Tag Archives: Pamela Rabe

Drama, Foxtel, FRONT, Local TV, Wentworth

How Wentworth Survived After Killing Its Queen Bea.

wentworth-s5-cast

It’s a risky move for a television show with such a staunch world wide fan base to kill off one of its main characters in an attempt to shake things up and introduce fresh blood and fresh stories yet oddly enough, despite the hark from fans claiming they’ll never watch again, the bold move usually works.  Homeland, House of Cards, Grey’s Anatomy, M*A*S*H and 24 are just some of success stories where killing off main cast have worked in their favor.

Wentworth, is the most recent entry into this world with the murder of main player Bea Smith (Danielle Cormack) at the end of the shows fourth season and questions quickly began to flit about how this show could survive without the driving force that Wentworth sprouted itself from.

The tour de force that was Bea Smith and the story around her propelled the show from a generic Prisoner remake into a modern day drama-come-love-story with an incredibly dedicated fan base, devastated their “Queen Bea” had been mercilessly slaughtered at the hands of series villain Joan “The Freak” Ferguson (Pamela Rabe) leaving her girlfriend Allie Novak (Kate Jenkinson) to pick up the pieces and exact her revenge.

This death, so surprising and utterly shocking, risked putting Wentworth fans off-side with the belief the show was supposed to be a telling of Bea’s entrance into prison and her rise to ‘top dog’ status and while, in point, we did get that tale, the killing off of a main character is still none the less a gusty move for any show.

What we didn’t notice however was the growing importance and build-up of the other characters within the show, each getting story lines that played quietly along the Bea Smith/Joan Ferguson/Allie Novak main story arc, all ready to take effect when the time was needed.

These stories involving Vera’s (Kate Atkinson) battle to maintain control of her governor position, Franky Doyle (Nicole da Silva) struggling to develop a healthy life outside of the Wentworth with girlfriend Bridget Westfall (Libby Tanner), the buddy buddy snitch snitch relationship between Sonia Stevens (Sigrid Thornton) and Liz Birdsworth (Celia Ireland) and current top dog Kaz Proctor (Tammy MacIntosh) feeling her grip loosen on her top dog status were all slowly bubbling along and came to flourish and hit the ground with both guns blazing when the time was right.

This move not only forced us to move on after Bea’s death but implemented a newer relationship with these characters on the back of strong writing and even stronger acting from the cast, allowing the show to thrive in a time of viewer devastation.  The fact that this death wasn’t used as a way to end an ugly love triangle or to move on a story arc that just wan’t working is even more testament to the writing on the show.

Bea’s death was personal but it was also a propeller, not just for the show but for each an every character within the world of Wentworth.  Killing off a Queen Bea can be dangerous but when done right, breathes new life into an already fascinating and intense show.

Wentworth continues Tuesday nights on Showcase and will see production begin this month on season six.

FRONT, Local TV, Wentworth

Literal Blood, Sweat & Tears for Wentworth’s Season 4 Finale

SigridSonia
Lady be crazy!  (c) Fremantle Media/SoHoTV

WHAT A FINALE!!

Why is everyone so shocked?!  I mean really come on, this is Wentworth people!  The team creating this show have always set the bar high for compelling television and continue to raise that bar with each and every season finale!

My last post, I offered up some season 4 end game theories which came off from not having previewed the episode but from reading what Wentworth had offered up during the season.  My score card?  Not the greatest…i’m giving myself a 3.5 out of 8….so not even 50% but let’s look back at that finale and how my I went in my predictions.

SPOILERS BELOW!!  Do not continue if you have NOT watched the season 4 finale!

1: Ferguson Becomes a Free Woman (sort of right) /// I was partially right on this one!  Joan did in fact find freedom after raking in Jake (Bernard Curry) to kill star witness Nils Jesper (Tony Nikolakopoulos).  It was a bold move on Ferguson’s behalf but that final scene proved that her freedom will be certainly short lived.

2: Sonia reveals her true freak (right) /// Sonia (Sigrid Thornton) kept us guessing for most of the season as to her guilt or innocence and as I called it, we would discover that Sonia in fact is a cold hearted murderer but in the way we found out was nothing short of chilling.  After a meeting with Det. Don Kaplan (Steve Bastoni) Liz (Celia Ireland) discovers that the body of Sonia’s missing friend had been found with a shaved head.  It was an odd mention to reveal and after seeing Sonia’s devastated response to her friends death, Liz believed Sonia to be innocent.  It’s not until Sonia offers to be the one to shave Maxine’s head as she goes through chemotherapy that Sonia, so calm and gentle mind you, mentions the power one has when shaving someone’s head and that it’s a symbol of rebirth.  It’s the first reveal of Sonia’s inner freak that Liz or us viewers have ever seen.

