Tangled Web, S1.5

As Helen drives to work, news of Rachel Hicks's suicide is on the radio:  "An inmate from Larkhall prison hung herself this morning..."

Helen (gramatically irate):  "Hanged, the word is hanged!" 

 ...while back at Larkhall, Dominick gathers Rachel's things.

In the Screws lounge afterwards, Dom tells Fenner, “at half past 3, I wake up this morning.  I’m just….  I just can’t believe Rachel could..."

Fenner (interrupts): "yeah, well it’s getting to us all, Dominick."

Helen stops in to say she's meeting with Simon.  When she leaves, Fenner says, “funny isn’t it?  The guiltier they feel, the bossier they get."

Dom: "I don’t see what she’s got to feel guilty about."

Fenner:  "Really?  Rachel told me she was desperate because her mum put her kid into care.  So what does Stewart do?  Puts her on G-1 dorm with a bunch of nutters as punishment."

Dom says Helen could’ve put Rachel down the block for wrecking her cell.

Fenner:  "Well she ended up putting her in a coffin."

Dom (angry):  "Jim!"

On G3, Fenner lets himself into Shell’s cell.

Shell: "I don’t know if I can manage it this early!"

But Jim’s not there for that (well not now, anyway).  He asks if Shell was doing like he said and keeping out of Rachel’s way.

Shell:  “Honest, I was!  Ask Denny, she’ll tell you. I was trying to be friends with Rachel!”

Fenner:  "Look, the Number One’s on the warpath.  There’s gonna be a lot of questions.  You’re gonna be in deep trouble." 

Shell:  "Yeah? Well if I’m in deep trouble, I don’t reckon I’ll be the only one, Mr Fenner!"

Fenner tells her to keep her head down and stick to the story.

Simon’s office.  Where he's invited Fenner along. Simon asks if they know why Rachel killed herself but before Helen can answer, Fenner jumps in.

Fenner:  “The day she died, the mother told her she was gonna put the daughter, Maddie, into care.  I told Helen that was probably why she smashed up her cell." 

Simon asks if Rachel was on suicide watch.

Helen:  "No, I didn't consider her to be a suicide risk.”

Simon (patronizingly): "I take it you're not a mother."

Fenner smirks. 

Helen:  "Whether I'm a mother or not is irrelevant. Look, I know that she had bad news that day, very bad news.  But there’s something else at the root of this, something that she wouldn’t tell me about."

Simon's all, "so you put her back on Basic?" Helen says she could've sent her down the block.

And echoing Jim, Simple Simon says, “So instead you sent her back to a dorm on G-1 where she killed herself.”

Damn, talk about ambushed by the old boys network...

Breakfast.  Denny goes to see Shell.

Shell (cheery):  "What d'ya want this morning, Denny my darling?"
Denny (worried):  "Your drawing made her do it! She thought you wanted to cut her head off!"

Now why would Rachel think that??  Oh right, cuz Shell drew a pic of Rachel with her head cut off!

Shell:  "You got rid of it, dint ya?"
Denny:  "Yes."

Well then, they've nothing to worry about!  Except the extra 10 yrs Denny says they can get.

Shell:  "Look, no one’s got anything on us, ok?  (no answer) Ok??  Rachel Hicks was a little whore..."

Here comes Nikki...

Shell:  "Pity Rachel didn’t listen to you, Nikki.  Don’t go thinking the screws are gonna look out for ya!" 

"Still, look on the bright side – at least there’s an extra ‘elping today!”

Nikki:  "You sick bitch!" 

She leaps across the servery in a single bound and takes Dockley DOWN. 

The inmates cheer and holler while the screws call for help. The two Julies

hold Denny back while Nikki just wails on that ass…

Until the screws break it up.  And drag Nikki down the block.  Again.  Wah!!

Back in Simon's office.

Simple Simon: “This girl is the first suicide I've had in Larkhall in over 2 years.  And how long have you been here?”

Fenner interrupts to say how much he helped Rachel. Got her a job in the office, on and on until Helen reminds him that she authorized that.

Fenner:  “Well, that's hardly the point, is it Helen? I mean, a young girl has died in our care.”
Simon (looks pointedly at Helen): “Quite.”

Wow, this is going incredibly shitty for Helen.....

...who excuses herself to go meet Mrs Hicks.  Simon suggests she bring Jim along but Helen would rather not. 

Simon asks Fenner to leave and then asks Helen if she has a problem with him.

Helen: “I'm sorry?"
Simple Simon (repeats): "Do you have a problem with Jim Fenner?"

