05x01 - To Me, To You

[bunniefuu]

I'm not gonna tell you what to do, OK, but here's your choice...

There'll be a ticket for you at the airport...

either way, I am on that plane and I won't be comin' back here.

I love you, Penny, but you know that already.

How do you feel about me?

- I love you!

- Good to know.

Whatever you do it's always too late.

I am committing us to adventure.

I'll research beers, you can pen Sci-Fi erotica.

And where are we doing this exactly?

Any where we wanna go that isn't Whyhope.

- _ - [DRAMATIC TV THEME MUSIC PLAYS]

[EMERGENCY SIREN WAILS]

[THEME MUSIC ENDS]

- Who knew?

- _ Who could have known what laid in store for all of us?

Certainly not the good people of Whyhope.

HOST: The last year has been tough...

A drought that had turned pasture to dust,

and hope to ashes,

then fire and flood.

With the tourist trade slowing to a trickle

the downturn took a brutal toll on Main Street...

But as Whyhope dared to hope the worst was over

fate was holding one last blow up it's sleeve.

Whyhope Hospital's been declared an asbestos hazard.

The building's now under total lockdown.

HOST: The staff and patients having

to evacuate to a nearby pony club,

and the hospital's frailer patients

transferred to the nearest facility,



kilometres away in Stanwell...

With Whyhope's medicos forced to setup shop

in what until a few week's ago

was the local veterinary clinic.

Well, I mean it's a...

it's a kick in the guts [SIGHS], that's for sure.

I mean after everything this town's been through, I mean...

Who could have predicted this?

Without a doubt it's the hardest days that Whyhope has ever seen.

Do you give up?

Do you throw in the towel?

No.

So, um, we'll keep fighting...

that's what we do in Whyhope.

HOST: And if I know anything about the everyday heroes

of this remarkable country town

Whyhope will be back better and stronger than ever.

I don't know how much clearer I need to make it, it's finished, okay?

The hospital's never opening it's doors again...

Not in this life time anyway.

Well, don't you think that's being a bit dramatic?

I'm just being realistic.

[SCOFFS]

There's no turning back from this, and even if there was...

the asbestos is probably the nudge that I needed.

I'm picking up the threads to my once promising career and I am moving on.

That's not what you said on national television.

[SCOFFS]

Please, Mum, that was television...

This is reality.

Well, I refuse to be seen as the mayor who let Whyhope die.

Mum, maybe it's already happened.

Strange, I didn't know I'd raised a quitter.

You raised a surgeon.

I can't do that in Whyhope anymore.

There's more to me than just being a small town GP working out of a cowshed.

- Ooooh!

- [SCOFFS]

- Bye, Daddy.

- Bye.

[JAUNTY MUSIC]

You're welcome to the joint...

I'm outta here.

Well, it's just a stopgap really...

Until we find...

Something more appropriate.

You pulling up stumps, Bill?

Yeah, Whyhope's done for.

I take full responsibility.

If I hadn't been so demanding about my office Reno they might never have found the asbestos.

Yes, well that was less than ideal, but...

Tsk, here we are.

My bottom is still clenched tight with tension, but, I'm battling on.

Tsk.

That's good to know.

Although, I can't help but think what Penny would have made of this.

- [SIGHS]

- It would break her heart.

Well, given that Penny is kilometres away, on the other side of the country, perhaps that's not a point worth pursuing, Ken?

Hello?

- Wes.

- Hey.

Everything alright?

Yeah.

Why don't we talk outside.

Yeah, sure.

Penny.

- There's still some feeling.

- Mm-hm!

[THEME MUSIC - 'GOIN' UP TO COUNTRY']

[SIGHS]

How's Kassie?

Amazing, as always.

No offence, mate, but this place is a joke.

What if there's an emergency and she needs to get hospitalised or something, you know?

We've got our plan, we're managing pain relief...

there's no reason to believe that Kassie will need to be hospitalised.

Well, she's not dragging off to Stanwell, you know, that's not what she wants...

To die at home with us.

