Welcome back to Wentworth Prison, where everything is getting tenser and tenser and people are dying. Breathe. Rolling S1:E9 after the break.

We ended last episode with the overdosing of Debbie; oh I’m worried as to how Bea will handle this. She’ll go one way or the other and no way looks good for the flailing Jacs. It’s like when a chicken has its head cut off and it doesn’t know it’s dead yet: that’s Jacs.

Kim’s giving Boomer hip-hop dance lessons in the compound while Bea braids Dory’s hair and Liz jumps in, so much fun. Until Fletch walks up and barks at them to turn it off, Bea’s needed in Medical. She wants to know now, why is she going? She starts to get frantic and Will’s face tells her but even as his eyes get shiny she can’t believe it and Fletch walks away. What? Erica and Will corral Bea and get her moving, but why did Fletcher walk away like that??

He stands in the kitchen, staring at the sink, what’s going on with him? Vera’s able to put a smile on his face at least; she feels sorry for Bea, but he brushes that off. If she was worried about her kid, she wouldn’t have ended up in here. I would argue that her being worried about her husband hurting her kid is EXACTLY why she ended up in here, but I’m not about to argue with him, he seems affected more than he should be.

Erica explains about how Debbie’s died; Bea doesn’t understand and she’s frantic. Debbie doesn’t use hard drugs. Will holds her back as she loses it; she needs to talk to Harry. She gets through to Harry; they’re telling her all this stuff, they’re got it all wrong, haven’t they? Oh the tears.

How could Jacs have done this to another prisoner who has NOTHING to do with her, really?? How could she reach out her black spider hands and kill someone for no other reason other than to show what meager influence she has outside her tiny little world?

Nuff of that, we cry and cry with Bea; Will is there to comfort her a little, I hope that helped her and him. The prison rings with her cries.

Small break.

Erica calls Fletch on the carpet for disappearing but he won’t tell her why he left. Channing comes in at the tailend and notes her engagement ring. Has she really been engaged for several years and only now started wearing it?

Fletcher is listening to thrash metal on his headphones, it must be to drown out something internal; good to know it has a use! Vera just wants to tell him she really enjoyed the movie, so he immediately invites her over for supper. This is a man who does not want to be alone right now.

Channing brought Erica a bottle of booze from the Duty Free; they’re sharing a drink and discussing their love lives. He didn’t know she was seeing someone (seriously, she’s been engaged for like 5 years) and doesn’t recommend marriage. Well, it’s fine and all, but he gets… distracted, so he’s found a way to manage that within the confines of his marriage: no divorce for him! Just careful cheating. Sigh. The important thing is to make sure the other party is equally careful and all of a sudden Erica and I pick up what he’s laying down. Is he hitting on Erica?? He is, the cheeky bugger! He asks if she wants him to be propositioning her? And she laughs: not unless he wants to be sued. He seems to take it in stride, but hell hath no fury like a middle-aged man denied his side piece.

Bea’s depressed but somewhat mobile, she tells Will and Erica she’s got to get up and make funeral arrangements. They exchange a look over her head; then Erica lowers the boom. Bea won’t be able to attend her daughter’s funeral, she’s on Remand and the drug muling five seconds after she arrived has precluded her from attending. Bea takes that as well as anyone who is told she can’t attend their child’s funeral would take that news.

In the yard, Will reminds Erica; she could ask Channing for leeway, but Erica doesn’t want to do that. Liz asks after Bea, and Jacs has the nerve to stroll over, spouting shite about “every mother’s worst nightmare.” Franky slaps back at her but Liz doesn’t want to hear about it. Worth the gif, though I can’t find it.

Will comforts Bea, who’s not sleeping because when she wakes up, it will be the first thing she thinks of. Imma tell you, this whole episode is being watched through a film of tears, so I almost can’t wait until we’re through and I can go back to hating Jacs again. She just isn’t worth the energy right now. Will gives her some advice on how to pull through and he really is a magic person to be helping her right now. Who could understand better than he? Oh and then he offers to go to the funeral for Bea and we’re crying again. Damnit. She asks him to tell Debbie her mother loves her “to the moon and back” and one more small break is required.

Fletcher is having a terrible evening. He’s cooking and drinking and staring at the clock, but nothing is drowning out the terrified screams of a woman echoing in his head. Music and more cooking manage to pass another hour and half, but he’s burned everything and Vera’s left a message. Her mother is sick and she won’t be able to make it.

He shows up at Vera’s house, to find her in her robe and her mother sleeping. He kisses her neck and I think Vera’s about to lose her flower!!Jeebus but he’s twice the size of her. She tries to slow things down, but he’s just looking to drown out the voices with sex, so proceeds apace. He can’t get it in, oddly, she’s had exactly 90 seconds to get ready and 35 years to wait and they’re both mostly dressed. You know, I don’t put much stock in losing your virginity a certain “perfect” way or think that the first time you bump wobblies with a new partner has to be amazing, but AT LEAST TAKE YOUR DAMN CLOTHES OFF and don’t do it when you’re just using the other person for stress avoidance. Ahole. She lies there in pain, trying to think what went wrong as he stares at himself in the bathroom. She asks him to leave.

