The episode begins with Claire Spears (Coco Jack Gillies) posing with her red school uniform tie around her neck. Kate Lawson (Kate Mulvany) suggests she pull the tie tighter to give a more realistic feel.

Brett Colby (Sam Neill) tells Kate it isn’t necessary to prove Nathan’s guilt, just that he had a motive to kill Claire. He asks if she is willing to bring her affair with Nathan to the surface. After saying her and Diane’s relationship is already damaged, Kate stresses the importance of taking Nathan down to secure her an acquittal. He warns it is risky to recall a witness without being fully prepared. She reminds him of Nathan’s lies. He tells her it’s crucial the jury believes Nathan is the liar, not Claire.

Ezekiel Aku (Mandela Mathia) tells Brett something strange was recorded by a neighbor’s surveillance camera on September 14, 2019. The first flash was recorded 12 minutes after Claire and Amita James (Aretha-Mae Collins) left Kate’s. Colby asks if it is a camera flash. Ezekiel tells him that a flash was noted every 10 seconds for the next 6 minutes. Colby asks if Claire was responsible. Ezekiel says Claire was alone.

After reminding Nathan Spears (Matt Nable) of his affair revelation, Colby asks if it was Kate. Nathan admits to having an affair with his current wife, Sonia Spears (Silvia Colloca). Colby asks if he is an “adulterer” and a “liar.” When Nathan denies being a liar, Colby asks if he lied to Diane Spears (Jenni Baird) about his affair with Sonia. The jury is shown a video in which Kate intervenes when Nathan forces Claire into his vehicle. Colby asks if his anger stems from Claire threatening to expose his affair with Kate. Nathan tells the jury that Claire was upset about Sonia having a miscarriage. After pointing out that his story had changed, Colby informs him that he committed perjury. Nathan claims he was only trying to protect Sonia. Colby tells him that the house mistress claimed Claire told her about the affair. Nathan tells the jury that Claire lied about all kinds of things.

Colby asks if Sonia is a wealthy woman. Nathan says Sonia’s family is part of the “Italian automotive industry.” Colby asks if there is a clause in his prenuptial agreement that adultery bans him from a monetary settlement. He validates the clause but denies having an affair. Colby asks if he has any knowledge of a mobile app that supports non-traceable messages. Nathan says, “No.” When Colby pretends to have trouble pronouncing the app, Nathan blurts out, “Wickr.” Colby asks if he and Kate utilized Wickr to secretly communicate. Nathan denies the allegations. Colby asks why he has the Wickr app downloaded on his phone. Nathan suggests Claire may responsible. Claire asks if he taking advantage of his 14-year-old missing daughter to explain inconsistencies in his evidence. Nathan asks why would he have affair with a woman that he detested.

Corrie D’ Souza (Pallavi Sharda) questions if Kate is exposing her affair with Nathan. Alexi Menelaus (Damien Strouthos) tells her that he probably wouldn’t be called back, otherwise. Vanessa Young (Catherine Van-Davies) assures her that it’s not uncommon for people to have sex with people they detest. Garry Thorne (Brendan Cowell) describes Nathan as a “gold digger.”

Farrad Jassim (Hazam Shammas) thanks Jarrod Saunders (Ngali Shaw) for helping his wife get an Australian visa.

Peter Brodsky (Daniel Mitchell) offers Margaret Brown (Gennie Nevinson) some assistance with her books, but she refuses.

Simon Cavanaugh (Nicholas Cassim) speaks to someone on the phone about his daughter, Ava Cavanaugh (Olivia Allen).

Farrad suggests threatening the university with a lawsuit without following through with it. Jarrod asks how he’s supposed to get a rideshare license without a vehicle. Farrad promises to let him utilize his car for nightshift when his wife arrives in Australia.

Sonia tells Nathan that his confrontation with Claire had nothing to do with her miscarriage, which occurred two days later. He has a flashback of meeting Kate at the marina after leaving the theater. Kate suggests they deny it. He threatens to make her life hell if Sonia leaves him. She assures him that he already does. Back to the present, Nathan makes an oath to never hurt Sonia again.

Colby tells Kate that it isn’t in her best interest to take the stand. Kate says she is taking the stand.