You know, I promised you both, Kassie will pass at home and I will be there when the time comes.

You know, anything else arises we will deal with it.

I know this is sh*t, OK, I really do.

We've got this, OK?

- Yeah, thanks, mate.

Yeah, - Good man.

[CAR DOOR CLOSES]

Hales...

Hayley?

- Hayley!?

- Oh!

You didn't come home again...

- Oh, I, yeah, um...

- ... all night.

- Should I take Jimmy to daycare?

- I've done it.

He keeps asking where you are.

I know!

I've got so much to do.

I...

Profits are down, we've lost customers, had to let staff go...

Matt and Charlie would not expect you to work yourself to the bone.

Somebody left another crappy review online this morning, uh...!

Why would they do that?

- Because, they're idiots.

- Yeah, but now two more functions have cancelled.

[SIGHS EXASPERATEDLY]

Matt and Charlie left me in charge, and I just...

they would be so upset.

- They're in Germany.

- [CROWD YELLING]

All the way, all they way, all the way!

- Come on, come on, come on, come on!

- Oi, have a go!

Go on!

Oh!

Goal!

Yeah!

Goal!

Goal, woo-hoo!

Charlie?!

Goal!

Can I get a pint of beer, bitte?

Ja!

Wooooo!

Hayley...

Stop, now!

Yes, thank you.

Exactly!

Come on, you just need to pack up.

We're going to the airport.

- I can't, Meryl, I'm working.

- The TV coverage has stirred things up, they're sending an administrator to help review our situation.

We need to meet and greet.

- But...

- Prioritise, Hayley, Airport, now.

Hugh, you were the face of the appeal...

You have to come and meet and greet this woman.

At least give me that.

This could be where everything turns around.

Good!

We'll pick up Rod Eagle first, then Hugh.

I really don't think I should be driving.

[CAR DOOR CLOSES]

[PLANE ENGINE DECELERATES]

So, you reckon Sydney's gonna bail us out?

Ha!

Yeah, like that's gonna happen!

Whyhope is out for the count.

It will be if we don't grow some balls.

Is that her?

Hayley, go and help.

They send us the clumsy one.

At least they didn't send us the smart one.

- I'll help.

- Oh, thank you!

I'm Hayley, I'm here to pick you up.

Oh, ah, Sharna...

thank you!

- Nice to meet you.

[CHUCKLES]

- Yeah, you to.

[LAUGHS]

Sharna, welcome to Whyhope.

I'm Meryl Knight, Mayor of Whyhope, and this is Councillor Rod Eagle, and Hayley you've met...

and...

this is Doctor Hugh Knight...

who's the Director-in-Chief of the Whyhope Hospital.

As it happens, my son.

[CHUCKLES]

Ha!

Uh, welcome to Whyhope.

Uh, hi, uh, thank you for meeting me.

[CHUCKLES]

Uh, let's get your bags.

OK, uh, g-great, yes, th-thank you.

I'm so sorry, the hospital, that must have been so distressing.

Well, I have to admit, God was in a particularly shitty mood that day.

Oh, and he's still reeling from it, aren't you, darling?

Well, I am so pleased to be here.

Oh, and we're happy to have you here.

You're just like a little angel sent down from the sky.

Uh, some Whyhope honey, wine and

- gift vouchers!

[LAUGHS]

- Oh!

Lovely!

Hayley, let Hugh drive.

[CAR DOOR OPENS]

[CAR DOOR CLOSES]

...

'cause we're battlers in the country.

It's as if someone has just reached in and torn the heart out of our town.

Well, I won't be going anywhere until Whyhope's back on it's feet.

Thank you.

We'll make a start in the morning.

Yes, uh, they're desperate to meet you.

Contacted the concerned parties, and they're going to meet us at the Council Chambers at : .

Excellent.

Sharna, I should warn you...

I think we're going to be good friends.

There's an invitation for you to come and stay at the homestead anytime.

Oh, that's very kind, but I, uh, I don't think my boss would approve.

Well, dinner then.