Helen: "No."
Simon: “Blah blah blah you can't afford to alienate staff....experienced officers like Jim Fenner. We've just had a suicide, blah blah blah, lapse of judgment, bloviate bloviate...you need all the friends you can get amongst your colleagues."

Well, if anyone knows about alienating staff, Simon...  You useless sack of bloody, blimey shit.

Down the block, I think Nikki speaks for us all:

Hallway.  The women are being escorted....somewhere.

The Julies lament the tragedy of Rachel Hicks.  Zandra laments the tragedy of no drugs.  After waking up next to Rachel’s body, her nerves are shot. 

Zandra:  “The doctor’s going to have to give me something!”

Down the block. Shell stops at Nikki’s cell. “You shouldn’t be getting nothin’ after what you did to me!”

Then it’s Dom’s turn: “You’re in it now, Nikki.”

Nikki:  “So what, it’s just another bang up. Throw away the key if you want.”

Dom:  “Nikki…”

Nikki:  “I’m fine, I’m bloody marvelous being locked up in here 24 hours a day.”

“I won’t swing, if that’s what you’re worried about.  Two in two days – that’d give them something to think about.”

Helen’s office.  She’s all a-seethe still about the meeting when Lorna tells her that Nikki’s down the block. “Nearly killed Shell Dockley.”

Helen:  “Oh great, that’s all I need.”

The Dorm.  A very unhappy Zandra comes back from Medical.  “Shitface doctor wouldn't give me a sodding thing!”

Crystal: “Mind your language!”

(oh fuck you, Crystal!)

Zandra: “Got any smack, Denny?”
Denny: “No.”

She begs Denny for something but Denny’s all, “tough shit.”

Crystal:  “Lord, now I know how Daniel felt stuck in the den with these 2 scumbags!”

Well, Daniel was thrown in the lion’s den for worshipping God over king.  And you were thrown into Larkhall for thieving, Crystal. So actually, not like Daniel at all!

Zandra lies on her bed, howling and shrieking (probably as much from Crystal as from the withdrawal).

Helen’s office.  She and Fenner wait for Mrs. Hicks.

Fenner:  “If I were you, I wouldn’t apologize too much.”

Helen: “Jim…”

Fenner:  “I’m only trying to give you the benefit of…”

Helen (annoyed):  “…of your vast experience, yes I know, I can do without it thanks.”

Ha!  Helen’s delivery here is priceless.

Back on the wing, a jonesing Zan complains to Dom that the doctor won’t give her anything.

Zandra:  “What would he do if he woke up to find a dead girl swinging from the window with her tongue licking her knees?  Sir, will you go and tell him that I've got to have benzos, please sir?”

"Her tongue licking her knees?!” Ha, I’ve never heard that before!  I’ve heard “sucking your ankles,” to describe someone really, really high (as in, “Zan was so wrecked from that dope, she was sucking her ankles in the dorm“).

Zandra says she’s keeping quiet so that he and Lorna don’t get in trouble, but the doctor had better give her something!

Helen’s office.  Her meeting with Rachel’s mum goes about as well as her meeting with Simon. 

Mrs Hicks: “Smashed her cell up? That’s not like my Rachel.  She never had a temper till she got in here.” 

And a few minutes later:  “…I thought you people were supposed to be professionals. You must’ve seen she was suffering.”

And so on...

Back on the wing.

Sylvia: “If Nikki Wade’s not transferred out of here, I want to know the reason why.”

Lorna:  “If you ask me, the Gov thinks she can bring her to heel.” 

Heh.

Sylvia:  “The Gov does too much thinking.  It’s about time she got her hands dirty and did a decent day’s work like the rest of us.”

Screws Lounge.  Dom tells Lorna about Zandra’s blackmail.  He wants to tell Helen about Zan’s escape before she does.

Dominick: “Listen, Zandra’s a junkie.  She’s out of control. Sooner or later she’s gonna tell someone she did a runner.  We’ve got to get in there first.”

But Lorna’s not having any of that. It’s Zan’s word against theirs:  “Miss Plackett is acting up, she needs slapping down.  Leave it to me.”

Really, Lorna??  Oh, THIS should be fun!!

G-Wing.  As Helen and Fenner escort her out, Mrs Hicks remembers the package Rachel wanted. 

Mrs Hicks:  “I didn’t want to do it, I felt sure it was drugs.  But Rachel kept telling me no, that it was jewelry for some girl on the wing. Michelle, I think was her name.”

She gives Helen the paper with the address and the name. 

Fenner immediately turns to leave and Helen immediately stops him. “Just a minute, Jim.  Can you see Mrs. Hicks out please?”

Fenner:  “But I was gonna talk to Dockley right away.”

