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EPISODE 253

The women suspect that Bea and Sandy have set Marie up, but there is no proof. Meg learns that the Board is due to review Lizzie's parole following her arrest for non-payment of bills.

First broadcast ... 1982 (Melbourne)
Broadcast on Channel 5 Sunday 19 April 1998 04:40
DVD release: volume 16 disc 4 (AUS)
Duration: 0:46:39



Meg ~ Elspeth Ballantyne
Judy ~ Betty Bobbitt
Lizzie ~ Sheila Florance
Erica ~ Patsy King
Bea ~ Val Lehman
Jim ~ Gerard Maguire
Doreen ~ Colette Mann
Officer Powell ~ Judith McGrath
Kate ~ Olivia Hamnett
Steve ~ Wayne Jarratt
Sandy ~ Louise Le Nay
Marie ~ Maggie Millar
Janet ~ Kate Sheil
Lorna Young ~ Barbara Jungwirth
Dog Handler (Pete) ~ Paul Rettke

  • Written by Wendy Jackson
  • Directed by Juliana Focht
  • Robert suggested in PCBH Digest 1200 that there may have been a summer break in shooting between this episode and the last, various different hairstyles and an increase in the size of Louise le Nay's bump being the telltale clues.

    Is this prisoner with Lizzie taking a meal to the infirmary Gloria Ajenstat?

    Marie is thrown into solitary protesting her innocence. In the rec room, Lorna confronts Bea about setting Marie up. Sandy is prepared to deal with Lorna, but Bea says not to waste her energy. Kate takes all of this in. Janet, happy and breezy, tells Meg of her reconciliation with Jim. Meg is pleased and invites them both over for dinner that evening. Kate brings Marie her meal and lets Marie know that the women are not backing Bea and Sandy. Meg's dinner party is not a great success, with Janet rubbing in that Meg is alone and making possessive comments towards Jim. Kate suggests to Sandy and Bea that perhaps some kind of controlled drug trade should be allowed. The suggestion is not well received. Jim takes Janet home, but, much to her distress, does not come in. Judy is anxious about her parole hearing. Meg tells her the board won't get to her before late afternoon. Kate suggests to Sandy that she speak to Marie about restarting the kitchen scam. Sandy agrees to consider it - with Bea. Jim tells Meg that Lizzie is back in custody and why. Marie returns to the laundry to find Sandy at the press. Bea backs Sandy up, but no one else does. Marie then threatens to have Bea attacked if Sandy doesn't move away. Sandy has no choice but to surrender the press to Marie. Jim catches up to Meg again, this time informing her that Lizzie's parole licence has been revoked and that Judy's hearing has been postponed until the next week. Meg and Jim pull Judy out of the laundry and give her the bad news. Judy takes it quietly enough, but when Marie teases her about it she lunges for her. Jim refuses to punish Judy and Meg takes her outside to comfort her. Judy asks that Meg cash in the ticket she bought and use the money to send Lori a gift. Kate enters Marie's cell as Marie is writing a note. When Kate makes it clear she is backing her and prepared to spy on Bea and Sandy, Marie lets her know about the note Sandy received from Fitzwater, asking her to "take care" of the lagger he's certain exists. Kate recommends writing back that Sandy is too busy with other matters to be bothered with his request. Marie has already done just that. Bea cheers Judy up and says how much she'll miss her when she is paroled. Erica gives Lizzie a stiff talking to on her return to Wentworth, but Lizzie claims it wasn't her fault this time and tells Erica about the conman: Erica puts her on kitchen duty to give her a "rest". Lizzie finds out the mystery prisoner in the infirmary is Doreen, who has been returned from Barnhurst after a bashing from Marie's mate Janie. Kate gets Erica's permission to work part-time in the infirmary. Janet asks Steve's advice about cameras, as she's thinking of buying one as a present for Jim. Doreen won't tell Erica anything about what led to her bashing and is warned that whatever the reason, the trouble must not continue at Wentworth. Kate examines Doreen's stab wound and keeps her up to date with the news: when she hears that Marie has taken over, Doreen nervously asks if Marie is still in contact with her old mates at Barnhurst. The kennels for the dogs arrive (though it looks like two garden sheds lashed together). Jim is surprised to find Janet waiting for him at home and is appalled by the expensive camera she has bought for him, and at first says he can't accept it. Bea talks to Doreen, who tells her that Vera had her sent back to Wentworth for her own protection as Janie and the others were going to kill her. When Bea wants to know why, Doreen claims it was for refusing to give up her buyup, but Bea thinks there's more to it. The guard dogs arrive with their trainer: Janet admits they scare her, but Jim snaps that "her" union was responsible for the compromise, and he didn't have any say in the matter. Kate distracts Bea while Marie hides the note for Fitzwater in a laundry bag. Doreen asks to go outside but then changes her mind when she finds out the other women are on exercise period. Jim is annoyed to find the camera bag and accessories on the staff room table. The women see the dogs for the first time. Jim tells Janet she is getting too much for him and that their affair is over.

    This episode summary was written by Matthew Bubb.

    ***


    Storyliners: John Mortimore, Andrew Kennedy, Michael Freundt, Dave Worthington
    Script Editors: Ian Smith


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