Hugh, why don't you take Sharna for dinner tonight at that lovely little Japanese restaurant?

Don't know how they've survived.

Sounds good, Now I know what it feels like to be pimped out by my own mother.

Sharna hold the purse strings and give us hope, and you know the drill it's just charm, charm, charm, and whatever else that you do that make women fall for you, not that I understand what that is.

[CAR DOORS OPEN AND CLOSE]

Hayley, wake up!

[UNLOCKING CHIRP]

[KNOCKING]

[DISAPPOINTEDLY]

Oh.

Is that all I get?

- A faintly disappointed, "Oh."

- [LAUGHING]

Sorry.

[LAUGHING]

I'm sorry, I thought you were my, um, date.

Which is silly 'cause we're meeting up in a bar.

- Wow.

[CHUCKLES]

- Good "Wow"?

Better than my "Oh." Yeah, yeah, good wow, excellent choice.

Now, I need you to sign the agent agreement on the sale of your house.

Sign's up.

Has there been any interest?

Not a lot going on in Whyhope at the moment, with the town down on it's knees.

- I hope you're not here to judge.

- No.

Maybe you should come back to Whyhope...

Give the sales agents a push?

I'm never going back to Whyhope.

That chapter has closed.

What a read it was...

Married to Jarrod...

then...

separated.

Wonder what'll happen next?

I'm here in Stanwell 'til I sell the house and then I'm gone.

- Where?

- Wherever.

New life.

New men.

New Penny...

Because nothing about the Penny I was before ever worked out.

Ever!

Yeah, so Nick's cute.

He's young...

he's younger than me, but not stupidly young, other than he always wants to talk about his mother...

Which is fine.

Loves her cooking.

Just because you miss Hugh doesn't mean you have to become him.

Who says I miss Hugh?

This is about me.

Just wait...

Whoever you thought I was in the past...

I'm gonna prove you all wrong.

You able to give it a go?

Sam.

Larry.

That's a mean lookin' bike Ratchet.

- Hey, Doc.

Let's go.

- Hey.

So, I'm happy to continue you with the oral pain relief for now...

But, um, we can switch to a syringe driver any time you like, OK?

What's the latest with Matt and Charlie, they still having a ball?

Uh, ha!

Matt has now got an internship at some weird brewery in Munich.

[LAUGHS]

He'd love that!

- More than you'd know.

- [CONTINUES LAUGHING]

I'll tell him you said hi.

Oh, no...

Um, they don't want to know about this.

Hey, you can see 'em for yourself, when they're back.

Sure.

Well...

- I'll see you next time.

OK.

- Thank you.

Thanks.

I don't need a chaperone I'll be the judge of that.

Anyway, I'm curious...

and we need to talk about the hospital, at some point.

- Have you seen the TV report yet?

- Nup.

I sent you the link...

- and there's the asbestos...

- I did one wrong thing.

All those years, I gave everything to that place.

I'm allowed...

one wrong thing.

- Hi!

Ah!

- Hey...

You...

look...

- Great.

- Hmm.

Nick, this is my friend, Betty.

Pleased to meet you.

Oh, no, no, no.

No, as you were, I just, um...

I was just leaving.

Bye.

Well, have fun, you two.

I'll just head back to the animal park.

Woo!

Got you're drill?

Can I see?

- [DRILL WHIRRS]

- Oh, no!

[LAUGHING]

Good...

up!

OK.

[JIMMY GIGGLES]

[PHONE RINGS]

Yup.

Yeah, I'm coming.

[GENTLY]

So, you wanna pick it backup?

Alright.

[BIRDS TWITTERING]

Wanna go see Grandma?

All this time, I can't believe Matt and Charlie are not at the table.

Stop reading those reviews, they're not gonna get any better.

They just be very grateful that you two are looking after their house.

You wouldn't like it if someone wrote things about your dumb house.

Hey, I'll get our house finished.

It's a massive job, OK, it's taking me a long time.

You'd think I'd get some appreciation for keeping the brewery going this whole time.

