So we’ve got a new warden for Wentworth prison, a mystery as to who killed the previous one and several in-between goings-ons rocking the casbah on Foxtel’s Wentworth; and who’s Franky anyway?? Thanks again to AK to suggesting this show on Facebook! Rolling E3 after the break
The change of the guard in the prison leadership signals a move towards a more politically savvy frontpiece rather than one who knows what’s actually happening. Let’s see how fast Erica Davidson can run it into the ground before stepping from that stone onto something even bigger. She’s already got one cover-up to handle post-haste, that of her teacher Steven selling the girls heroin on the side. We know Franky likes the change. Ms. Davidson thinks she’s harmless, so we can only assume the new guvnor is blind because she’s looking only forward. Does anyone think Erica killed Meg for the chance?
Holy shite we’re not long into it when we find out about Franky’s reality TV background. She was on a cooking show competition and being roundly humiliated by the jidge on camera, and it seems she wasn’t playacting as he might have been. During a commercial she beat him up and burned his face with a pan of hot grease, dayum, Franky!
The sizzling of that pan of grease sounds a lot like the steamer Jacs is using in the prison Laundry; why would they allow inmates access to something so dangerous??
Speaking of dangerous, Dory’s got her sewing machine jammed, so Bea pushes her aside to fix it, swapping her the towels she was folding. Everyone looks like they swallowed a live octopus (one of the grossest Law & Order episodes EVER); they aren’t allowed to switch jobs on their own like that! Bea pffts and pushes Dory out of the way as Jacs the shark swims closer and closer. Now she’s bumping up against Bea’s table, she seems like the kind of mother who makes clothes for her children, yeah? When is Mini-Bea coming anyway? Ah, today, okay well, be a love and go on over and cover the steaming station for five minutes.
See, Jacs makes up the work assignments, wouldn’t want people having opinions and messing up the system, would they? Systems are very important in prison, so go on love, go steam some sheets with absolutely no prior knowledge of this dangerous machine.
Franky’s been listening at the door, as soon as Bea’s pushed to the point where she will have to go over, she pops in, setting Jacs back in her place. Bea thanks Franky, who tells her “you just got in the game, Red” and I’m pretty sure that happened over tea two episodes previous. As Franky said when she walked in, she is always the one to lighten the mood, I’d be sorry to not have her meth-dealing arse around.
A guard I don’t recognize comes in to collect Franky to see the new Guvnor, Franky leaves Boomer in charge but Boomer’s anxious face can’t really be a comfort to anyone in that room.
Mr. Jackson has gone rogue, checking rooms on his own while on duty; the really tricky part will be conducting the internals without anyone noticing.
Erica’s summoned Franky because Franky’s dad (the discussion of who is off limits) has sent a letter. And has sent more in the past, none of which she’s answered. Erica asks Franky if she thinks it’s an imposter or a potential threat. How could a letter from her dad be either? Moar Franky mystery!
Just then, Erica notices the cut from Jacs over Franky’s breast: she doesn’t want an escalation like with Guvnor Jackson. Franky plays it off and leaves. She gets back to her cell and can tell immediately that someone’s been going through her stuff, what was Mr. Jackson thinking? If anyone had an iron-clad alibi, it was Franky, being scarred for life in Jacs’s cell.
Franky’s working out some frustration in the yard by playing basketball; ending up in a grudge match with Jacs’ henchwomen. She knocks the spotty one to the ground just as the warden makes rounds on the grounds; hmmm. Franky shouted out a warning to Guvnor Davidson just as a ball was thrown at her head, Jacs has clearly decided she is on the other side of the newest person in charge.
Guvnor Davidson is approached by Dory next; does she know how Toni is doing? Nobody will tell her anything. Liz pushes back, surprisingly, the Wet Cells for detox leave the women worse than before they went in, Erica can’t believe that’s the best thing for them?
Davidson goes and checks on Toni after, she seems creepy and passed out until she sees the warden looking at her and starts stuffing her face with a giant roll. Erica freaks out; Toni’s trying to kill herself! She makes Matthew open up the door so she can be projectile vomited on. You know, you do you, Erica, but there are better ways to spend your day.
