So shite got real on Wentworth Prison last time, sorry it’s taken me a minute to get back to it! Let’s see how Bea is doing and what chips fell where on S4:E9 Afterlife.
Last episode things shook loose in a major way, with Joan Ferguson (Pamela Rabe) making the slowest move ever on Bea Smith (Danielle Cormack); I mean, it was a well-thought-out attack, just a shiv would have been that much faster and DONE, amirite? Not that I want Bea gone, I would really, really like Ferguson to be shut down so Bea can go and finally get some affection from Allie (Kate Jenkinson) and live the rest of her life in peace. Oh and I’d like Franky back too, please. Thanks!
We open with Bea swimming in water, Debbie’s on the beach calling her in, will she stay or will she go? She goes and Will Jackson (Robbie J. Magasiva) helps her cough the rest of the water out of her lungs. Ferguson is horribly burned and Kaz Proctor (Tammy McIntosh) knows exactly who sent her up the river, and it weren’t Bea.
Governor Vera Bennett (Kate Atkinson) is investigating the kerfuffle; starting with Allie, who knows enough to say she doesn’t know anything. Kaz is putting the blame for Ferguson’s injury on Bea, of course she is. I don’t know what Vera thinks she’s going to get from these women.
Bridget Westfall (Libby Tanner) is in to see Bea; what does she remember about what happened? Nothing, nothing, but ohh, they found the cutting scars. She’s been struggling for quite some time indeed. She doesn’t have anyone but Allie and she can’t admit to that yet.
Bridget updates Vera and Will on Bea’s condition; she thinks Bea is clinically depressed. She knows that Kaz knows what happened in the kitchen with Bea and Ferguson, but she can’t get her to talk. Will would really really like a shot at Kaz but that ain’t happening. Vera shuts him down hard.
Dory (Shareena Clanton) is in to see Bea as her Peer Worker, Bea’s not having that. All I got out of that was that she thinks Allie set her up, ohhh Bea, that’s not it at all.
Boomer (Katrina Milosevic) came to that same conclusion, driving Allie up against the wall in the showers, but not in a sexy Bea/Allie way. Dory comes in and confirms it, take her down! Thank god Liz (Celia Ireland) keeps her head and warns everyone away.
Allie sneaks into Medical to shout her innocence at Bea, who covers her head with a pillow.
Kaz gets released and heads back to find Ferguson, Allie freaks out. Kaz HAS to tell Bea that Allie wasn’t involved, she HAS to! Kaz is still trying to deal with the fact that she was so thoroughly betrayed by Ferguson and she doesn’t want to hear about her second-in-command being in bed with their almost-enemy. Get out, Allie.
How is it that Kaz is still allowed to serve supper to Bea in Medical????? Like. Vera KNOWS she was involved in the plot to murder Bea, why does she have access?
Kaz is harmless, though, beaten-down and broken, apologizing over and over to Bea, who isn’t having it. What could she possible want from colossal hypocrite Kaz?
And Kaz tells her that Allie was in on the plan, prostituting herself for Kaz.
*cuppa break*
How could Kaz DO that?
Vera and Bridget have decided to take Bea back to the kitchen to see if she remembers anything about the attack, it’s just bringing on distress. She’s out in the yard now and everyone runs to see her, Allie hovering at the back, so much anxiety in her face that it makes me burst into tears when Bea shakes her head at her.
Side note: I’m sorry, tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and I, I just hate it so much. I shouldn’t be injecting so much weeping into the recap, but I’m in the middle of stuff and it’ll be the first time in well over a decade that I don’t have anyone around and I’m feeling weird about it. I’ll try to keep it to a minimum.
Boomer would like to get on with the payback, what’s the plan, Bea?
Sonia Stevens (Sigrid Thornton) is chatting a bit more about her (possible past homicide victims) friend and husband; Helene had depression as she thinks Bea does, she suggests the friend topped herself.
Ferguson is back from the hospital and Vera has a plan; she wants to keep the Freak in Medical until her trial, WHY is that so difficult for her? She can’t seem to manage her prison whatsoever. Jake Stewart (Bernard Curry) volunteers to oversee her security.
As expected, Ferguson balks at the security protocols, but as Vera points out: those are her medical guidelines.
Vera steps in close to gloat a little while Jake eavesdrops, no doubt wondering about the Governor going against her just-stated plan of going exactly by the book and not encouraging anything that looks like a conspiracy theory.
Allie can’t wait any longer and comes to see Bea, where Boomer again threatens to punch her “tits in” (I don’t think that’s how biology works) until Bea herself steps out of her cell. It does not go well, especially since Bea heard directly from Kaz that Allie was the bait. Bea and Boomer kick Allie out of the block and Allie goes right for Kaz.
Allie beats the shit out of Kaz, but it doesn’t matter, she’s lost Bea and Kaz just didn’t want to lose her too.