Not all this horrible trolling!

Hales, I'm building it for us!

Hey, I'm doing my best!

You stole mine!

That was jolly.

Well, I'd like to think I'll leave the world a better place

- than I found it, sure.

- Mmm.

You're a saint.

I've done my research.

- Everybody says so.

- They really don't.

Cheers.

[PHONE CHIMES AND BUZZES]

[SIGHS]

So, what is someone like you doing in a place like this?

You know I was going to ask you exactly the same thing.

Mmm, I'm not planning on putting down roots...

- But you've been here awhile.

- Mm-hm.

Well, I was running the hospital...

In case you dunno what a hospital director does...

- Mmmm.

- So, I guess it does fall to me to...

Clean up this whole mess.

- Initially, anyway.

- A shitload...

Of mess, actually.

Yes, well, you know...

it does always get darker before it turns completely pitch black.

[LAUGHS]

Anyway, that's my plight.

What about you?

Well, if I make a success of this, it's a stepping stone to bigger things.

Ah.

You have ambitions.

Politics?

Mmm...

Well, if diplomacy is your strength, you will need that here, believe me.

I can hold my own.

I have no doubt.

Perhaps I should come and see this magic for myself tomorrow at council.

Yeah.

Maybe.

Hey.

A cuddle wouldn't go astray before Jimmy wakes up.

Uh...

I'm gonna get an hour or two on the house before work.

[KNOCK AT DOOR]

Ajax!

- Surprise!

- Matt!

Charlie!

- What are you doing here?

- Excuse me.

- Hey!

- Oh, hey...

Mwah.

So good to see you.

Oh!

Wow!

Aw...

Ajax!

[LAUGHS]

- Yew!

- It's so good to see you guys.

Oh, it's so good to be home.

So, what...

Has something happened or...?

Oh, Matt read some shitty reviews of the brewery online, so he wanted to get back to see what's gone wrong.

- Yeah, right.

I've seen them.

- I'm not angry, Hayley.

I'm just terribly disappointed you managed to make such a mess out of things.

I should get Jimmy ready for day care.

What...

No, Matt, those reviews upset me too.

I have no idea where they could have come from.

Well, the message was crystal clear, so I'll be at the brewery, in damage control.

- Matt, I've just...

- Just let him go.

Look, I posted those reviews online 'cause I was so mad to get home.

Honestly, I couldn't wait!

- You wrote them?

- Yeah.

Shh.

But you can't tell Matt.

Promise?

Oooh, hello, little writing desk.

I missed you.

Matt thinks I've ruined his business!

I don't want him thinking that.

I've worked really, really hard.

Oh, yeah, no, no, no, no, he'll be fine once he's back behind the bar.

So, you've thrown me under the bus just so you could get home?

Seriously, thank you so much for looking after the place.

You have made a few changes.

Well, I thought you'd stay away longer.

Well, you're supposed to be building a place of your own.

Well, we've had a lot on our plate, Charlie...

Managing the brewery, running the farm.

Well...

We've come to think of this place as a home.

Well, it's ours.

You guys are just house-sitting.

Right.

Mmm.

Well, it's my understanding that the house belongs with the farm and since Ajax has been running the farm while you've been in Germany writing horrible reviews about me and my work...

- Oh...

- Sorry.

I've got a meeting to get to.

Sharna Bahtt, everyone.

Or as I would prefer to call her, Whyhope's angel.

- [LAUGHS AWKWARDLY]

- Where can we put you?

Where would you like to speak from?

I have to thank Council for their hard work in putting together such a comprehensive background paper.

It's provided my colleagues in the ministerial office with invaluable insights into the range of issues facing Whyhope.

Your plight has been discussed at the highest ministerial levels and I can now share the outcome.

It's no exaggeration to say that this is the gravest crisis in Whyhope's history.

Our response must reflect the gravity of that crisis.

Accordingly, Whyhope Council is to be stood down, that is to say dismissed, and I will assume the role of full-time administrator with immediate effect.

You're sacking Council?

