Welcome back to Wentworth where we are learning more about Bea and the Governor; I have a feeling this Red Hand business AND Bridget Westfall will have a big effect on this correctional facility. Rolling S3:E5 Mercy after the break.

Matthew Fletcher (Aaron Jeffrey) is coming back to work?? Governor Joan Ferguson (Pamela Rabe) and I are shocked

That made me laugh out loud

Oh great, Derek Channing (Martin Sacks) is there, offering Fletch light duties which he doesn’t even want. Ferguson reassures Fletch that his insurance is MORE than good enough to cover his loss of income. Channing is making a move against the Governor! I don’t recommend that.

OH NOOOOOOOO. Vera Bennett (Kate Atkinson) has a flu she can’t shake, and we just heard ALL about how Lucy (Sally-Ann Upton) and her gang have the Hep-C and they were the ones pressing a needle against her neck. Oh man. Hep-C or the HIV, that’s a Sophie’s Choice.

Side note: I have close friends with both conditions, both are alive and well decades after their diagnoses, so one shouldn’t assume.

Ferguson is slightly less than empathetic

Fletch (who has NO plan to return to Wentworth) arrives home to find a house covered in filth and collection companies calling on the phone. He might have to go back after all. He’s mixing some pretty heavy meds with his booze. Is it wrong to hope that Ferguson finishes him off before he does it himself, slowly? I still love this image better than anything else, it just makes me happy to look at it because it is so nice to see Vera smile.

Sophie (Edwina Samuels) is hanging out with just Franky (Nicole da Silva), which is freaking Liz (Celia Ireland) oot but Dory (Shareena Clanton) has faith that Sophie will see through all the excitement of super cool Franky.

The lunchroom is desperately cold. The Governor hasn’t turned on the heat for the year. Even colder is Bea (Danielle Cormack) who won’t let Jodie (Pia Miranda) eat until she does what Bea wants. There’s nothing TO Jodie, she’s skin and bones and I absolutely hate how both Bea and Ferguson have no qualms about tossing her back and forth like meat or a prize. Their use of her as a pawn is bad on both sides and I worry for fragile Jodie.

Bea’s tired of watching Liz make weepy eyes at her daughter, so she flexes at Franky: is she taking good care of Sophie? And she needs Franky’s help with Jodie; Bea wants Jodie to report on Ferguson. You know, forced hunger strike or Ferguson, either way Jodie would be dead. Franky declines to help, even with Bea’s apology for screwing up with her handling of the Freak.

Bea stops her in the stairway, doesn’t she want to make Ferguson pay? Doesn’t she realise that Ferguson was going after HER, not Jodie? Someone had to go down for those drugs. She makes Franky an offer she can’t resist

I’m not the only one that’s worried about Hep-C, Vera’s doing a search when approached by Linda Miles (Jacqueline Brennan). She heard that Fletcher might be coming back and a lot of blah blah ensues but the main point is: Linda tells Vera that the Governor refused to bow to prisoner demands during the riot when Vera had a syringe against her throat. It was Channing who sprung the gate and saved Vera’s life.

Vera’s visiting Fletcher. She wants to know why he didn’t want to come back? He knows Ferguson didn’t want him back, but Vera’s naive enough (HOW CAN SHE BE THAT NAIVE AFTER WORKING IN THE PRISON SYSTEM FOR DECADES??) to insist that Ferguson cares about Fletch. Ah he’s so miserable, all he can think of is what he’s lost. Poor Fletch. She gently suggests that a routine and a sense of purpose might be just the thing.

We’ve now got one guard under suspicion of murder, one infected with an incurable disease and one severely injured and becoming drug dependent. The Governor is thorough, anyway, like a locust swarm, nobody left standing.

Bea wakes up to Dory screaming in the night. Will Jackson (Robbie Magasiva) escorts Liz to her while Jess (Gerorgia Chara) pouts. Why can’t she go?? I would really like to find out what Jess is in for.

Dory’s had a very bad dream about her baby-to-be; it’s partially because she lost her first baby while high as a kite and getting into an accident while driving drunk right at this same gestation landmark: 32 weeks.

