Loveday Writing

Helen’s case of the week, if you will, has her dealing with a “May-December” couple, David and Jess Bunting. David is there to change his will to make Jess, his second wife, his sole beneficiary. Helen suggests to Jess that she make a will as well, as if David dies and she dies without a will, their baby daughter inherits everything, which leads to Helen asking David if he’s concerned at all about the fact that it would mean his children from his first marriage would inherit nothing. Whilst David is clearly concerned about this, Jess gets upset with Helen and leaves, with David following moments later, without paying Helen.

Meanwhile, Viktor is helping Roz set up social media profiles for Conch Mediation, and gets George to help him with the get-together for Roz’s birthday, which escalates to a party with Viktor singing a song and George doing a close-up magic act. Viktor also suggests to Helen that she donates to Roz’s charity/passion project, Acapella SOS, an acapella group that sing at disaster zones. Tony also texts Helen pictures of him eating a cupcake and asking her not to tell Viktor about it.

Later, David comes to see Helen to take her advice about adding a provision in his will for his children from his first marriage, only for Jess to bust him in the act by tracking his phone and threatens to report Helen on social media.

The next day, Petro, who appeared in the season one finale, comes to see Helen to warn her that he believes someone snitched on her to Simon Bramovich, a “journalist” who hosts a program called The Informers, a program similar to A Current Affair. Later, we see Simon and his camera man ambush Helen as she’s buying a blended beverage for Roz.

The next day, Helen comes into work with George telling her that Ray’s back from his golf trip. Moments later, he angrily calls her into his office and shows her The Informers program about her and Gruber & Associates, which reveals that David and Jess snitched on her.

The program goes on to show Simon’s ambush of her outside Blendology claiming she is chasing an ambulance, the security footage of Helen in the dumpster retrieving a recipe book two episodes ago, and Laurie and Anne from the library brawl, Brody from the previous episode, Keith from the season two premiere, Patch & Owen from four episodes ago, and Howard from three episodes ago making false allegations against her.

After they’ve watched the program, Ray asks Helen if she knew about it and she tells him that she was warned, but she’s not worried about it as none of the claims are true. However, Ray points out to her that the firm has been dragged into the mess as well as her name is not on the wall, only for Helen to point out moments later that she does most of the work around the firm. Although Ray tells her it’s not the time for “that conversation”, when she asks if he wants her to resign, he tells her that he doesn’t, and admits that she in fact does all the work around the firm and she does it pretty well. George asks if there’s a defamation case for them, Helen says there is, and George tells Helen that Ray was one of Melbourne’s top defamation lawyers. He was called ‘Omo Man’ because he could wash the stink off anyone, however he burned out and had a heart attack at 35, which led to Roz suggesting that they open their own probate firm. Meanwhile, we see Roz take a phone call and agree to meet her Acapella SOS group at a street corner and when Ray asks George and Helen where she is, it’s revealed that she and the group are singing ‘Help Is on Its Way’ at the site of a burst water main. As they’re singing, a montage shows Helen, Ray, George and Viktor putting together their legal strategy for the defamation case.

Later, Helen and Ray go to a meeting with the network that airs The Informers in matching, three-piece suits. The meeting ends up only lasting a few minutes, with the network agreeing to an on-air retraction and apology, demoting Simon (despite Simon’s protests), as well as agreeing to Ray’s request of advertising spots for Gruber & Associates and donating $20,000 to Acapella SOS (even though Helen only asked for $20), as Helen and Ray weren’t asking for financial damages.

Towards the end of the episode, everyone (minus Roz) celebrates Ray and Helen’s win with the network. Later, Roz returns and congratulates Helen for their win and thanks her for the donation to Acapella SOS.

The episode and season ends with the reveal that Ray changed the name of the firm to “Gruber & Fisk Solicitors”. When Roz sees Helen looking at the new plaque, she asks Helen if she’s happy, and Helen tearfully tells her that she is.

The  end credits scene shows that Petro has his own reality show, ‘Petro Wants a Soulmate’, echoing his earlier scene when he told Helen he’s looking for his soulmate.

Overall, I felt that this was a solid season finale as it made multiple references to the season, as well as the previous season, and provided what seemed like a run-of-the-mill case of the week which spiralled out of control and ultimately led to Helen being made a name partner of the firm. Having the season end with Helen, who lacked confidence and was reluctant to work at the firm in the pilot, to becoming the firm’s name partner and feeling some long overdue happiness, was a good choice and if the show isn’t renewed for a third season, a high note to end on. I also appreciate the back story on Ray as a defamation lawyer and how Gruber & Associates was established.

As for the season as a whole, I felt it was stronger as the premise and its characters were firmly established, there were more interesting cases of the week, and there was character growth with Ray and Roz, with Ray showing his authority as the boss on more than one occasion and Roz establishing her own business, which also leads to Helen becoming name partner at the firm. I also appreciated Tony and Viktor having more of a presence in this season, essentially replacing Helen’s aunt and uncle, Graham and May, and Viktor in particular becoming a presence at the firm by working for Roz. I also appreciated the various callbacks throughout the season’s run, which is the perfect way for the show to tie its episodes together as it generally never had any long-running story arcs.

I’ve enjoyed reviewing the second season of Fisk and I hope it’s renewed for a third, but if it isn’t, it did end on a perfect high note.

Stray Observations:

Episode title – Snitches Get Riches is Simon Bramovich’s catch phrase.

-According to David, Jess was on a TV show called 50 Hottest Nobodies, she finished in the top ten.

-Helen says that only idiots watch The Informers, only to admit that she does watch it moments later.

-In The Informers program, Keith is described as an “unemployed topiary artist”, Patch & Owen are described as “clowns with vaginas”, Laurie and Anne are described as a “couple with a serious beef”, and Howard is described as a “rebuffed suitor”.

-The episode focuses on Roz’s birthday, Viktor thinks she’s turning 52 but she’s actually turning 49.

-Roz was previously part of the acapella group, The Sadrigals, an all-female group who sung at funerals. It’s not explained why she left The Sadrigals.

Best one liners and interactions:

• “You should probably get to work, Helen.” “I thought I was in charge while Ray was away.” “Yeah, when you’re working you are.” (George-Helen-George)
• “Oh, that’s Roz, she looks happy, that’s weird.” (Helen to herself when she’s looking at a group photo of Roz with her Acapella SOS group)
• “Do you have any idea how out of your league I am, David?” “I do.” (Jess to David, then Helen to Jess and David)
• “I’m on a mission to find my soulmate, it’s a numbers game, so you have to ask everyone.” (Petro to Helen)
• “I’m gonna leave my phone number with reception, I know you’re a bad man but I find you strangely attractive. I think I could change you.” “Good on you, mate.” (Helen-Simon after their meeting over Helen and Ray’s defamation suit)
• “I hope you’re ready Stellick, ‘cause I’m coming for ya. Tell your boss you can either make a deal or Omo Man is going to put you through a wash cycle so hot it’ll burn the skin right off your testicles. I’m talking 90 degrees Celsius. You’re gonna have to carry your balls around in a change purse, buddy, ‘cause you won’t have a ball bag left when I’m finished with you…I do beg your pardon, Beverly. Yes, I’ll hold.” (Ray, thinking he is on the phone with the network lawyer, Brent Stellick, but he’s actually talking to his receptionist)