I know this wasn't the news you'd be expecting to hear but if Whyhope is to survive, it needs a steadying hand at the wheel.

You're sacking me?

- [MOBILE PHONE RINGS]

- Uh, yes, I am.

Excuse me.

Yes?

[WHISPERS]

Yes.

That's outrageous.

Unbelievable.

I don't doubt your authority to do what you're proposing.

Whether it's good for the town or not is another matter.

I care every bit as much about the future of Whyhope as you do.

- Unlikely.

- But true.

I take my job seriously.

I'm sure that you do.

Meryl, let me put my cards on the table.

Please.

Your tenure as mayor has been characterised by irregularities which suggest that Whyhope Council hasn't always acted in the best interests of the ratepayers.

My first task will be to undertake a root-and-branch investigation of any possible misconduct.

Well, I'm clean as a whistle.

Service is my middle name.

Mmm.

Such as pressuring the manager of Whyhope Mines to seal the road to your son's cemetery business in return for advancing the mine's interests on council, then on-selling the cemetery to another councillor for profit once the road was sealed?

You need to know that I'll be pursuing any irregularities to the fullest extent of the law.

Well, anything you need to know, girl, you come and see me first.

You should probably take that back.

Yes, of...

Of course.

I'll, um...

I'll donate this to the needy.

Sharna, your empty threats don't intimidate me at all.

The battle has just commenced.

Your invitation to the homestead...

Consider it withdrawn.

Come on, Hayley, Hugh.

Hell's bells, she's a lively one.

Eyes like a marauding bloody shark.

You can't desert us now.

This is your moment.

And what moment is that?

In times of crisis, we need leadership.

Now, the Knight family has always answered to the call to arms.

Mum, what have I been saying?

Life is an ever-evolving feast.

The world moves on.

Take this as an opportunity.

There are now places to go, people to meet.

Like the inmates in the Stanwell Correctional Centre.

That's never gonna happen.

She's just grandstanding.

Look, I understand you need someone to lead Whyhope out of the wilderness.

It's just not gonna be me.

What?

As you have often remarked, I need to live my life to its fullest potential.

I'm not the saviour you're looking for.

- I am movin' on.

- Same old story, girl.

The rats are deserting the sinking ship.

No, Hugh, you're not the saviour we're looking for.

But are you the person you aspire to be?

Well, I mean, it's... it's a kick in the guts,

that's for sure.

I mean, after everything this town's been through...

I mean, who could have predicted this?

Without a doubt, it's the hardest days

that Whyhope has ever seen...

- Hey, Penny?

- Sorry.

Coming.

Are you sure this is alright, Bill?

As a hoarder, my instinct would be to archive.

Nah.

Dump the lot of it.

- Hey.

- Oh, hey.

Bill's, um, gifting us the filing cabinets.

- Lifetime's work, Bill.

- [THUD]

[HALF-LAUGHS]

Hey, um, you wouldn't actually say that I was a selfish person, right?

I mean, I'm always there in a time of crisis.

You usually ARE the crisis.

[HALF-LAUGHS]

Look...

But the idea of a hospital now is kind of dead in the water, right?

I thought we were soldiering on.

Are you thinking of leaving?

No, I mean...

you know, nothing's decided, but...

I mean, look at Bill.

- Bill's leaving.

Aren't you, mate?

- Damn right.

[THUD]

Obviously, I'll have a clinic up and running in no time.

But...

I'm not the messiah.

- Absolutely not.

- No.

- [THUD]

- I have a life.

Do I always have to put other people first?

- Well, not always.

- You never put other people first.

Anyway...

Good chat.

[MOBILE PHONE RINGS]

Sharna.

Look, it's our little town, Matt.

How good is this!

Instead of the Black Forest, Beethoven and the Brandenburg Gate?

Babe...

What are we doing back here, Charlie?

Why?

We had to sort out the brewery.

I was picking up skills, you know.

I...

I...

I could see our future.

- How we could be living our life.

- We're home.

This is good.

We love this town.