Ohhh and Fletcher is back at work after all! Thanks, Vera! That’s not exactly what Ferguson is saying, however. She’s restricting his work greatly and wonders aloud what ever could have changed his mind? Vera leaves the room, scales on her eyes no more.

I think Vera really DID think Ferguson was checking up on Fletch for altruistic or friendly reasons, since she can clearly see how little Ferguson wants Fletch around. It’s also driven home via the revelation that her captivity and subsequent infection during the riot was as a result of Ferguson’s refusal to do anything about it.

It’s group therapy time! Boomer (Katrina Milosevic) likes to punch things when she gets stressed, in fact she’s in here because she punched her last counselor! Bridget (Libby Tanner) isn’t scurred, anything said in these walls doesn’t form part of the parole board recommendations, but they WILL get to tick a box for participating.

Liz LOVES that! Let’s hear Franky talk! Any blood on her hands she’d like to work through? Is Liz talking about Meg Jackson?????

Ah Franky will, but Liz isn’t going to like it. It wasn’t Sophie’s first offense when she got picked up for killing that cyclist. Sophie was driving without the license she lost for the LAST offense and now I’m just waiting to hear how this is Liz’s fault. Children are nothing if not consistent.

Why did she not tell her mum? Ah kids. Franky stops Liz on the playground and threatens her. I was right, that was a reference to Meg Jackson earlier in group, what’s Liz playing at? Is that her leverage to keep Franky away from Sophie? But Sophie LIKES Franky, good luck with that, especially when Liz doesn’t have much right to flex parental after abandoning her children for almost a decade.

Will asks Ferguson about Fletcher’s reinstatement; surely that’s not safe? Ferguson crisply reminds Will that she’s the boss and anyway, who’s this Kaz Proctor coming to see Bea today? And maybe don’t read Bea’s mail any more, you wouldn’t want people wondering.

Kaz Proctor (Tammy MacIntosh) is being very sloooowwly checked in by Fletcher. She takes his slow stares and fumbles as leering and while WE know nothing could be further from the truth, she lays into him.

How is this guy back at work?

Kaz is very excited to finally meet Bea, and doesn’t seem deflated at all by Bea’s lack of enthusiasm

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The Red Right Hand killed Harry!! On Bea’s behalf. Bea is as surprised as I am, but Kaz isn’t giving up, who got to her?? Who’s influencing her?? Fletcher pulls her hand off Bea and sorts things out quickly, almost like his old self!

Kaz Proctor is dangerous

Bea runs to Will, who grabs Karen’s address off the visitor’s log and scoots. Vera’s been called in to the Governor’s office for the next chess move in the Fletcher game. Ferguson suggests that maybe Fletcher is faking it, given his efficient handling of the Proctor / Bea situation. Vera defends Fletcher and you can see why it’s impossible to not gif everything Ferguson (Pamela Rabe) does?

Vera leaves after a flurry of barbed questions about her health. Ferguson is like Sugar Ray Robinson, you think you have her on the ropes and out of NOWHERE these light-seeming punches come without end and they take you out as fast as a haymaker.

Maxine’s still following around Jodie (to make sure she doesn’t get any food?), Bea comes in close to get a couple of jabs in but is concerned that Jodie is self-harming. She tells Maxine to make sure that doesn’t happen and our moral compass sets her straight. Maxine reminds Bea that THEY were the ones that sent Jodie to the Slot to undergo whatever Ferguson the Freak did to her, so maybe they should keep an eye on her just for that, yeah?

I have no idea what Will thinks he’s doing, going to see Kaz. NO.IDEA. I don’t think he does either, he just knocks on her door and asks her if she’s Karen Proctor of the Red Right Hand. She meets him with a baseball bat, which he handily gets control of and leaves, while she screams after him. I’m concerned about his touching the bat, though.

Small note: I don’t know if this makes a difference, but Fletcher was initially stumbling over finding Kaz’s name because she was on the list as Karen (Australians do the weirdest things to names, honestly), which is why Will called her that. Will that make a difference to Kaz or will she sort out that Bea told on her?

Jess is tending to sad Dory. We’re getting a little backstory finally! She was a nanny to a baby named Madison, who died of cot death. She was SUPER invested in little Madison, who’s whole perfect life Jess envisions when she closes her eyes.

