Loveday Writing

The job of a penultimate episode is to provide a springboard to the finale, I felt that this episode did a great job of doing so.

The episode kicks off on 11 August 1989, the day after the events at the end of the previous episode. Dale goes to a restaurant to meet with Richard, only to find Lindsay sitting in his place. Lindsay makes it clear to Dale that he knows about his plan and blackmails him with photos of him paying off Nick in his car, and plans to go public with them. Dale dares him to do so, although he is clearly rattled by the idea of him actually following through.

Meanwhile, Bill asks Helen to go out for a drink with him so they can clear the air, however she declines, telling him that they should just get to the planning meeting. At the planning meeting, Leoni pitches a story on university fees focusing on the then-new HECS system and how it affects single mothers. Noelene then pitches a story focusing on the mental health system as mental health institutions are being shut down.

Meanwhile at News at Six, it’s revealed that Dale is MCing Cheryl’s wedding and that Tim has come out to the cameramen, who are clearly disgusted. When Lindsay tries aggravate Dale, Dale tells him that their interaction at the restaurant changes nothing, but Lindsay tells him to watch out for what is in the papers. Dale goes home and shows Kay the photos, and tells her that he could make phone calls to get rid of Lindsay and that he’s irreplaceable. Kay points out that he isn’t, when he points out he is the Gold Logie winner, she points out that they’ll be another one in six months and that no-one is irreplaceable, and he knows this. Kay then suggests that they do an interview as a couple and say that he has struggled with his sexuality for years, and that meeting her led to things ‘coming into focus.’ Dale dismisses her, gets another drink, and tells her that no-one forgives men for questioning their sexuality.

On 12 August 1989, Rob stumbles home drunk after going to Cheryl’s fiancé’s bucks party, Noelene meets him outside and gets the paper, discovering a front-page story on Helen and her mental health struggles. She contacts Helen immediately and Dale’s car can be heard screeching on the road as he rushes over, hits the brakes, and goes inside to comfort her. It’s revealed that both her sister, Cathy, and Lindsay spoke to the journalist who wrote the story. Helen rushes to see Marcia, panicking. Marcia points out that most of the people at work knew about her mental health struggles, as well as viewers. Marcia tells her that even though a comedy show makes fun of her for being ‘unhinged,’ viewers still love and watch her. Marcia tells Helen that she can control her reaction. Later, Helen goes to work and she pitches the idea of going to a mental health institution and reporting on it.

On 13 August 1989, Dale, Kay, Noelene, Rob, and Lindsay attend Cheryl’s wedding, where it’s revealed that Lindsay also invited Tim and Lee to come along, to further stir Dale up. During the wedding, Dale does cocaine and drinks heavily. Lindsay stirs up trouble with the group, with Rob threatening to punch him after making racist comments towards Noelene. After Cheryl and her fiancé have their first dance, Tim and Lee go on to the dance floor, only for everyone else to leave. Rob and Noelene, and Dale and Kay end up joining them in solidarity. At the end of the night, Dale challenges Lindsay to go to print with the photos, telling him that he is all talk.

On Monday, Kay wakes up to find Dale passed out on the couch surrounded by bottles, and messages being left from Richard and Rob. As Rob leaves a message, Kay picks up the phone and tells them that Dale won’t be in. Rob then tells Richard he’s leaving the network. At 5:10pm, Kay pours water on Dale to wake him up, and tells him that he isn’t half the man Geoff was, and he runs out in a panic.

Helen manages to air a successful episode of Public Eye focusing on mental health, interviewing a mental institute nurse live on air, who reveals that she was assaulted by a patient whilst she was a patient herself, which is why she got into nursing in the mental health industry, to help make it better. Helen, in turn, admits to having anxiety and depression, and that the shame and isolation of it makes it unbearable.  Meanwhile, Dale listens to the audio of the audience feedback, which has grown increasingly negative, and Kay returns home to Evelyn in tears. At the end of the night, Cathy visits Helen, and Helen invites her in.

The episode ends with Helen and Bill going for a walk in the park, where she turns him down due to him being married, and working together on the show, a show which she has more control of now than he does. The episode ends with him clearly disappointed, and maybe even a little angry.

Overall, this was a strong penultimate episode with the contrast between Helen’s mental health and career progressing, and Dale’s spiralling career and mental health, growing wider and starting to reach the inevitable breaking point that will clearly play out in the finale. Another strong point was Lindsay’s downfall progressing with Dale challenging him to follow through on his blackmail, and Rob drawing a long overdue line in the sand and quitting over Lindsay’s racist remarks to Noelene.

I’m looking forward to seeing how the finale brings the season and the series to a close.