Helen:  “I’ll see Michelle myself, thank you.”

The word “gobsmacked” comes to mind.

The Dorm. Where Lorna Rose sees to that slapping down.

Lorna: “I’m hearing things I don’t like about you, doll.  From Mr McAllister.”

Zandra:  “I only asked him a favor.  Cuz I done you two a favor, didn’t I?”

Well, Mr McAllister won’t be doing her any favors and neither will Lorna.

Lorna:  “Listen lovey, I’m not scared of you.”

Zandra:  “Then what you doing here then?

Lorna:  “To warn you. No more threats and no more blackmail.  Remember, it’s your neck on the block if the Gov hears you tried to escape.”

Zandra:  “And what will happen to you?”

Lorna: “Well, nothing of course!”

Haaa!!

Zandra (incredulous):  “For letting a prisoner escape?! Well give me the keys, I’ll let myself out!”

Lorna gets all flustered and tells Zandra to keep it shut. But Zan says she’ll go to Miss Stewart, if she has to.  She doesn’t care if she gets banged up – not one bit!  And then she starts to cry.

The Servery.  Helen confronts Shell.

Helen:  “Steve Kennedy, #2 Bourne Grove, I thought you might know him.”

Shell: "Don’t never help to remember things by rushing.  Steve….lots of blokes called Steve.”

Alas, Shell doesn’t know a thing.  Helen asks why Rachel would want a package from Steve.  Shell’s all, “how would I know?”

Helen persists and eventually Shell says Rachel made her give up a dealer’s name.

Shell:  “I tried to put her off but would she listen?  You and me both know what people are like when they’re desperate to score!”

The look on Helen’s face says it all but Shell just keeps on.

Shell:  “Oh Christ, did she kill herself because she couldn’t get them drugs?”

Helen:  “We don’t know why Rachel killed herself.”

Shell:  “You’re not just saying that to make me feel better??"

Ha!!  I seriously, seriously love this scene…

The Dorm. Zandra’s still crying and Lorna’s still trying to dig herself out. She tells Zan she's her friend.  Then:  “There’s a pool competition later on – that’ll cheer you up, won’t it?”

…and she gets out of there quick as she can.  Back on the wing, she gives Dom a big thumbs-up.

Servery.  Shell’s still on about Rachel, wishing there was something she could do.

Shell: “Wait a minute, there’s gonna be a memorial service for her, innit there?  Only, I thought I could sing at the service.  Oh please, Miss.  I’d love to do just one last thing for her!”

Wow….Shell’s psychopathy knows NO bounds.

Screws Lounge. Fenner watches Helen & Shell from across the atrium while Dom vents about the job.

Dominick “Why do we keep doing it?  This, the prison service.  Is it really worth all the hassle?”

Fenner:  “What else you gonna do?”

Dom rattles off a bunch of other jobs and says “anything’s better than locking up women for a living.” 

Fenner's response? “You need a good night’s sleep, son.”

Which is a perfectly sensible response from Fenner.  Of COURSE he can’t imagine doing anything else - locking up women is his dream job!

Dominick:  “No, I need to get out of this place.  I’m gonna quit.”

Down the block, Fenner comes to get Nikki.

Fenner:  “Out.”

Nikki:  “Why?”

Fenner: “Cause the lady boss wants to see you, that’s why.”

Nikki: “Well you can tell her to sod off.”

Fenner walks over and gets in Nikki’s face.  “Up.  Now.”  And shoves her clothes at her.

Nikki stands up.  “You must be missing Rachel more than any of us, Mr. Fenner.”

Fenner:  “One more quip out of you, Wade, I’ll….”

Nikki: “Sorry….did I say the wrong thing?”

Fenner stomps away.

Screws Lounge.  Where Helen's casually perusing the file of one Miss Nicola Wade.  Dom wants to speak with her, but Helen asks if it can wait. 

Dom:  “Ah, yeah, sure, if you’re busy.”

Helen (relents):  “What’s the problem?”  But make it quick, I have to meet Nikki!

As Dominick starts explaining, Fenner walks in.

Fenner: “She’s waiting outside your office.  If you ask me, we’ve had enough of Wade’s antics. Let’s ship her out and have done with her.”

Helen:  “You wanna off load the problem somewhere else, you mean?”

Fenner:  “We’ve done all we can with her.  She’s a pain in the arse!”

Helen:  “Well, she’s not the only one, is she?”

She surely the fuck is not, Helen…

And with that, Helen leaves for her date....I mean, her meeting, with Nikki.

Fenner (shuts the door):  “If she’s not careful, she’s gonna end us up in deep shite.”