3: There Will be no Top Dog (wrong) /// Karen (Tammy Macintosh) says early on in this final episode that she doesn’t want the job…”let someone else take charge”.  It’s after a brutal fight between herself and Bea in which Bea believed Kaz to be the one to give Allie (Kate Jenkison) a ‘hot shot’ that she overdosed on.  It’s not until she’s ‘drafted’ by the other imates that she accepts the job of prison top dog.

4: Boomer Does not Fall Pregnant (right) /// It was only a short scene, a very quiet mention in which Boomer (Katrina Milosevic) reveals to Liz that the pregnancy didn’t take.  While only a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it scene, it was another touching moment for Booms this season.

5: Vera Will Discover Jake’s Past Offences (wrong) /// Jake managed to not only keep his secrets hidden from Vera, he left his co-worker Will Jackson (Robbie Magasiva) exposed as he kept his tracks hidden when Vera (Kate Atkinson) demanded an officer wide drug test to try and find who helped smuggle the drugs in that somehow ended up in Allie’s veins.

6: An Inmate Will Die (sort of wrong) /// To be clear, Allie woke up from her coma and Bea…well they can’t kill Bea right?!  Wentworth played a sneaky game on us by making us believe Allie would not wake from her induced coma thanks to the overdose provided to her by Joan.  In the meantime, we all believed that Bea would finally get her final revenge on Joan for those actions but when the tables turned on Bea, she, like us, all believed there was no hope for Allie and literally surrendered herself to the brutality of a stabbing with a screwdriver.

7: Doreen’s Sentence is Extended/Reduced (sort of right) /// While there was no mention of Doreen’s (Shareena Clanton) current sentence being altered, it was revealed she “doesn’t have that much time left” and that it should play well for her if she were to request a transfer to Perth where Nash (Luke McKenzie) is currently holed up with their son Joshua.  There wasn’t much more for Doreen this episode but it looks like this decision will play heavily into her story line for season 5.

8: Franky Distances Herself from Wentworth (wrong) ///  Can I just say though, was I the only one thinking the worst when Franky (Nicole da Silva) put the gun she took from Shayne (Hunter Page-Lochard) into her pants outside the court where Joan’s trial was taking place?!  While that scene decided to go no where, it seems like Franky has no desire to remove herself from the ladies inside Wentworth and that was shown in a touching scene between herself and Bea in the visitors room where the two talked love and life.

So there you have it.  Another wonderful season, another spine tingling season finale!  Will Bea survive her attack?  Will Allie make a full recovery?  What will happen to Ferguson? Will Jake keep his secrets close? Will Doreen make the transfer to Perth?  Will Franky and Bridget live happily ever after?  Sound off in the comments above!

Foxtel, TV, Wentworth

The Freak is out in THAT Wentworth Season Three Finale

Crazy is as crazy does. Wentworth went out on a fiery high.
Crazy is as crazy does. Wentworth went out on a fiery high.

I’ve said it the past two seasons and i’ll say it again – Wentworth is nothing short of incredible (Australian) television and Tuesday night’s season three finale only cemented that fact bringing a close to a multitude of story arcs and opening up some brand new ones.

Warning – if you have not seen the season finale – do not continue!  Spoilers beyond!

https://twitter.com/cameron_adams/status/613313009235005440

The season three finale included the death (booooo) of inmate and she-of-the-eepy-creepy-eyes Jess Warner (Georgia Chara) who finally revealed her true freak and why she found herself in Wentworth, who met an untimely end at the hands of Ferguson (Pamela Rabe), who, herself had a mighty fall from grace as her past indiscretions came to a head and the release of Frankie Doyle (Nicole da Silva) into the waiting arms of former prison counselor Bridget Westfall (Libby Tanner).

So now the big questions remain for season four – that sneak peak at the end of the credits featuring a heavily disheveled Ferguson sporting a rather snug straight jacket while sitting in a padded cell – surely that means her story line will continue into season four.  Will Karen Proctor’s (Tammy MacIntosh) entrance into Wentworth prove trouble for Bea (Danielle Cormack) considering Ferguson set Bea up as the informer who tipped the police off to Karen’s involvement with the Red Right Hand vigilante group?  Will Vera (Kate Atkinson) step up as the new governor?  And the biggest of them all – Surely Frankie and Bridget can’t be really gone right?

Either way, I didn’t do too badly in my 8 Wentworth Season Three End Game Suspicions post!  Nailed Jess, Ferguson, Frankie and Karen’s end-games!