Back in her office, she yells at Deputy Guvnor Bennett, what about the prisoner’s basic human rights? Oh but Erica’s only worried about the public relations aspect of the cells; whew, all is right with the world. I thought she actually cared about the prisoners for a moment and all went atilt.
Franky’s dad Alan (Richard Sutherland) is watching the video of Franky assaulting the celeb chef on YouTube, then driving to the prison where he introduces himself to Erica outside. We’re getting a Whole Franky Epi, woo hoo!
Erica is heading up a staff meeting; they’ve sorted where the drugs were being mailed from, it’s Lexi Banner (or somefing like that) and she’ll soon be joining them back behind bars. CO Miles brings up the lawn balls tournament but Bennett won’t be joining in, she has plans with Adam. Fletcher asks “who?” with a smirk so there’s something there!
Oh and Erica has one more thing, making everyone sit down again, let’s review and change the procedures for the Wet Cells, in essence it adds up to a lot more work for the guards and leaves them more vulnerable as they will be alone more frequently. She didn’t mean it was up for discussion, though, off you go you lot and have Franky brought to her office, will you Vera? Meeting adjourned
Debbie’s nervously waiting outside for visiting hours, approached by a young flash guy who asks if it’s her first time. Ah it’s Brayden Holt (Reef Ireland – that’s a name? Like on your birth certificate?), who must be Jacs’s son: RUN DEBBIE!!
Bea’s fussing with her hair pre-visit, Liz and Dory are driving her crazy
Erica’s called for Franky because of the visit from Alan Doyle of course. He had her birth certificate and pictures, he’s most likely legit, Erica thinks. She references Franky’s tough childhood, but I’m more interested in the fact Franky says she wishes Erica had her old job. Were they lovers, as Franky suggested? I don’t get why she’s trying to ram Alan down Franky’s throat, people have come to peace with things on their own time. Ooooh and Franky DID get coffee as she asked for before that, Erica does care! Alan’s been parked out front all morning, it’s Franky’s call if she wants to see him.
Alan’s in for the strip search, so I guess that was a YES from Franky. Brayden’s still all over Debbie, man, come on. She’s being sent in to see the sniffer dogs, aww, she loves dogs. I bet she will not like this dog. Brayden’s eyes go flat after she walks away. Franky’s in with Bea, waiting for their visitors and Bea tries to thank her for the help in the laundry room but Franky’s too nervous, flashing back to her childhood. “Talk to me again and I’ll break your jaw.”
Ohhh and young Holt had time to slip something onto Debbie’s person; the dog detected an illegal substance. She has to do a strip search if she wants to stay and visit her mother, if she declines, it will be taken into consideration for future visits and she probably won’t be able to visit her mum again. Up to her. She consents, bewildered.
Franky’s mother is a nightmare, blaming her for Alan for leaving.
Franky’s face when she sees her father… sad and vulnerable and wary and tough all at the same time. All done with an eye blink and a head tilt. They’re in a different set-up from everyone else, separated rooms connected by glass. It’s a security precaution, so Franky doesn’t kill her dad.
She’s not a killer, he scoffs, but really, she’s just there to tell him to his face to feck off. He tries to explain about why he left, wasn’t ready to be a dad, etc etc, but that’s a tough shift to leave your daughter with an unstable crack-ho.
Mr. Jackson looks better, whew, and he’s in to tell Bea that Debbie’s going through a strip search and won’t be in until she passes that. Bea LOSES it, Debbie’s only 16 and I can’t even imagine. Debbie owns up to being around someone smoking a joint the previous day, but the protocol has been triggered and she has to be searched regardless. Another problem is that Harry doesn’t know his daughter isn’t in to visit her mum but he will be called now.