Georgina Merrick (Brooke Satchwell) video chats with Alice Merrick (Victoria Bradman), Oscar Merrick (Gilbert Bradman), and Marcus Merrick (Alastair Bradman). They ask why she hasn’t returned home. She claims to be away on a trip. Jamie Merrick (Hamish Michael) warns her that it wouldn’t be wise to lie about staying in a hotel. Garry suggests she deserves better. After assuring him that she isn’t physically abused, she professes to love Jamie. He tells her that she’s a great person when Allen Quigley (Dorian Nkono) knocks on the door. Garry demands to know where Otto (Toby Schmitz) is keeping his dogs. Allen informs him that Otto is tripping out over Kate and Nathan’s affair. Garry tells him that he wants his dogs back. Allen demands he provide them with names of jurors who believe Kate is guilty. When Garry hesitates, Allen threatens to take his dogs to the farm.

Emily Cavanaugh (Rachel Gordon) informs Simon that Ava Cavanaugh (Olivia Allen) didn’t stay at home last night. Simon asks if she was able to reach her. She says Ava or her boyfriend isn’t reachable.

Simon apologizes to the other jurors for being late. Garry asks if it’s business. Simon informs them of Ava not coming home.

Colby asks Kate if she and Nathan were in a relationship. She admits they had affair but utilized the Wickr app to conceal their conversations. Colby asks her to tell the jury how many times they had sex. She denies their relationship was romantic before calling their sexual interactions “sporadic.” Diane appears distressed in the audience. Colby asks what Nathan and Claire’s argument was about. She claims Claire threatened to tell Diane and Sonia. Colby asks her to describe Nathan and Claire’s relationship. She describes it as “stormy” because of Nathan’s “terrible temper.” Colby asks how Nathan responded to Claire’s disappearance. She tells the jury that he was furious but never bothered filing a missing person’s report. Simon utilizes his smartwatch to text.

Colby asks Kate if she murdered Claire. She denies the allegations before explaining why Claire preferred to stay with her.

Georgina asks if anyone noticed the change in Diane’s attitude toward Diane. Vanessa describes Diane’s demeanor as saying “fu** you, bi**h.” The jurors discuss how people are punished for their crimes. Alexi and Corrie have a minor disagreement in the jury room.

Jarrod informs Farrad of his college scholarship being reinstated. Distraught, Farrad says airline officials stopped his wife from boarding the plane.

Alexi apologizes to Corrie for his outburst. She calls him an “a**hole” before suggesting they talk later.

Simon assures someone on the phone that Joe is lying about Ava not being with him. Allen watches from his vehicle across the street. He orders Trevor Morros (Warren Lee) to get in.

Garry confronts Otto (Toby Schmitz) about Ava. He threatens to ruin him and his business if anyone is hurt.

Lucy Bloom (Marta Dusseldorp) asks Kate where Claire was when she came home after dropping Amita off at school. She tells her that she assumed Claire was in bed asleep. Bloom reminds her of what she told the police about not checking Claire’s room. She claims to have not wanted to disturb her because the bedroom door was closed. Bloom points out that the police weren’t notified about Claire’s disappearance until the following day. She acknowledges the statement is true. Bloom tells her that she admitted to the court that she didn’t provide Claire emotional support. Kate says sometimes a teenager needs space as a form of emotional support. Bloom asks if she classifies herself as a “fit guardian.” Kate says she does. Bloom asks if she was ever diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder. Kate says the diagnosis is thrown around quite a bit.

Judge Muir (James Lugton) orders Kate to answer the question. Lucy lists the symptoms of borderline personality disorder. Kate sarcastically says, “You Googled, tell me.” Lucy asks if she killed Claire in a fit of rage for fear of abandonment. Kate describes her questions as “ridiculous.” Irate, she assures her that murdering Claire wouldn’t improve her art.

Georgina questions why Colby put Kate on the stand. Garry describes Kate as an “oddball,” not a killer.

Simon informs Detective Sam Chedid (Louisa Mignone) of Ava’s disappearance. She suggests he report it to the local police department.

As Georgina emerges from the courthouse with Garry, she spots Jamie. She asks why he is there. He asks her what motel she’s staying in. She reminds him of his throwing her out of the house. When she refuses to identify Garry by his full name, Jamie threatens to prevent her from speaking to the kids. She says, ‘Thorne” before walking away.

Trevor assures Lily Powell (Bishanyia Vincent) that Kate is innocent because Claire’s body was never discovered. Lily reminds him of previously saying Kate was guilty.

When Peter apologizes for his behavior, Margaret tells him it is too late. He admits to feeling guilty for enjoying their time together because of his wife. She accepts his offer of a snack.