Yeah, except now I've got to faff about clearing up Hayley's mess.

- Joy.

- OK.

You're worn out after a long flight and it's making you grumpy.

Let's go find Meryl.

[LAUGHS]

That will make me feel so much better.

- Thank you.

- Jetlag.

That's what this is.

That's what it does, every t...

- Wes!

- Hey, guys.

What's wrong?

SHARNA: Thank you for coming in.

Well, I just hope I still have a job when I leave.

Maybe.

Uh, one of my tasks...

I'll be reviewing the administration of the Whyhope Hospital Trust.

I was... actually joking.

Um, sorry, when you say you'll be reviewing the Hospital Trust...

I'll be assessing whether there's a need for a hospital in Whyhope at all.

Right, because, I mean, we're not in a great place right now.

- You're in a vet's.

- Yes.

So, hey, did you know there was an asbestos issue at the hospital?

No idea.

Um, before you took over, Dr. Cartwright was in charge for, what, four years, five years?

Longer.

But I wonder if Dr. Cartwright knew there was an asbestos issue.

She was working there all that time and then all of a sudden, she's gone.

Yes, well, I mean, Dr. Cartwright left for...

Numerous... personal reasons.

But you don't take any personal responsibility for the asbestos issue at the hospital?

I had no idea there was an issue at the hospital.

How would I know that?

But you could have done more to prevent the situation.

Not if I didn't know there was an issue.

But I guess the question is, should you have known?

[HALF-LAUGHS]

You see, stupidly, I forgot to bring my lawyer.

[LAUGHS]

I'm sorry.

I'm just... nosing around.

[BOTH HALF-LAUGH]

Well, let me just say, whatever the future holds, I am committed to maintaining a long-term viable medical facility here in Whyhope, whether that be a clinic or other.

Of course you are.

I should come and have a squiz.

Give it a day or two.

We're not quite up for visitors yet.

- Fair enough.

- Mmm.

Well, if there's nothing more, besides questioning my integrity and sacking my mother...

- I'll be...

- Going?

Yeah.

[SIGHS]

- Whoo!

- Oh!

Not bad!

Hey, the doc.

Look who I found.

Yeah, we're back.

Been gone for a year.

You might have noticed.

You might not have.

Up to you.

Well, what happened?

You guys get deported?

No.

Just let the family run the brewery into the ground.

- MAN: Oh!

- [SMASH!]

Oh, Jesus, mate!

I'm so sorry, Wes.

I should've cleaned up that oil slick.

Easy does it.

Just take your hands away for me.

Let me just take a little look at this.

OK.

Yeah.

Matt, just back the car up.

We need to get him to the clinic.

- Wes, let's get him down off this.

- Yeah, sure.

Nice and easy.

There we go.

Alright, stay nice and still for me.

You're right, mate.

You're in good hands.

Wes, grab some gauze for me there in that packet.

- This one?

- Yep.

Open it up.

Thanks, mate.

OK, just gonna apply a little pressure.

Can you hold that for me?

Just hold that as tight as you can.

We're gonna try and get you up and we're gonna take you to the clinic.

- You grab the left side.

- Alright, mate.

Here we go.

You ready?

One, two, three.

Argh!

So we're staying in these crappy backpackers' hostels, right, 'cause Matt's not getting paid for his internship...

- And you were waitressing?

- Yeah, in German, for god's sake!

- That's hilarious.

- [LAUGHS]

You should've told me.

I would've come back straight away.

- I wouldn't have hesitated.

- That's why we didn't tell you.

Well, you're gonna be sick of the sight of me from now on.

[LAUGHS]

Darl, there is one thing.

- Will you look out for my kids?

- Yeah, of course.

Don't agree too quickly.

Larry's a little cow.

[BOTH LAUGH]

Now, promise me you'll take care of Wes.

Just see he's OK.

Yeah.

[CRIES]

In terms of patient presentations over the last five quarters...

HUGH: Can we get a gurney?

Gurney?

I thought you said you'd leave it a day or two.

Well, then you'd have been ready for me.