Tell me your thoughts people!  What did you think, what do you think and what do you want for season 4?!  Sound off in the comments below!

Wentworth returns to SoHo in 2016 (awww man!!)

TV, Wentworth

Eight Wentworth Season Three Endgame Suspicions…

Could Jess Warner be Wentworth's third season endgame?
Could Jess Warner be Wentworth’s third season endgame?

With only two episodes left for season three, Wentworth is beginning to string together all the puzzle pieces that have been strewn about for the past two seasons.  With Season three endgame in sight, here are some of my suspicions of what could happen.  – Spoilers ahead for those not up-to-date with season three!!

Buh-bye Sophie?
Buh-bye Sophie?

1: Sophie Donaldson Leaves /// The inclusion of Sophie Donaldson (Edwina Samuels) this season played heavily into Liz’s (Celia Ireland) season arc.  Proving that actions can be louder than words, Sophie chose a ‘don’t do as I say, do as I do’ approach to her mothers alcoholism and promptly found herself joining mummy dearest in prison with a drink driving-hit and run charge.  Now that Liz has cleaned herself up after a sloppy mid-season binge on ‘Boomer Brew’, Sophie really hasn’t had much else to do with the exception of her meet and greet with the wife of the man she killed.

I'm back bitches!
I’m back bitches!

2: Erica Davidson Returns /// It’s probably a long-shot, but could season one’s temporary governor Erica Davidson (Leeanna Walsman) make a surprise return to the hot seat?  With Governor Ferguson (Pamela Rabe) on a fast downward spiral, ‘the board’ could be looking to fill the head position fast.  Sure Erica was fired for losing control of the female prisoners (Bea killing Jacs ultimately lead to Erica’s dismissal) but she also knows the job and the women – especially Frankie (Nicole da Silva).

Best friends again?
Best friends again?

3: Will and Fletch re-ignite their friendship ///  It’s been a rocky road for these two prison wardens.  Between death of loved ones, alcoholism, affairs, drug abuse and attempted murder, the path hasn’t been well lit for these two former mates but with Fletch (Aaron Jeffrey) on-track to regain his memory, could his possible revelation that Ferguson was out to get Will (Robbie Magasiva) after he removed Jianna’s baby from her, bring the two back together?

I love you Frankie!!
I love you Frankie!!

4:  Bridget Westfall resumes counselling duties at Wentworth /// Bridget (Libby Tanner) has to come back right?  It’s the only sane response one has to offer after she was abruptly tossed out thanks to Vera (Kate Atkinson) and her “Ima do what’s right by the Governor” attitude.  Bridget has been this season’s best addition with her need to use her counselling powers to rid these inmates of their demons and if her powers worked on Frankie, just imagine what a session with the Governor would do?!  Plus, it’s Libby Tanner and we need her more on our tv screens.

Where's my precious?
Where’s my precious?

5: Jess is freakier than The Freak /// From day dot I’ve been saying “That girl Jess Warner (Georgia Chara) is a cuckoo clock short of a cuckoo”.  Here’s the thing…we know jack about this girl….literally nothing about her…well except she uses sex as a weapon, has a weird affection for children and makes great ‘if looks could kill’ eyes.  Now that Doreen (Shareena Clanton) has had baby Joshua, Jess’s eepy-creepy face has been coming out a bit more often than normal and it seems her plan to have Joshua all to herself is in full effect.

Think i'll try out for Masterchef...
Think i’ll try out for Masterchef…

6: Frankie gets parole ///  This is what the third season has been leading up-to for Frankie, her big breakthrough with Bridget about killing Meg Jackson (Catherine McClements), her big breakthrough about wanting to get jiggy with Bridget, her big breakthrough that her relationship with drugs has buggered a lot of people up…all signs are pointing to Frankie actually leaving Wentworth – let’s hope I’m wrong on this one!)

Keep your germs...
Keep your germs…

7: The Governor gets taken down /// Frankie, Doreen, Liz and Doreen all know, Fletch and Bridget do too and now Vera has finally joined the anti-freak gang.  There’s no looking back for Joan now that half of Wentworth are in on her freakishly creepy and deviant doings but just how will she go down?  Will it be a joint effort?  Will Vera do it alone?  Perhaps Bea gets her hands on a pencil…either way, there’s no denying that Wentworth will probably need a new governor by seasons end.

I want to be your cell mate.
I want to be your cellmate.

8: Kaz Proctor becomes an inmate at Wentworth /// As the leader of the all-female-all-butt-kicking-all-men-hating group ‘the red right hand’ it’s probably not in Kaz’s (Tammy MacIntosh) best interests that Will Jackson knows exactly who she is.  Add that with a dose of “Hi, thanks for calling, but i’m currently out on a mission, looking for a large bald man to bash” and one can only assume Kaz’s freedom is quite limited.

