Hi guys, how are you? What a shite week, yeah? Let’s roll another Wentworth and see if we can push it off for a bit. S3:E10 A Higher Court after the break
Franky (Nicole da Silva) has been stuck back alone on cleaning duty again, but she’s not really by herself. Meg Jackson’s ghost is there in that hallway to keep her company, she was probably placed there on purpose since Ferguson is presiding over the CCTV and cackling to herself. Will Jackson (Robbie Magasiva) coming to collect Franky to see the Governor is almost a blessing. Not really, since it was his wife Franky killed, which delights Ferguson (Pamela Rabe) to no end.
Giving up was yesterday, Bea (Danielle Cormack) is ready to full on face her enemy today and I hope she’s up to it. Watching Ferguson run her games and take everyone by surprise over and over again is getting….frustrating.
Bea’s working on Fletcher (Aaron Jeffrey) right away; Fletcher isn’t interested. He is not her saviour.
Ferguson has news for Franky about her parole hearing, oh right, it’s TOMORROW MORNING, sure. But surely the psych eval hasn’t been done? Why is Fergsuon ramrodding this through? I’m trying to see the benefit to her, maybe because Bridget is off the premises right now? I bet if I keep watching: I’ll find out! Ferguson will be making a statement at the hearing and I have to wonder if the recording of Franky confessing to killing Meg Jackson will be part of that statement.
She leaves and Vera (Kate Atkinson) reminds the Governor that they’ll have to review work assignments for the kitchen for when Franky gets parole, but the Governor knows there’s no rush.
Ohhhhh Vera, you’re meeting Bridget Westfall (Libby Tanner) after hours without the Governor’s knowledge to tell her she’s right about the Governor? Was it the pencils you discovered that meant the Governor intended for Jodie to self-harm, or was it all the reports Bridget wrote in Jodie’s file about how much of a psychopath the Governor is?
She tells Bridget about the pencil, but she doesn’t have any way to prove it yet. Why is Ferguson targetting Jodie? Bridget says that “psychopaths often take an elaborate path to get to their real target” and is Will the Governor’s real target or is Bea?
Vera asks Bridget to support her if she finds something they can prove on Ferguson, Bridget agrees, as long as it is after Franky’s parole hearing. Awwww. Is Franky ready for her parole hearing? Well
She’s not ready to see Sophie (Edwina Samuels) in her bed, that’s for sure. Sophie does look fetching, I must say, but Franky looks like someone left a rotting dolphin corpse in her boudoir, so I don’t think Sophie’s gonna get what she wants.
Franky blames her lack of desire on having to prepare for parole, I would bet she’s more worried that Liz will wander by.
Franky tries to beg off kitchen duty to prepare for her parole hearing, but Fletcher’s being a hardass and won’t let her go. He finally concedes as she sees some shenanigans going on in the RAW CHICKEN COOLER, someone smuggling drugs through there again?
Kim (Ra Chapman) is involved, so Franky takes her out back for a slam around. She’s also wondering if they’re trying to set her up so she loses parole. Kim says people aren’t following Bea anymore, hmmm. Better put a stop to that, Queen Bea.
Franky goes to work on her speech while Kim hits the showers, who’s that on the floor? It’s Cindy Lou (Who? Miles Paras) and she overdosed on whatever Kim was running through the kitchen. Kim runs. Ferguson is FURIOUS that there are drugs in the prison again, I wouldn’t want to be within 10 miles of that woman right now.
Ferguson has Fletcher called back into the kitchen to show him where the drugs were hidden in the bread. She reprimands him for not thoroughly checking the groceries and sends him to check the kitchen worker cells, starting with Franky. A lockdown is called just as Franky gets back from the library, she sees Kim running out of her room. Oh shit, Franks, better find what she hid or parole is a no-freaking-way.
Bea comes in just as Franky’s searching frantically, she finds the balloons of heroin just as Fletcher enters the unit. Bea covers the door as Franky flushes, but two balloons don’t flush. Fletcher opens the door just as Franky does up her pants, she must be holding. He tells the Governor as much when she sprints into the block, Franky is sent to the Slot and there is nothing she can do about the drugs. If she consents to a strip search, she’ll be up for more drugs, if she doesn’t, she’ll miss her hearing.
Dory (Shareena Clanton) is giving Bea a wide berth, even after Bea promises to shut down the drugs. Governor Ferguson spies them talking in the yard and sends for Dory immediately. Bea and Maxine (Socratic Otto) to see Kim to pass on their condolences re: Cindy Lou( (Who?). Heyy, what was Kim doing in H2 the other day? Not planting drugs on Franky was she?
It’s Bea who does the dirty work, she’ll be coming for Kim and the Asian gang too, they won’t even know when. That’s much more physical than Bea has been in the past, hm.
Ferguson and Dory are having a tea party, I just LOVE it when someone without children judges mothers on their nutritional choices. LOVE.IT. Ferguson gives Dory the update on Nash, he’s been charged with trafficking and is up against 7 years of prison time. Dory doesn’t believe it was him at all, but somehow Ferguson segues this into talking Jianna, who also didn’t take Ferguson’s care with what she put into her body. She couldn’t save Jianna, or her baby, she’d hate to have such a tragedy repeated.
She tells Dory to take a biscuit, which Dory reluctantly does, before mentioning that Dory will have to undergo drug testing. We all stop chewing on that biscuit.
And no switching this time, the hormones from breast feeding make it impossible for Dory to use someone else’s. HEY. We never found out why Jess (Georgia Chara) didn’t use her own pee and grabbed Maxine’s instead, did we?