Dom:  “Oh come on, Jim, Helen’s doing a good job.”

So Jim gives Dom the benefit of his vast experience, neatly articulating the Fenner philosophy:

“When you’ve been in the job as long as I have, you know that she’s got too many good ideas. Keep them calm, keep them quiet.  That way, everything runs smoothly. Start changing things around and it all goes up the spout.”

Helen’s Office.  Nikki is escorted in.

Nikki:  “Suicide, now? That what you call changing things for the better, Miss?”

Helen: “Sit down and listen.”

Nikki just crosses her arms and sighs.

Helen (raised voice):  “I said, sit down!”

And….Nikki sits.

Helen:  “I’m not having this, Nikki.  You’re not going to undermine the good order of this wing.”

Nikki:  “So transfer me, put me on report, I don't give a shit.”

Helen (angry and exasperated):  “Oh, when are you going to grow up and stop all this macho crap?”  (pause)  Why did you attack Michelle Dockley?”

Nikki:  “I dunno, touch of PMT.”  And she stands up to leave.

Helen hollers, “SIT IN THAT CHAIR!!”

Nikki sits back down:  “Don't you wish it was electric?”

Servery.  Fenner pulls Shell aside and she tells him what happened with Helen.  And then:

Shell:   “I’ve offered to sing at the memorial service.  You know, as a friendly gesture.  (seductively), Maybe you can find me somewhere quiet to rehearse.  You’ll be doing us both a favor.”

Wow, that kind of fucked up is even too fucked up for Fenner!  He walks away shaking his head while Shell laughs maniacally (heh).

Back in Helen’s office….

Helen:  “The only option you leave me is to get you transferred.”
Nikki:  “Send me where you like.”
Helen:  “Is that what you want? To be moved away from Trisha?”

Nikki:  “I don't give a toss about Trisha. (Pauses for some of that macho crap), She was getting on my nerves so I chucked her.”

Helen:  “Was it…was it a long term thing?”

Nikki (quietly):  “Nine years.”

Helen:  “Nine…. that's a long time.”

Nikki:  “Spare me your sympathy, will you? You probably don't think it's for real because we're dykes.” 

Helen: “Oh why don't you just…why don’t you just shut up?!”

Screws Lounge.  Fenner tells Lorna that Dominick wants to quit.

Lorna:  “You are joking.”

Dom:  “No.  So you can relax.  No more nagging you about telling Helen.”

But Lorna promises they’ll have no more trouble with Zandra.  She talked to her and everything’s gonna be just fine!

And back to Helen’s office….

Helen (walking around her desk): “Isn't this how it usually goes? You break the rules, you’re thrown into segregation, and you come out more bitter and twisted than when you went in.”

Helen:  “And then it just happens all over again.”

Nikki: “Yeah, that's about right. So, hurry up and get on with it, how many days do I get this time?”

Helen: “Oh, you love playing the martyr, don't you Nikki? I'm not sending you to the block, I'm giving you a warning.”

Nikki: “A warning?”

Helen: “I'm sticking my neck out here Nikki, I don't know why, but I am.”

(really, Helen?  No clue at all??)

Nikki (surprised):  “Can I go now?”
Helen: “Yes.”

As Nikki leaves, there’s a satisfied smile on Helen’s face.

G-wing.  Shell and Denny are choosing a song for Rachel’s memorial when Fenner escorts Nikki back.

Nikki: “Surprised to see me, Dockley?”

“Surpised” would be one way to describe it.  “Flipped the fuck out” would be another.

Shell (screams at Fenner):  “Sir, what’s going on?  She assaulted me!  I could press charges!  How come she’s back on the wing?!”

Fenner:  “She just is, alright?”

Solid explanation, Jim!

Meeting in the Screws Lounge. 

Helen:  “Okay, we’ve got a lot to get through.  Right, the investigation into Rachel….”

Fenner:  “Before we go on, Helen, I’d like to raise the matter of Nikki Wade.  She assaulted a fellow prisoner, now she’s back on the wing.  Why?”

Helen:  “Because I said so.”

(hee!)

Fenner:  “Well excuse me, but we’re professionals trying to do a professional day’s work.  We can’t do that if the good order of the wing is gonna be disrupted by troublemakers like Wade.”

Helen:  “I made a deal with Nikki.”

Fenner: “ Oh what, so we’re negotiating with them now, are we?”

Grrr….not “we,” Fenner – Helen.  Only Helen’s negotiating and she’s only negotiating with Nikki.  So sod off!!

Helen:  “Look Jim, you said yourself – Nikki Wade’s one of the most difficult prisoners you’ve had to deal with. I’m trying a different tack.  Treating her like a human being and trusting her.”