Wes, hold his legs up.

- Yeah.

- Let's get him up here.

One, two...

Three!

Here we go.

Bill?

Bill?

Bill?

We've got quite a deep laceration here, possibly some shards of glass.

Still possible to do an X-ray?

Well, it's normally used for poodles but, uh, I'll figure something out.

- OK, great.

- You don't have the facilities?

Shouldn't someone call an ambulance?

One's already on its way.

Betty, get an ETA.

- Ready?

- OK.

Actually, wait.

Guys, guys...

Just... back in the day, did Penny mention anything, I mean, anything about asbestos?

Nothing as far as I know.

Good.

Great.

Ken!

OK, we've got a radiopaque shard to the abdomen just lateral of the midline.

Could be close to major blood vessels.

Maybe we should open him up.

He should go to Stanwell.

The ambulance is two hours away.

OK.

We're gonna operate here.

- No, excuse me...

- Are you sure?

Absolutely.

Bill, I'm gonna need you to assist.

What's the situation with anaesthetics?

- We've got Isoflurane.

- OK.

Good man.

Problem is it tastes that revolting.

When I use it on pets, I've got to wrap them in a towel to stop 'em scratching and biting.

I'm gonna need a laparotomy kit, tranexamic acid, ETT, propofol..



And a whole lot of other stuff from the hospital.

The hospital's off limits.

Apparently so.

I hope you understand I'm out of my comfort zone.

And since the exposure to asbestos will probably prove fatal, there's something I need to get off my chest.

- Uh-huh?

- There was an issue at the hospital.

What?

I've known about it for some time.

And so did Betty.

And Penny.

We thought it best YOU weren't told.

And this was because...?

You'd get all shouty.

Yes!

Yes!

I would get all shouty!

Why wasn't I told?

I mean, there must have been some kind of paperwork.

Yes, but you never read your paperwork anyway.

I find all sorts of things in your bin.

You know, I can't deal with this right now.

Let's go.

[MEDICAL EQUIPMENT BEEPS AND HISSES STEADILY]

What's the dosage?

Oh, more than a labrador, a bit less than a horse.

Well, your call, really.

Off to sleep now, Chris.

We'll have a nice recovery cage waiting for you when you wake up.

Right.

I've got to thank you, mate.

We're lucky to have you here.

- See you in the morning.

- Yeah, mate.

I mean, sure, Whyhope's down on its arse right now but it's too good a place to let die.

You keep fighting for the joint, right?

Easy for you to say, Bill.

You're gonna be pissing up on the Gold Coast before you know it.

Yeah, that's right.

But you can't go.

There's no way you'll go.

Why do I feel like Jimmy Stewart in that Christmas film, where he spends his whole life trying to leave town - and no-one ever lets him?

- [MOBILE PHONE DINGS]

You know that every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings?

- Bugger off.

- SHARNA: Is he gonna be alright?

Yeah, I reckon so.

He's just very lucky there was a viable medical facility right here in Whyhope.

You know, whatever decisions I make, it really is about achieving the best outcome for this town.

No...

I get it.

You're like some bureaucratic FIFO.

Fly in, sack a council, fly out.

Shut down a clinic, make people drive k's to get a flu sh*t.

Now you're just being defensive.

But it is important that you and I keep the lines of communication open.

My shout for dinner?

Fine.

I've gotta ride along so I can monitor him.

Are you going to Stanwell?

Yeah.

Something wrong with that?

No.

Nothing.

OK.

Well, see you when I get back.

- How are we feeling?

- Uh...

You're gonna be fine.

Doctor, have you got a minute?

There's something I need to check with you.

Mmm...

Oh...

- You are shocking.

- Really?

That's good.

I might have to tell my mum about you.

I probably went to school with her.

Mmm...

See, I thought you guys loved living in the caravan.

Our caravan days are behind us, Charlie.

Well, you could always move back here with Meryl.

Or you and Matt could.

Hayles!

I never meant to upset you!

It was just my silly little plan to get us back home.