Alan saw Franky on the TV show, she was so angry. He figured that was because of him, she never mentioned her mothers in her interviews. Franky was tortured by her addicted alcoholic mum for years, and tormented: her dad leaving was HER fault. He thought it would be fine leaving her with her mum, though, she was her kid, yeah? That reminds me so much of a family member who was left with her paranoid schizophrenic mom by her dad. Sure, that’s totally safe, nothing wrong with that. Except who here knows how many times adult paranoid schizophrenics go off their meds because they feel better? Let’s just round it down and say A LOT. Franky waited and waited and waited her whole childhood for him to come back; then she started to plan what she would do to him when he did. But that dad is gone now, all that’s left is this shell that wants to talk about feewings and being hurt; she doesn’t recognize this man at all. And now he’s taken her revenge from her too.
Oh good, Debbie made it past the strip search and now she gets to see her mum (this is the Parenting Styles Episode: we’ve got Bad (Jacs), Better (Bea) and Worst (Franky).
Bea and a still freaked-out Debbie are trying to visit, but there’s so much noise and the call to Harry happened, it’s very rushed. Bea has to negotiate with Jacs to get at the phone; I wonder what that will cost her down the road. Why wasn’t Jacs in seeing her son? Or was he just there to set Debbie up for the humiliation, not to actually visit?
Erica’s in to see Toni to cover up the Mr. Phelps dealing problem; Toni catches on pretty quick and says she found the heroin. As you do.
Jacs “accidentally” runs into Bea in the hallway, it’s hilarious to me that her patrician façade always lulls the women into forgetting she’s a stone cold snake. How’s Debbie? Oh good, good, oh and apropos of nuffing “23 Cromwell Avenue” which Brayden must have copied down from the registrar earlier. Oh wow, it’s like he LOOKED IN A PHONE BOOK. But Jacs goes further, threatening Debbie, so now Bea will be “helping teach Francesca some manners.”
I think it’s interesting that all of Franky’s enemies make a point of calling her Francesca: the judge she burned, Jacs, her mother. If I were her, as soon as someone got the “ces” sound out, I’d start swinging.
Franky’s in the common room when Bea gets back; Franky orders her to get her coffee then lets her stay: “shit day, hey?”
We’re back in the laundry room and seriously, WHAT are they thinking with giving the inmates access to that steamer? I jump every time it hisses; it’s so much like the pan of hot grease Franky threw on that celeb arsehole.
Ohhh I don’t like this.
Franky and Boomer come in; Jacs reminding Franky that her giant henchman is actually rostered in the kitchen today. Mr. Jackson steps up to ask if that’s true, Boomer doesn’t know, she just follows Franky. Off she goes and now the room is full of Jacs’ crew, Bea, Mr. Jackson and Franky.
Mr. Jackson leaves to take Boomer to the kitchen and Jacs’ crew makes their move. Franky’s hand is held in the steamer and Bea is called over to do the honours. Bea knows her daughter’s life is possibly on the line, so she tentatively reaches for the handle as Jacs taunts Franky. Bea can’t do it, of course, so Jacs does.
This is just like what Franky’s mother used to do to her; is this life? What we do? Wander around looking for the same people from our past?
Jacs is so smug, smiling and she can’t win, if I know anything I know that.
Franky recuperates in the infirmary while relieving memories of exactly the same thing, her mom burning her. Erica wants to know who did this; she has to let her help her. Franky asks for her dad with tears in her eyes. I was all touched for a moment until I realized she probably just wants better access to his throat and now there is no glass.
Boomer comes for Bea, but is held off by Liz, who knows that Franky would want to handle it by herself. But Bea didn’t do it! I don’t understand! Jacs did it!
Franky looks at her dad from her hospital bed and all I see is her calculating the distance to his throat. He says she’s not alone anymore and that’s enough to cause her to lock down and drop his hand and it was legit. Aww Franky man. He leaves he leaves he leaves and we cry and cry.
Franky’s back on the ward, Bea tries to apologize but that’s her last chance. Franky doesn’t care about her family, cross her again and she’ll kill Bea.
Franky rips up a picture of her dad in the end montage while Toni and Liz chat and maybe Toni has a shot, yeah? Who knows. Addiction is a BEAST. And we’re oot.
