The episode begins with Mackenzie/Mack Leigh (Rachel Griffiths) secretly watching her husband Rob Leigh (Martin Henderson) say goodbye to what appears to be a secret lover. This is confirmed merely seconds later when Mack confronts Tui (Arian Osborne), who openly admits to being ‘Rob’s sex worker.’ Much to Mack’s surprise Tui claims the relationship hardly has anything to do with sex and is more about him reading her poetry. Mack leaves after receiving a call from Bridget (Shushila Takao) about picking up her disabled son Toby Leigh (Quinn Ashton).
Things only get worse when Mack returns home to discover that Rob has not only failed to start dinner but he didn’t kill the sick chicken that he promised he would. Noam Leigh (Angus Stevens) doesn’t make things better with his incessant claims of being hungry and intense living room gaming session. Although Mack doesn’t bring up Rob’s dalliance, she does mention the weekly $180 that’s coming out of his account. After he claims it’s for a secret vacation, Mack snaps the sick chicken’s neck without giving it a second thought.
Unable to fall asleep later that night, Mack decides to do some research at a local brothel called, Shadows. Things are immediately awkward from the moment she walks in to discover Tui arguing with Dion (Wesley Dowdell) about a new incentive program he’s instituted. Tui wastes little time accusing Mack of stalking her before ending her dispute with Dion and storming off.
Shortly after this, Mack is taken to another room where Bryon (Edwin Wright) is in the process of selecting a girl for the evening. Bryon turns the process into a bit of an ordeal before selecting Deziyah (Danielle Cormack). Mack asks if she can watch and being the professional that she is, Deziyah doesn’t oppose. Neither does Bryon. When they finally get around to it, Mack uses the opportunity to question Deziyah about everything from how much she makes to taxes.
Mack continues her research over a brief conversation with Cherry (Gemma-Jayde Naidoo) in the parking lot. Cherry appears a bit stunned and fascinated by Mack and becomes even more so when Mack tells her that she will be in touch.
The following morning, Mack asks Rob to do the after-school pickups so she can meet with a representative of the bank. He is surprised when he learns that she plans on opening a brothel but is even more surprised when she says that he was her inspiration.
When Mack meets with Banker John (Josh Thomson), it becomes clear that she has a sound business plan and potential figures. At one point, Rob shows up and after a very brief introduction, Mack continues her pitch as if he isn’t even there. John can’t deny that Mack’s business plan is sound and enticing but claims it goes against the bank’s morality clause. Mack must have considered the bank’s denial because she has an immediate response, which is to request a small renovation loan to make their bathroom more handicap accessible for Toby. John doesn’t have a problem with this but being that it was Rob who inherited the home, the loan will need his approval.
Shortly after this, Mack meets with Sandy (Danny Mulheron) and Jules Varma (Rima Te Wiata) at the marina motel to rent a few rooms for her business. Once Sandy learns about the brothel, his vocabulary is reduced to the phrase, $10K a month. Regardless of what she says about already knowing the hotel is being used for sex work and only wanting a few rooms, he continues to utter, $10K a month. The conversation is left open-ended when Mack receives a call from Rob.
While joining Toby for a talent show at the disabled center, Mack receives a call from Deziyah that doesn’t go so well. After quickly jogging Deziyah’s memory, Mack immediately sticks her foot in her mouth by telling her that Dion is an idiot and she should come work for her. Once Deziyah hangs up on Mack, she is approached by Bridget where it is revealed that Toby is nearing the age where he will have to graduate from the center in order to make room for younger students.
Perhaps, feeling out of options, Mack takes the deal on the hotel and begins interviewing potential employees. She even approaches Tui with a compelling employment opportunity but inadvertently insults her. This ultimately leads to Tui turning down the offer.
Later that night, Rob tells Mack about a teaching job in Auckland that he’s considering. It’s only for a semester but he thinks it would be a nice change of pace. She tells him that she needs him around and he agrees to turn it down. This changes when he learns that she is not only serious about the brothel but she’s also approached Tui. Before storming off, he tells her there is no way he is going to sign the loan papers and is taking the job.
The following morning with Noam, Mack is on her way to the hotel to tell Jules that she won’t be able to lease it. Mack is surprised by Jules’ enthusiasm and is left nearly speechless when Tui shows up. On the ride to the hotel, Mack assures Noam that she and Rob are going to be fine, despite his taking the job in Auckland.
The episode ends with Mack forging Rob’s signature on the loan papers.
Madam Review
This certainly wasn’t the best show that I’ve seen but the prospect of it being based on something real makes it all the more inviting. It’s definitively not your average workplace comedy and Mack’s dispassionate persona is a joy. I do appreciate the short runtime because it forces the writers to get right to the point. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of paunchy jokes and catchy comedy scenes but as far as everything goes, it’s all very straight to the point. I’m enjoying that and would give the first episode a 5.5 out of 10. I will have to say and I might get some backlash for this, I don’t appreciate the use of all the disabled children.
I understand the real Madam may have had a disabled child or something but I personally feel it would have been much better to leave this off.
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