So there you have it!  Eight of my suspicions for season three’s finale – I’ve purposely left Bea out because…well…I feel she’s a little lost.  Her determination to find the bald man plays into Fletch’s story-line, her determination to bring down Ferguson plays into everyone’s story-line and the only thing Bea really has to possibly worry about is losing her grip as top dog with the prisoners.

What do you guys think?  Am I headed down the right path or am I missing something all-together?  Sound off in the comments below!

Wentworth Season three finale airs Tuesday night, 8:30pm on SoHo.

Drama, Foxtel, FRONT, Local TV, TV

Wentworth Season Two Air Date and First Look Trailer Revealed

Image
Danielle Cormack as Bea Smith in SoHo’s Wentworth. Source: Provided

It’s been a looooooooong wait for details about Wentworth’s highly anticipated second season and finally, SoHo has given us some treats about what to expect for the upcoming season of the prison drama.

What we know is that it’s been three months since Bea (Danielle Cormack) killed Jacs (Kris McQuade) in retailliation for the death of her teenage daughter.  Erica’s (Leeanna Walsman) hold over the prison is sitting on shaky ground which leaves room for a new governor to take control.  Enter Joan ‘The Freak’ Fergusson (brilliant casting of Pamela Rabe) who see’s that Bea could be the perfect person to mould into becoming top dog in the prison that she could control.

But Bea has other plans as she vows to avenge her daughter’s murder. How does someone locked up in a prison achieve such a seemingly impossible ambition? Season two charts her quest and Bea will be forced to use every ounce of her courage, ingenuity and steely determination.

Around her, the members of Bea’s prison ‘family’ all face challenges of their own and no one should underestimate the lengths to which the psychopathic Ferguson will go to establish control. How does she become “The Freak”?

Take a look at the season two first look trailer below:

Wentworth Season Two begins Tuesday May 20th on SoHo

ausANTM, Comedy, Crime, Drama, FRONT, Local TV, PayTV, Pretty Little Liars, Ratings, Reality Television, Sci-Fi, The Walking Dead, TV

Foxtel Unveils iQ3 and Show Info at Upfronts

Image
Wentworth star Nicole Da Silva

Tonight saw Foxtel hold their annual upfronts for Programming and technology launch for 2014 in Sydney with some news on the new highly anticipated iQ3 system plus news on new programs and information on existing ones too!

Jennifer Hawkins
Jennifer Hawkins Stays with Foxtel

First off, It seems model Jennifer Hawkins must have impressed with her hosting duties on Australia’s Next Top Model.  She’s just been announced in a deal with her signing to Foxtel for another two years.  She’ll be joined by Naomi Campbell who is expecting to start filming a local version of her modelling show “The Face” next month.  Popular shows including Veep, House of Cards, The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones will continue to be broadcast through the pay-TV network, making it’s mark on the ratings board.

Foxtel announced that “The Devil’s Playground” a mini series based off the 1976 movie of the same name and starring Simon Burke (He appeared in the original movie) will be aired through it’s Showcase channel.  Almost four decades on, Burke is to reprise his role as Tom Allen, now a respected psychiatrist and secular confessor to the Catholic clergy, who becomes entangled in political and theological intrigue.  The US version of ABC1’s Rake and starring Greg Kinnear will be screened through a re-branded Universal channel.

As we already knew – Wentworth will be back on SoHo for it’s anticipated second season!  In a sneak preview (below) we see the officers and prisoners being introduced to new prison officer Joan ‘The Freak’ Ferguson (in what looks like inspired casting of Pamela Rabe for the role).  UK’s Channel 5 which picked up the rights to air the show (and was drawing in an average of 2 million viewers) have also picked up the second season.

Foxtel also announced news about it’s new iQ3 system and some of the new features it comes with.  This third generation set-top box and digital recorder will come with WiFi capabilities allowing for an integrated internet entertainment.  An electronic program guide (EPG) enhancement will allow viewers to browse back in time by up to 26 hours in the TV Guide on selected channels to watch shows that have already been screened – via the internet.  The 26-hour viewing service has begun a roll-out to internet-capable iQ and iQHD subscribers and it will be available nationally over the next month.

Also announced were new channels coming to subscribers.  Beginning Jan 1st 2014, TV HITS will start broadcasting favourites including Friends, How I Met Your Mother, NCIS plus much more along with the new Syfy channel bringing classic science fiction and fantasy programming, which will launch in high definition early in the new year.

Related Articles:

Foxtel Bets Big on Drama in 2014 – Nelbie.com