Criminal barrister Cleaver Greene is back and he hasn’t lost his luster or boyish charm. The first episode of fourth season starts off where the previous season left us. Cleaver (Richard Roxburgh) and Barney (Russell Dykstra) are stuck in their hot air balloon. Cleaver hangs on with his leg, before he is flung through a window and onto a dinning table. Edgar Thompson (John Waters) grabs a sword and cuts the rope from Greene’s leg freeing him from the balloon. Barney continues floating into the horizon. Cleaver quickly recognizes Edgar, before he is shipped off to the hospital. The media quickly track down Cleaver’s saviors and learn about “Paul’s” heroic antics. Inside the police station, Warwick Dormann (Simon Burke) tells Ruth Rogers (Rachel Blake) about the incident and shows her a video of Edgar, who calls himself Paul.

Warwick and Caitlin Farquhar (Sara Wiseman) attempts to convince Ruth that Paul is indeed Edgar, but she doesn’t believe it. Warwick presents further surveillance footage, which confirms the man’s identity. As it turns out, Edgar is a wanted fugitive, who has come out of hiding to see his ailing mother. Meanwhile, Barney continues floating through the sky inside of his balloon. During his flight, he makes a recording for the two women in his life. He first dedicates a speech to Scarlet (Danielle Cormack). Unfortunately, the battery in his phone dies, as soon as he begins speaking about Nicole (Kate Box). In the meantime, Cleaver receives a visit from Wendy (Caroline Brazier) at the hospital. Cleaver seems to have reverted back in time and mistakenly believes Wendy is pregnant with his son. Cleaver promises Wendy is going to change and be good from now on. Unsurprisingly, she doesn’t believe a word of it.

Next, Barney wakes up on the side of a beach. He is quickly rescued by two officers. David Potter (Matt Day) pays a visit to Scarlet and discusses their relationship and Barney’s survival. Cleaver gets a visit from Felicity (Jane Allsop), but he is unable to remember her name. He ends up blowing the relationship and Felicity walks out on him. David decides to hang out with Scarlet and has dinner with her kids. During the meal, Scarlet is forced to leave to meet with a client. This means David responsible over Scarlet’s kids. What could go wrong? That night, Warwick and his squad manage to track down and arrest Edgar Thompson, when he visits his sick mother. Edgar tells Warwick he will regret his decision, once he is able to figure out Warwick’s name. Back at the Meagher home, David attempts to convince the kids to play Monopoly. They’re not interested in the least and remain glued to their digital devices and phones.

Meanwhile, Cleaver attempts to get a visit from a doctor, so he can leave the hospital. Along the way, he harasses a nurse and ridicules the hospital’s vittles. Scarlet returns home and the kids surprise her with Barney’s videotaped love proposal. Scarlet tells the kids to go to bed, while attempting to convince David that it is nothing. Nicole and her mother watch the video on television and quickly realize Nicole wasn’t mentioned at all. Her mother has a few choice words for Barney. As Barney’s celebrity continues to grow, he makes an appearance on Cal McGregor’s (Damien Garvey) television show. During the conversation, Cal is alerted to the arrest of Edgar and quickly freaks out. Afterwards, David meets with his political team and compliments them on their success for getting past their previous corruptions. As soon as everyone hears about Edgar’s arrest, they rush out and attempt to clear up loose ends.

Cal continues freaking out backstage, while worrying about Edgar coming after him. At the police station, Edgar is interviewed by Warwick. Edgar begins speaking about Warwick’s family, when Ruth shuts off the video recorder and interrupts. Warwick is escorted outside. Edgar and Ruth quickly embrace one another and profess their love for one another. They quickly begin prepare an escape route for Edgar. Next, Fuzz (Keegan Joyce) visits Cleaver and prepares to take him home. Cleaver winds up getting into a fight with a man in a wheelchair, Anders (Rob Carlton). Once he makes it outside, he is confronted by a cop, who puts him in touch with Edgar. Although Cleaver attempts to talk his way out of it, Edgar eventually convinces him to become his attorney. Cleaver meets back up with Fuzz and is stopped by Warwick. During this time, Barney makes his way back home and is hailed a hero by the media. Scarlet convinces Barney to spend the night with their children, which leaves Nicole feeling jealous and hopeless.

Warwick attempts to flip Cleaver and convince him to help bring down Edgar. He is confronted with checks Edgar forged in Cleaver’s name to pay for nefarious services. Barney eventually makes his way over to Nicole, who remains angry. Barney attempts to convince her his phone died and he was unable to record a video for her, but she doesn’t believe it. Cleaver pays a visit and attempts to enlist Barney’s help in defending Edgar. Barney refuses, but Nicole agrees to team up with Cleaver. They head to the courthouse, where Cleaver receives a threat outside. He does his best to get Edgar bail, but the judge refuses. Edgar makes a threat, before Cleaver rushes out of the courtroom. He sneaks to the club and finds Warwick dead in the bathroom. He sneaks outside and disguises himself. He gets assistance from Wendy to escape the city, as the episode comes to an end.

 

Rake Review

Rake is finally back and Cleaver Greene hasn’t changed a bit. The original cast has returned and they’re just as ludicrous as ever. The episode featured many great one liners, as well as several twists and turns. The remainder of the season has already been setup to some degree and will likely see Cleaver being forced to outmaneuver Edgar Thompson. Despite being a comedy, Rake is surprisingly deep and explores many of life’s hardships in hysterical ways.

Unlike other comedies, Rake manages to maintain its hilarity for an entire hour episode. For that and thanks to its comedic impact, the show is undoubtedly one of the funniest series currently on television in any country. A solid 9 out of 10 is deserved. Catch up with previous recaps of Rake right now.