The Court Sheriff (Lee Robinson) calls the jury back to the courtroom. Frantic, Simon tells the other jurors that Ava has disappeared. He says Sam refused to implement an investigation into her disappearance. Garry suggests he report it to the judge. Simon asks if he thinks they will release him. Garry assures him that kids are more important than the trial.

Bloom asks Kate if Claire is permitted to drink in her house. In a flashback, Kate and Claire agree to name her art “Deadline.” Back to the present, Bloom reminds Kate of her “Artise” article posted in 2012. Kate reads, “Getting too attached to certain concepts is detrimental to art. There’s an expression writers use ‘Kill your favorite children’ and I think the same holds true in art. ‘Kill the muse’ is my new mantra….” Simon passes a note to the judge as Kate continues to read from her piece.  Bloom asks if her muse was Claire. Kate says Claire was “a muse, not the muse.” Bloom continues to pressure Kate about killing the muse. Kate trips out on the stand. Colby asks for recess while Corrie asks to give the judge a note. Muir adjourns the trial for the day.

Diane ignores Kate when she pleads to speak with her. Zoe (Sheridan Harbridge_ watches as Vanessa passes to the jury room.

Colby informs Kate that Diane denies her request for a meeting. He asks what was on her camera when she returned home after dropping Amita off at school. She asks what he is referring to. He tells her about the flashes in the surveillance camera footage, which the police probably overlooked. She claims the 36 shots contained nothing out of the ordinary. She accuses Claire of trying to ruin her work by activating the auto timer. He asks what she did with the photos. She tells him that she burnt them and the police should have the negatives. He assures her that the negatives weren’t part of police evidence. She suggests asking Diane.

Zoe confronts Vanessa about the way she ignored her in the courtroom. After a verbal dispute, Zoe walks out.

Georgina and Garry are getting their stuff out of the trunk when Jamie approaches. Jamie asks if he is trying to have sex with Georgina. Garry calls him a “parasite.” When Jamie steps forward, Garry clocks him. Jamie pleads with Georgina to return home. As she emerges from the house, Garry says, “Keep the cycle of abuse going.” She tells him that Jamie is hurting.

Jarrod asks professor Lowanna Porter (Rhoda Roberts) to sign a document to allow him to repeat her class next semester. After explaining how passionate she is about her course, she asks him to consider what he wants out of life before next semester.

Farrad informs Bloom that his wife and a lady on the Austrian Isis Watch List share the same name. She refuses to help him find an immigration lawyer.

Simon contacts the police department to file a missing person’s report when Ava walks through the door.

Alexi refuses to open up about what happened to Luiz Alves (Will Santana). Corrie admits to hooking up with a drug dealer two weeks before her parents (Gaurav Patni and Gowri Karuppiah) were murdered. She tells him that the drug dealer murdered her parents during a robbery. Alexi asks how she knew the murderer was the drug dealer. She says the police showed her a photo of him. He holds her

Colby and Ezekiel search through Kate’s negatives. Ezekiel informs Colby of an article posted by Steve Dokic (Shane Connor). Diane asks what’s it about. He shows her the article, “Kate Lawson has killed before.” Dokic labels Kate as a “killer.”

Kate has a flashback of a verbal dispute with Claire. She tells her that it isn’t a game she can play with Amita. Claire claims it’s her idea before calling her a “narcissist.” Kate accuses her of ruining their work. Claire asks if she believes she likes portraying Belinda Bain (Charlotte Lucas), so she can live out her sexual fantasies. When Claire grabs her by the throat, Kate issues her a stern warning before walking away. Back to the present, Kate sits alone in her cell as the episode comes to an end.

 

The Twelve Review

The cross-examination of Nathan was the highlight of the episode. Matt Nable and Sam Neill’s performance was outstanding.

The dialogue was hit-and-miss. The four-letter words were unnecessary.

Kate Mulvany is perfect for Kate Lawson. She has the behaviors of a psychopath down perfectly. Her performance really stood out in this episode. It is easy to ignore Claire as she is the missing person. Coco Jack Gillies brought Claire to life, which is a bit tricky in this instance.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Garry bring Jamie to his knees. Will he change? Probably not, but it was worth a watch.

Some scenes are repetitious and boring. I think many viewers will agree the trial is the best part of the show.

The episode deserves a 6.5. Get more The Twelve recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by clicking the link.