I AM SO WORRIED FOR DORY’S BABY!!! If Jess thinks a dead infant has a perfect life, I’m sincerely concerned she wants to make Dory’s baby’s life “perfect” too.

I’m over-reacting, I’m sure all kinds of former nannies roleplay playdates for their charges who have died with friend’s tragically dead children. NBD

Jodie is just about ready to throw in the towel; Maxine’s doing a soft press but Jodie calls for Medical, then passes. Bea’s influence is still too strong.

In therapy, it’s still tense between Franky and Bridget. Franky’s feeling defensive after she ripped Liz to shreds so thoroughly in Group, and she’s still angry that Bridget didn’t trust her about the attack on Bea. She does her usual offensive, asking about Bridget’s sex life and whether or not she’s a lesbian. It’s a joy to watch these two together, Bridget is more than a match for Franky and their scenes have a great flow. It ends with Franky finally relaxing a bit and Bridget giving her one small bone: she is a lesbian. I’ve never seen Franky look so happy! She looks like a young woman who has just been bitten right back by her crush.

Fletcher still has some mobility issues, and I could not understand more how far away someone’s toes can seem… when I was pregnant, shoelaces may as well have been on the moon. Ferguson walks by and watches him struggle while he pretends he totally has this. He totally does not have this.

Jodie’s being tortured by Franky and Bea, who are eating in front of her and playing the TV loudly so Jodie can’t sleep. She begs, but Bea is resolute.

The press are at Will in the parking lot; that seems like another move by Ferguson, who must have leaked that he’s helping the police in their investigation of Harry’s murder. Channing is in Ferguson’s office when Will gets there, so she can’t push the knife all the way in. Of course they’ll stand behind him 100%. *wintry smile*

Fletcher didn’t quite get that shoelace done properly after all; he stops to fix it in front of Jess’s cell. He doesn’t remember her but she tries to twig his memory with a little tug on his roots and berries. He practically runs to get away from her, but Ferguson wouldn’t allow him to have a swipe card and he thinks SHE took it. He LOSES it; he should not be back already.

That would make sense if that’s what he’s remembering, given that she did help Bea get his swipe card the last time he was allowed to have one, distracting him by bouncing on little Fletch in the shower.

Vera pulls him away at the last moment; taking him to the staff room to explain what happened that he’s getting snippets of. She defends his decision to return to work (it’s like she heard me!); it’s helping him remember. He’s scared.

You know Linda Miles never came and saw him ONCE while he was in rehab? Not ONCE! And they were a thing!

The press used that footage of Will on the news, along with the shots of him being forced to the ground after Brayden’s murder. Guess who now knows who he is?? NO, GUESS??!!

Kaz is one freaky lady, she’s calling Will already, sing-songing “I know who you are now” into the phone and all the chills.

Vera’s in to see her doctor, who makes an unneeded “I’m so sorry to have to tell you this” face. It is Hepatitis C.

Jodie has agreed to make her report against Ferguson the Freak; she was suffocated and tortured and taken out of her cell in the Slot and taken to a dark room for beatings then the psychological breaking down and everything went south.

Oh no, Fletcher’s putting together and loading a gun but Vera, Vera’s there! Yay!! Vera’s there! He has something to tell her; he doesn’t think the accident was an accident after all. He thinks he did it. Oh. Well, close. He thinks he walked in front of the van on purpose due to depression. Don’t cry, Vera! The truth has set him free! But no

And we’re out. So. That was a bit of a poser for me, I hadn’t considered that Vera might have known what Ferguson was doing to Fletcher? I mean, she’s truly the only one who knows everything that is knowable, but her breakdown at the end: could that mean that she knew Ferguson was going to try to have Fletcher killed and her visiting him was borne of guilt?

Also: I didn’t even THINK of the Red Right Hand taking out Harry! And I don’t understand how interwoven Will is in all this; why did he go see Harry again? Why is it to Kaz’s benefit to know who he is when he knows she killed Harry?

Until next time you guys! I will have to see if this report of Jodie’s bears any significant fruit on Ferguson, time will tell!