Will’s telling Bea about seeing Debbie’s body, oh man. What’s the bucket for at the end of the gurney?? And why didn’t they clean off the vomit?? He just tells Bea all the good stuff and we cry as he tells Debbie what Bea wanted her to know. Will has never looked so peaceful or handsome as he does right now, helping Bea and not wallowing in his own grief.

Fletch’s worried; he tells Will he thinks he really fcuked things up with Vera. They’re interrupted by Channing; he wants to know why they think things have gone to shite in the three weeks he’s been away. Fletch gives it to him straight and blames it on Erica’s inexperience, which Channing seemed to be looking for. He’d like to buy Fletch a beer sometimes, keep the conversation going. Fletch is up for it, cheers. Is that a move against Erica?

Bea’s explaining to Harry what she wants Debbie buried in; he just looks so very small and they both look wrecked with grief. Bea’s gone on to anger now, blaming Harry for not knowing Debbie was on heroin but Harry is still in pieces. He found her, but he didn’t know she was dying while he was making dinner. Oh jeez I held my breath for a full minute there while Harry told Bea that Debbie had a boyfriend, but he only has Braden’s first name, not last, so Jacs gets another day.

Fletch is being a complete DICK, reminding Bea that she shouldn’t expect any special treatment but she gets it anyway. Jacs watches while Simmo hands over a bunch of new magazines to Bea in sympathy, ohhh. All the hugs from Liz and Franky.

Jacs has set her web back in her compound, Simmo wanders by and Jacs drags her over for a game of cards. Run, Simmo!! No, wait, don’t run, Simmo, you’re the arsehole that beat Bea up right before Jacs had Bea’s daughter murdered. Stay there and get your due.

Jacs sets the trap; where are Simmo’s magazines? Ah, never came, nevermind, screws must have gotten them. And now Jacs knows, as far back as she and Simmo goes, they aren’t going any further. Let’s take a walk!

People have been dropping food off for Bea all morning; it’s like after a funeral when everyone drops off casseroles. Jacs brings chocolates, which Franky confiscates, but Simmo’s discomfited by her magazines under Bea’s arm in full view.

Dory and Liz are in to see the Guvnor, pleading Bea’s case. Dory is emotional, but Liz is smarter about it. She reminds Erica that the women all feel bad about Debbie and kindly towards Bea and you know what happens when the women don’t feel heard…she reminds her that Erica DID make a change for the better in the Wet Cells, so. Erica nods.

Erica broaches the issue with Channing; who toys with her a bit while everyone dresses. Wait, I thought Bea wasn’t allowed to go? But Erica gave her approval and now has to pull it back, while Bea is already dressed and jfc. Moar tears and now the Guvnor has the target drawn on her. Will and I can’t believe it.

Ah Bea.

She spends the evening staring at pictures of Debbie, remembering everything and she’s not crying, so I’m totally not, stop it! OH JFC, Liz is awoken by a banging noise and it’s Bea, she’s tried to hang herself and it goes slowmo and MOAR TEARS. I’m sorry for being so repetitive, but it’s so WRENCHING. This show.

Everyone fights to get her down and they cry and she’s okay and oh man. Oh Bea.

Liz sits with her after, Bea is furious that Liz saved her, calling her a coward. I saved a man’s life one time and he was SO MAD. Liz shoots back; do you think she didn’t want to top herself? Does she think Debbie would want that? Bea stares into the night.

Erica’s called Liz into her office; I was wondering when they were going to restore Liz as Peer Worker, Dory’s pretty much hopeless, but they don’t say that. They need Liz’s expertise right now, major damage control is necessary after the fiasco with Bea not being able to go. Liz suggests a ceremony for Bea.

Fetcher confronts Vera; he doesn’t want her hating him for the wrong reasons. He explains; when he was in the army, he saw a little girl get shot in East Timor and Bea’s screams reminded him of the mother holding her dead child.

He just wanted Vera to understand, he isn’t making excuses for his behavior. He would like a chance to make it up to her, but she needs some time to think about it.

The women have set up a table with a picture of Debbie in the courtyard, everyone is there and WHY AM I CRYING ALREADY?? How much time is left in this anyway??

Fletch isn’t there, he’s sitting in the lunchroom, but he’s far away with the screams in East Timor. Channing interrupts him: not paying his respects? But no, Fletch’ll save his pity for innocent women who lose children. Time for the beer tonight? Yessir. Channing is one of those guys who can’t take being turned down, hey? I’m guessing that’s the basis of his maneuverings against Erica. Ahole.

Dory and Liz give speeches then Bea lays a rose on Debbie’s table and hugs all around as we’re oot. Until next time, you lot, good LORD I need a drank.

**images from no1frankyfan’s Tumblr