Officer 2, Tom Webb as Police Officer 1, Pamela Young as Aunty 2; Babies: Logan Davies, Lincoln Fowler, Sebastian Gardiner, Mitchell Kohloff, Harry Lovell, Kyaah Mahr, Rhys Ryan-Sifco, Zoe Taylor

Consequences

Episode 2.04
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Ratings: 478,000 viewers (16th)
Written by Leah Purcell
Directed by Leah Purcell

A 35-year-old, high achieving Aboriginal woman, Mattie has just received a PhD in Cultural Anthropology.

She races to share the news with her estranged white father Jack who she hasn't seen in 19 years. She wants to gloat. She wants to thank him for leaving her Aboriginal mother Patricia and herself when she was ten years old: a decision that had a huge impact on both their lives. She succeeded without him. But when she calls to tell him, his older brother Richard answers the phone. He tells her that Jack died two days earlier.

Mattie is determined that Jack's family — her white family — will accept her. So she sets out to drive to Sydney to confront them. During the drive she thinks about the time she spent with her dad as a child. When she arrives she goes straight to Jack's butcher shop, only to discover that it is now a café run by Brenda. As she strikes up a conversation with her, she twigs to the fact that Brenda is her half-sister.

Mattie arrives at Jack's funeral intent on placing her graduation photograph on his co n and telling the congregation about her relationship to him. But before she can, Brenda recognises her from the café and realises that the conversation they had about their respective fathers dying recently was not a coincidence. A very heated confrontation takes place with Brenda determined to stop Mattie hurting her grieving mother. So Mattie must decide whether to reveal the truth or not.

Cast: Kylie Belling as Patricia, Steve Bisley as Richard, Tammy Clarkson Jones as Mattie, Matthew Cooper as Damo, David Downer as Principal, Ella Enright as Young Brenda, Alicia Gardiner as Brenda, Miah Madden as Young Mattie, Craig McLachlan as Jack, Tessa Rose as Coral, Lani Tupu as Minister, Jo Aincough as Dean's Wife, Colin Borgonon as Senior Councillor, Alfred Coolwell as Neal, Jakaya Dixon as Jada, Keenan Gillespie as Dean's Son, Wiliam Gleeson as Dean's Son, Tamara Knox as Jalisa, Alex Kuusik as Dean, Bethany Larum as Dean's Daughter, Justin Leong as Arkiyo, Christopher Morris as Peter, Lorna Munro as Jayde, Mikaela Nicholson as Dean's Daughter, Pearl Tan as Receptionist, Elizabeth Thurbon as Mrs Daley. Sarah Woods as Susan [uncredited]

Pokies

Episode 2.05
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Ratings: 469,000 viewers (13th)
Written by Steven McGregor
Directed by Beck Cole

Nic Shields spends her lunchtimes playing the pokies, and in a desperate attempt to absolve a whirlpool of deceit and debt she has found herself in, stages a robbery.

Nic spends her lunch hour down at her local workers club. It has become a ritual: a little lunch, a couple of games of Keno and a press on the pokies. But what started out as a bit of fun has slowly become a bit of a problem. Nic is chasing her losses and is sure the next press will pay. But the frequent trips to the ATM machine tell another story. Her bank balance is evaporating, and to hide the true extent of her gambling from her husband Eddie, she has re-directed her bank statements to her cousin Grace's house. This places a strain on their relationship, but Nic assures Grace she will sort it out by the end of the week.

So Nic's preoccupation with her gambling intensifies as she tries to make more money to pay for Eddie's 40th birthday party, her son Joel's school excursion, and a major landscape improvement being undertaken in the family backyard. When the contractor requests a further down payment, Nic panics and unleashes on the contractor and Eddie.

A few days later when Nic is on her way to bank her employer's takings, she is robbed in broad daylight. The police are called and her family and work colleagues are sympathetic to the ordeal she has experienced.

Although Nic wants to go back to work immediately she accepts a small break from work, but spends her free time playing the pokies. The police turn up during Eddie's birthday party with the good news that the perpetrator of the robbery has been caught. But why is Nic so nervous when asked to accompany them to the station? Has it got something to do with the fact that the thief is her nephew Robbie?