You understand, right?

It'd be so nice for Matt and I to be able to get the place back the way we like it.

Ajax and I have it the way we like it.

- It looks like a childcare centre!

- Possibly.

But if you don't want Matt finding out who wrote those reviews, then I suggest you find some other arrangement.

Of course, it was ever thus, that the little man was always squashed by the big machine.

Oh, it's shocking, Meryl.

How could they do that?

This isn't the end, though, right?

You're fighting on?

Yes.

You know me well.

I was telling Mum about Germany.

Yes, and I want to hear all about it, but perhaps tomorrow.

I'll get some carrots.

Hayley, we'll clean out the vats tomorrow, OK, see where it all went wrong.

Yep.

Won't that be fun.

[GROANS]

Poor Kassie.

Yeah.

[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS]

Let's just...

[SCOFFS]

So, you knew about the asbestos at the hospital?

'Cause it might have been nice to, I don't know, get a little heads up on that one.

Yes, there were supposed to be inspections.

Yes, I put it off.

I made a mistake.

No, actually, it wasn't a mistake.

It was a choice.

A choice!

And what a choice that turned out to be.

I weighed up the options, decided what the priorities needed to be.

- It's what a boss does.

- Is it?

So, having consigned Whyhope to the rubbish tip of history, do you really think it's ethical to come and work for this mob?

- Don't question my ethics.

- No, I'm just curious.

I mean, was it Jarrod's idea to run Whyhope into the ground and for you to jump ship to the opposition?

It has nothing to do with Jarrod.

The marriage is finished.

It's over.

Oh, we all saw that coming, didn't we?

Well, just so you know, I am not abandoning Whyhope.

[HALF-LAUGHS]

It may be on its knees but some us...

[INHALES DRAMATICALLY]

Some of us still have our integrity.

Integrity?

Where did you find that?

[ELEVATOR DINGS]

[SCOFFS]

Yeah, but I'm tasting my beer now and thinking it's too busy...

And, of course, in Germany, production of beer is regulated by what is known as the 'Reinheitsgebot', limiting the ingredients to certain prescribed water, hops, malt, thus ensuring the integrity...

Oh, finally, the family's together.

OK.

I'll stay until the hospital is back on its feet.

Of course you will, darling.

Then I'm gone.

Definitely.

I mean, there's no promises after that.

OK?

None expected.

- Are we done?

- [VEHICLE APPROACHES]

What I was saying to these guys is the beer in Germany...

- Mum?

- [CAR DOOR CLOSES]

- Meryl Knight?

- Yes?

You're under arrest on charges related to the misappropriation of council funds.

[SIGHS]

It's more convenient if you two take the spare room.

Really?

[DOOR CLOSES]

Come on, Matt.

How do you feel about being back?

It's different to how I thought it was gonna be.

Meryl being arrested...

And Kassie.

Yeah.

Well, we've both changed.

Travel will do that to you.

How dare they!

I have never been more enraged.

These are serious charges, Mum.

You made bail.

But can we please just play this by the book?

Tyranny is driving Whyhope.

I'll not have my reputation trampled into the dust.

I will not be silenced.

No, but... you may be jailed.

[LAID-BACK MUSIC PLAYS]

♪ Oh, give me land, lots of land ♪

♪ under starry skies above ♪

♪ Don't fence me in ♪

♪ Let me ride through the wide-open country that I love ♪

♪ Don't fence me in ♪

♪ Let me be by myself in the evenin' breeze ♪

♪ And listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees ♪

♪ Send me off forever but I ask you, please ♪

♪ Don't fence me in... ♪

VOICE-OVER: He's the saviour putting out the fires...

You're the only one who is keeping my hope alive.

... all over Whyhope.

I don't want to destroy you, Meryl, but I can.

I've changed.

Penny, we're not taking you back.



- And, say hello...

- Hayley, this is Tom.

... to the hottest man to ever hit town.

What have I done?

_ ... blazing wild.

Why don't you make her fall in love with you?

That way, she might drop the charges?