Liz (Celia Ireland) finds Dory throwing that biscuit up in her cell, she knows the Governor is after Joshua. Dory does her test but asks nurse Rose (Maggie Naouri) if she can talk to her before it’s processed.
Dory’s sister Lily (Maurial Spearim) is in to meet Joshua. Dory begs her to consider taking the baby. Lily agrees to think about it, but she asks if Dory will keep him a little longer, Joshie is only two weeks old. I WILL TAKE YOUR BABY, HAND ‘IM OVER!
Franky’s having a rough night in the slot, she finally swallows the balloons and calls for the strip search. Vera and Ferguson show up; it’s time for this showdown. There is no way Ferguson doesn’t know how Franky’s gotten rid of the drugs, I’m worried she’ll hurt Franky to break the balloons in her stomach and cause her death.
She doesn’t, though, she just wants to enjoy the inside of Franky’s cavities solo
Man.
Franky’s got to get them out, though, and Ferguson’s just figured out exactly what Franky did, so she’s up against it, time-wise. She asks Boomer (Katrina Milosevic) to get her an emetic and keeps working on her parole speech. Boomer asks if she appreciates the irony of her having swallowed the balloons and trying to get them out? Well, she says karma but people misuse that word and it drives me mad.
I’m worried because Booms is worried. Did she give her something other than a disgusting pear juice / canola oil smoothie?
Franky practices her speech and drinks the grossness while Will checks out a disc that was left on his doorstep with his name onnit. Oh shite, Ferguson sent the recording of Franky’s confession of killing Meg to WILL and we get Franky’s speech overlaid with that. I think Ferguson has spliced that so that Franky saying it was an accident was left out and it sounds like she did it to get back at her mum. I’m not sure.
Boomer has gone and gotten Bea; they’re worried about her dying like that poor Korea immigrant who’s balloon burst last season.
Well. This is a surprise; Bridget is at the hearing! And she won’t be intimidated by Ferguson either. I absolutely loved this, the hand, the look, the chin
Franky is bolstered somewhat by the sight of Bridget, but that canola smoothie isn’t giving her gut any peace. She tries to push through; giving a heartfelt speech about not being that angry person anymore, anger doesn’t rule her any longer. Well, maybe sometimes, but she’s ready. Bridget throws her whole weight behind her release and surprising all of us: Ferguson says she has no objection to parole.
Really?
Is that just so Will can get to Franky first? Is she preferring to play the indirect route and have Will AND Franky taken care of? We know she likes to use the law if she HAS to, but likes the behind the scenes attempts better.
Franky is taken to Medical, but she leaves so she can spew in her own cell, fanks. Will grabs her in the hallway and runs her up against the wall. She begs him to do it, just do it, she’s seen his pain, she’s looked him in the eyes too many times. I think I can pinpoint the moment Ferguson came while watching, it was just as Will looked as though he was going to punch Franky in the head.
And then he let Franky go
Ferguson was sooooo close, just getting her breath back, but Will and Franky are separated and crying and the Governor is FURIOUS. She throws her perfectly lined up pencils even!
Jess is looking for Dory, she asks Bea why Dory didn’t tell her she was seeing her sister today?? Her tone is sharp; both Bea and Maxine note it before Franky rushing back to her cell distracts them. Bea tells Franky not to flush, she has a plumbing job for Jess. Jess does not want to.
Bea stops Fletcher in the hallway, if she can get him those drugs he’s accountable for, THEN can they talk about Ferguson trying to kill him?
Kim is dragged away as Ferguson dryly congratulates Fletcher on the good work. It looked like it hurt her to say that!
Ohhhhh I misunderstood, this is not the same time period, Dory’s arranged for her sister to take Joshua NOW, and I’m not ready!!! I feel like Jess right now, Dory didn’t say it was happening already?!! I wasn’t done looking at Joshie’s little nose!! Come on! FINE. It’s just temporary custody, thank goodness, but that must be so impossible for the mothers that have to do that. Thank goodness there is a safe space for Joshua and other real babies like him, though.
Joshua wakes up and looks at her just then, she can’t do it, she can’t. She does this and we all felt it.
Oh thank goodness, she’s keeping her baby. Her sister understands, oh thank goodness. Dory is getting checked in Medical when Jess bursts in and makes her first concrete move. She calls Dory’s plan to have Lily care for her nephew unsafe and I told you to be careful, Dory! I think Jess might have some serious psychological issues.
Jess also has one of those balloons left, any guesses whether it ends up in Dory’s gear somewhere?
Bea and Fletcher meet in HBlock; is he ready to take on Ferguson then? “I hope you’ve got a bigger army than me” is all he says and true that.
A crying Franky has come to see her prison mum, Liz is exactly the right person to talk to right now. Franky doesn’t think she deserves parole, everything she’s done to everyone else came home to roost with her the last 24 hours.
They have a gorgeous cuddle and everything is settled just as it should be with these two. Liz tells Franky what she needs to hear about her worthiness for parole and Franky tells Liz she’s a good mum.
Ah you guys, Y U WANT ME TO CRY ALL NIGHT, FRANKY??
Franky goes and sits with the women and we’re out to her laughing, really laughing, like everything has been taken off her shoulders and we’re done. I’m glad they ended it that way, but that was a tough one.
I guess I never really took Franky’s parole seriously, what with Meg Jackson’s death hanging over her head and Ferguson playing endless games. Since Will has tacitly forgiven Franky, maybe she can move on. What will prison, what will Wentworth itself look like without Franky Doyle? Will she and Gidget meet up in the real world? Two more episodes and done this season, you guys! I hear it gets hectic shortly. Until next time.