Tortured with guilt over what she's done, and the knowledge that her husband and son will soon know the truth, Nic makes a decision that she believes will free her of the guilt and shame.

Cast: Les Chantery as Officer Markos, Kylie Farmer as Lena, Brenda Knowles as Lisa, Ewan Leslie as Mr Parish, Aaron McGrath as Joel, Madeleine Madden as Chloe, Emma Mullings as Kristen, Roberts Preston as Colin, Leah Purcell as Grace, Marley Sharp as Eddie, Heath Wilder as Lawyer, Dion Williams as Robbie, Ben Wood as Clyde, Ursula Yovich as Nic, Ivan Clarke as Cousin 1, Jesse Guivarra as Dancer 2, Ethel Ann Gundy as Edith, Thomas E.S. Kelly as Dancer 1 / Didgeridoo Player, Glenn Millanta as Officer Abbott, Edward Valent as Cousin 2, Dean Widders as Cousin 3, Yilara Widders as Little Girl, Quentin Yung as Hotel Desk Clerk

Note: this episode revisits the Shields family who we first saw in episode 1.04 (the national anthem episode)

Dogs Of War

Episode 2.06
Thursday, December 05, 2013
Ratings: 483,000 viewers (18th)
Written by Wayne Blair
Directed by Wayne Blair

The purchase of an undisciplined guard dog poisons relationships between Redfern neighbours and aggravates a malignant memory for an ex- serviceman, Ernie.

When police investigate two burglaries on opposite sides of the same street, they decide the perpetrators have targeted the homes without dogs. So Derek, father of two young children, purchases a mongrel German shepherd to improve his security.

Evonne, heavily pregnant, has her father, Ernie, a retired army drill sergeant, stay at her home. Ernie wastes no time installing new security windows and locks. He's critical of Evonne's partner's absence, but grateful for his daughter's hospitality. At night Ernie is a icted by terrible nightmares which stem from his service in the army, and his night-yelling triggers the neighbour's new mongrel dog Toby to start barking. Toby's bark also wakes up Evonne and Ernie's nearest neighbours, Jimmy and his wife Susie, who have a young baby. Frustrations between the neighbours begin to mount. Evonne suggests Ernie help them train the dog, but Ernie declines. Ernie's nightmares continue and Toby continues to bark at night in response, provoking another big confrontation in the street.

Meanwhile, Ernie has begun to cough up blood. Submitting to an examination and x-ray, Ernie is gutted to learn he has cancer, but withholds the terrible news from Evonne. Ernie's nightmares and fearful yelling persist and incite another showdown and Ernie gets into a brutal streetfight with Derek. The next morning screams awake the whole neighbourhood when Toby, and Derek's daughter Naomi, are found convulsing in the front yard. Both have apparently eaten dog bait.

Jimmy offers an antidote in the form of soda water, before the paramedics quickly rush Naomi to hospital. Derek and the rest of the neighbourhood suspect Ernie is responsible for the baiting.

Returning to the clinic for a CT scan the source of Ernie's nightmares is exposed: an incident when he was conducting a search in Vietnam with a service dog. Soon after, Ernie overhears a turbulent situation in Jimmy's house, and when they put their house up for sale his suspicions grow. He suspects Jimmy's quick reaction that saved Naomi's life may be because he set the bait.

Cast: Wayne Blair as Aaron Davis, Katherine Beckett as Evonne, Bruce Carter as Derek Jackson, Aaron Cummins as Young Ernie, Ernie Dingo as Ernie Johnson, Lincoln Hambrick as Jake Jackson, Chris Haywood as Doctor, Glenn Hazeldine as Jimmy, Sarah Snook as Officer Sarah Donaldson, Maya Stange as Susie, Eliza Toomey as Naomi Jackson, Alfred Coolwell as Neal, Emma Jane Hyland as Woman Passerby, Michelle Lansdown as Real Estate Agent, Nahdia Noter as Local Woman, Jillian Osborne as Ambulance Officer 2, Emmy Saheki as Vietnamese Girl, Cleave Williams as Ambulance Officer 1, Lorelai Grady as Jimmy's Baby 1, Lucas Bourrigan as Jimmy's Baby 2, Aaron Teece as Ernie Junior (Baby)