At the beginning of the episode, Joan Ferguson (Pamela Rabe) receives a visit from her attorney’s assistant. Joan learns that her former partner in crime has changed his testimony and is now willing to rat on her. She freaks out and sends the sweaty young man running for the hills. Bridget Westfall (Libby Tanner) visits Kim Chang (Ra Chapman), who is still recovering in isolation. Kim accuses Bridget of stealing Franky (Nicole da Silva) away, yet Bridget remains adamant that Franky wanted parole. The Freak cowers in the corner and eerily says “dead men tell no tales”. Bridget returns home and calls Joan’s mental hospital. She insists Joan shouldn’t have been allowed to leave. Next, she visits Vera Bennett (Kate Atkinson) and is confronted about her relationship with Franky. Vera sends Bridget home and also tells her she is going to report her behavior to the board. She also threatens to get Franky’s parole revoked. Next, Bea (Danielle Cormack) and Maxine (Socratis Otto) are confronted by Kaz (Tammy Macintosh) and Allie (Kate Jenkinson) in the bathroom.
Bea tells Kaz and the girls to run everything by her first and they agree. After the pair makes their departure, Max tells Bea that Allie has a thing for her. Max also insists she should use that to her advantage. Boomer (Katrina Milosevic) and Doreen (Shareena Clanton) once again ask Bea about conjugal visits. Bridget returns home and tells Franky about Vera. Bridget insists Franky should move out for the time being, so she doesn’t ruin her parole. Franky doesn’t like the ideal, but agrees and rushes out of the home. On her way out, she is confronted by her father, Alan (Richard Sutherland). He gives her his phone number, before she can hastily drive away. Bea once again speaks with Vera and learns that the conjugal visits have been refused. Before Bea can make her exit, Vera tells her she wants Bea to get involved in more prison programs, especially Grooming for Success. Bea admits she doesn’t like the ideal of styling other inmate’s hair. Vera is requested by Joan, who asks to speak with Derek Channing (Martin Sacks). Vera tells Joan she is a prisoner now and no longer calls the shots.
Bea is forced to break the bad news to the other inmates and decides to do so in the cafeteria. Kaz takes over immediately afterwards and insists they’re not going to take no for an answer. She successfully rallies the troops. Max tells Bea they need to get control over Kaz. In the bathroom, we see Kaz and Allie planning something for the following morning. That night, Frank pays a visit to the prison and sits outside. She reminiscences about her days inside, before Will Jackson (Robbie Magasiva) interrupts. He tells her she should go home, if she doesn’t want to end up back inside. In the morning, Derek speaks with Vera and tells her about Joan’s intention of being released into the general population. Derek admits she has a compelling case, despite the risks involved. Meanwhile, Max gets a breast exam from Liz (Celia Ireland). Kaz puts her plan to action in the yard. The women strip down and chant out that they demand conjugal visits. On the outside, two women fly a drone over the facility and record everything. Vera receives a call from one of the women outside and learns about the demands of the prisoners.
Vera alerts the guards and tells them to bring down the drone. Bea learns about the situation and rushes outside to watch. The guard manages to shoot the drone down and collect the evidence. Still, Kaz and the girls refuse to stop. They fight with the guards. Jackson and Kaz tussle, before she grabs him by the balls and he tosses her onto the ground. During her fall, she smashes her face on a bench and immediately complains about Jackson being a pervert. After the chaos has ended, Kaz is hailed as a hero and Maxine tells Bea they need to wipe that smile off of her face. Vera speaks with Kaz and tells her she will end up getting her time lengthened, if she isn’t careful. After their conversation, Vera turns to Bea and insists Kaz is now a shared problem. Bea comes up with a plan for securing conjugal visits and once again winning over the respect of the other girls. Vera pays another visit to Joan, who speaks about the fragility of Vera’s status as governor. She also insists Vera needs to be ready for her release into general. Vera pays a visit to Bridget.
Vera admits she isn’t there to check on Franky. She insists they have a bigger problem on their hands in the form of Joan. Vera confirms that Joan will win, if she dies on her watch. They agree to eat dinner together, while continuing the conversation. Franky knocks at the door and Vera tells Bridget about Franky’s visit to the prison. Frank apologizes to Bridget and admits it is best if she moves out. After everything is settled away, the three wind up sharing dinner together. They chat about Joan’s true reason for trying to enter general population and Franky insists she must want to become top dog. Back at the prison, Bea begins pulling strings with Allie. She allows her to skip the phone line and also offers to style her hair. Like a puppy in love, Allie agrees. Meanwhile, Franky is once again stopped by her father, who tells her she has a 3-year-old sister. He admits they should at least one of one another. Vera and Bridget plan to give Joan a psych evaluation, before Vera admits Bridget will always have a job, as long as she remains governor.
Joan quickly catches on to Bridget’s questions and begins manipulating the results. She also tells Bridget that Vera is a coward and that the bravest thing she ever did was killing her mother. After Bridget leaves, Joan looks into the camera and tells Vera that she will not be able to use the footage. Once Bridget returns to Vera, it is confirmed that the footage is worthless. Bea pays Vera another visit and learns about Ferguson’s intention to enter general population. Bea agrees to help, as long as the women get conjugal visits. Seconds later, Vera joins the women in the cafeteria and tells them that conjugal visits will now be available on a trial basis thanks to Bea. However, the women must also partake in the contraception and family planning program, in order to be eligible. Before Vera departs, she makes one more announcement. Bea will now run the Personal Grooming and Presentation program. Bea doesn’t like the ideal, but has very little choice. Vera speaks with Channing. As they stroll down the hall, a dummy with a noose around its neck is dropped in front of them. It has the word “Freak” scrawled across its forehead.
They return to Vera’s office, where Vera attempts to coax Channing into speaking with Ferguson personally. Meanwhile, Bea sets up class. Allie enters moments later and announces she is there for a hair cut and color change. On the outside, Franky meets her little sister. Vera asks Bridget, if she believes the things Ferguson said and Bridget confirms that she does not. Derek Channing speaks with Joan and attempts to convince her he has hidden all of the evidence she could use against him. She doesn’t back down and eventually gets exactly what she wants. Derek returns to Vera and tells her to transfer Joan to general population immediately. He also admits he hopes she doesn’t make it longer than five minutes.
Wentworth Review
The second episode of Wentworth’s fourth season was great. The action continued on and the drama deepened. Bea finally made her move against Kaz, but did so in a non-violent manner. Despite Vera and Bridget’s attempts, they failed to prevent Joan from entering general population. Joan’s transfer will undoubtedly create for an excellent 3rd episode. For that, the episode deserves an 8.5 out of 10. Catch up with previous recaps of Wentworth right now.
Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.