Jake chose this position with Ferguson so he could pick her brain, he admired her tenure as Governor. Well, she was very efficient, I’ll give her that. If she hadn’t done a Unnecessarily Slow Dipping Mechanism + Monologuing while attempting to murder Bea, she would have been much more successful. I, for one, am glad she went Old School Villain and everyone had a chance to find Bea.
Ferguson manages to plant one hook in Jake’s mouth; reporting that Vera gained her promotion by leveraging her Hep-C status as fact and how much do you want to bet that he’ll just take that and run with it? Now can he fetch her a Visitor’s Request form?
Ferguson wants to see Shayne Butler (Hunter Page-Lochard), ohhhhh, Jianna’s son. I wonder why?! To Jake’s credit, he passes on the shite Ferguson poured in his ear, so I will cut him some slack next time.
Yay Maxine (Socratis Otto) is back from surgery and looking good! She’s not quite ready for hugs, Booms, but everyone’s come to say hi and hand over presents. Not Sonia, though, she’s come with the promise of new bewbs, which infuriates Boomer to no end. Liz has to put her in a timeout and everything.
Bridget wakes Bea up (I’m fine, I’m fine) but it’s not that, it’s time for a visitor, and it’s not optional. IT’S FRANKY!!!!!!
We cry. Bea thought she died and she was so happy, Franky (Nicole da Silva), it was so peaceful. She saw Debbie, and she’s just so tired. She’s exhausted. She’s suicidal, but she DOES have a reason to be here! Haltingly, she tells Franky about letting someone under her guard. Franky gets it immediately
Oh I missed Franky. She breaks it down. Bea just got her heart broken for the first time and it sucks. But she’s strong and she’s got to get it together for the women, they need her! They need their Queen Bea. Now. Let’s talk what base she got to!
Allie hides in the yard and cries, why can’t Bea believe her? They were so obviously over the moon for each other.
Vera is just…not going about anything the right way with the Freak. She’s in taunting Ferguson about her lack of friends; I have no idea where Vera got this streak of mean confidence from, but there is no way it will end the way she thinks it will. Vera’s also doing all her ill-advised shenanigans in front of Jake, who must be wondering for real now.
Ferguson can tell Vera’s even more riled up that usual, she chides Jake for passing on what she said. Just for funzies, she suggests that Jake try to relax Vera’s jaw, honestly, as long as she has any ear at all near her, she’s dangerous. People believe the stupidest things.
Shayne is a quiet young man who didn’t know his mom at all; he’d been told she was just a junkie who didn’t want him but Ferguson vehemently denies that. She promised Jianna that she would look after her son and that’s what she wants to do. She tentatively stretches a hand across the table.
Vera knows that isn’t good, Will again begs to have a round with Kaz and HOW is that supposed to help, Will?? Kaz isn’t going to spill on Ferguson, that isn’t how it’s done! She’ll get her own back the way they do behind bars. Vera comes down even harder than earlier in the day, he can consider that an official warning.
He corners Bea; he needs her to make another statement to nail Ferguson. Since that didn’t go so well last time, she declines. And runs right for Kaz, who tells her that Shayne Butler is just a cog in a wheel to take out Nils Jesper. Bea calls Franky (who’s looking GOREGOUS, amirite??) who likes to hear that little bit of badass in her voice, it’s hot!
Ah Will, don’t do it! He’s desperate and takes a run at Kaz, including dragging her into a room. He’s gonna get so fired, and he was one of the good ones!
Ah shite! One of Kaz’s henches followed them and hits him over the head with a pipe just as he’s getting really excited. She moves to kill him, but Kaz has a different plan.
He wakes up with handcuffs on and “RRH” written across his chest; Kaz videotapes him as insurance so he doesn’t lay a hand on them again. They leave and Jake finds him, covering for him with Vera and everything.
Interesting how our new guard is right in the thick of everything.
Boomer is in visiting Maxie again; she’s sorry she got so salty about Sonia offering her new boobs, she wishes she could give them to her. Maxine doesn’t want the boobs from Boomer so much, but what about that other thing Boomer wanted? THEY’RE GONNA TRY TO HAVE A BABY!!!!!!!!!
Oop, Sonia’s figured out that Liz isn’t just regular nosy, she’s extry interested in everything Sonia thinks and does. Liz stammers through an explanation; Sonia doesn’t strike me easily fooled.
Jake walks Vera out, looks like he’s taking Ferguson’s advice and going for the jaw-unclench. She stops him with a quiet “no” but what she means is
Bea finally comes to see Maxine, she brought a drawing of flowers and they chat a bit before FINALLY someone says what needed to be said about Allie. Maxine knows there was no way Allie was playing Bea! No way! She saw them together. That’s all Bea needs to hear, she’s off to Allie’s cell to talk.
It’s too late, Allie’s back on the stuff, getting high in the equipment room and COME ON, WENTWORTH!! Come ON!!!!!!! I mean. And we’re out. Until next time, you guys. Have a great Valentine’s Day.