Treating her like a human being?!”  Why, Jim and Sylvia think that's crazy talk.  But Dom thinks they should try it: “Maybe it'll work.  Let's face it, nothing else has.”

Helen: “The whole wing has been tense since Rachel's death.  Shell's joke was tasteless.  And I've since discovered that Nikki's partner has just ended their 9-year relationship.”

Fenner: “Oh, I've heard it all now. Sod the rules because some lesbian's just dumped her girlfriend!”

After the meeting, Helen thanks Dom for his support but he hands her his resignation. 

The Dorm.  Helen asks if they know anything about Rachel, but Denny plays dumb and Zan’s too high to talk (she’ll be sucking her ankles in a mo’).

Helen:  “Rachel Hicks killed herself in this room!  Now, was there anything in her behavior that made you think that she might commit suicide?  Did she say anything?”

Finally Crystal says Rachel was scared of Denny.

Denny: “She wasn’t!”

Crystal: “You kicked her! I saw you!”
Denny: “She stole my fags.”
Helen: “And you kicked her?”

Denny (yells): “She stole my fags!”
Helen (yells louder): “Did you kick Rachel??!”

Denny: “Alls I did was give her one little kick!”

‘K….bye Denny!  The screws haul her down the block.

Helen thanks Crystal, who says, “she deserves all she gets.  She’s a sinner, like most of you in here.”

Oh for fuck’s sake, Crystal…. talk about the felonious pot calling the felonious kettle...felonious.

On the wing. En route to the chapel (and in earshot of Lorna), Zandra asks if a screw would get in trouble for letting someone escape.

Zandra:  “Must be pretty serious, letting someone escape.” 

Fenner:  “Yes it is, it’s bloody serious.  So don’t go getting any ideas, ok?”

Chapel, Memorial Service.  The….pastor? Minister? Priest?  starts by saying it’s a tribute to Rachel that so many of her friends came to the service.  And how people turned to Rachel when they were in trouble.

What the fuck?  Who is this guy eulogizing??  Rachel didn’t have any “friends.” Nikki was the only one who ever spoke to her, other than Shell and Denny.  And they didn’t really “speak” to her so much as “torment” her.

Zandra swaps a phone card for some jellies and gets clocked by Lorna, and Shell sings her “tribute” to Rachel.

Then Helen addresses the room, promising "that no stone will be left unturned" in their effort to find the reason for Rachel's suicide.

Afterwards, Lorna tells Zandra, “I was just thinking in there how ill you looked. Maybe I’ll have a word with the doctor, see if he’s got an appointment he can give you.”

Zandra: “Really miss, I’d be ever so grateful.”

Lorna:  “Part of my job is to look after the health of the prisoner. That’s all I’m doing.”

Down the block. Fenner goes to bring Denny to her adjudication.

Fenner:  “You know why Rachel topped herself, don’t you?”

Denny:  “Yeah.  So do you.”

Fenner says it was because her mum put her kid into care.  Denny sniggers.

Fenner:  “You saw how upset she was.  She was calling Maddie’s name all night, wasn’t she?  Wasn’t she?”

Denny:  “Am I gonna get out of it?”

Fenner:  “Just stick to the story and you’ll be alright.”

Adjudication.

Helen: “Daniella, you’re charged with a very serious offense here.  You’re not doing yourself any favors.”

Denny:  “I only gave her a kick.  That’s not bullying, that’s just a kick.  A small kick.”

Helen says Rachel was in hospital with internal bruising, maybe from a kick.  Does Denny know anything about that?

Denny starts to yell but Fenner clears his throat really loudly and glares at Denny.

Denny:  “It weren’t me made Rachel top herself. It was her mum, giving her little girl away…”

Fenner (interrupts):  “I think we all know why Rachel committed suicide, Denny, but you shouldn’t have done what you did, so why don’t you just apologize to the governor for kicking Rachel.”

Denny: “I’m sorry.”

Their little exchange makes Helen suspicious.

Helen: “You’ve got a long record of violence and bullying, Denny.”

 She warns Denny that she'll be transferred if she bullies anyone else.  Then sentences her to 7 days down the block.

Denny yells that it’s not fair and it wasn't her fault.  “Mr. Fenner, you said….”

Fenner (to the screws): “Take her away!”

Denny utters that now-familiar-refrain:  “You bastard, Fenner!” as she’s dragged back to the block.

Fenner:  “You’ve certainly got your favorites, haven’t you?"

Helen: “I’m sorry?”

Fenner: “Well, Nikki Wade half kills a prisoner and she gets a slap on the wrist.  Denny gets put down the block for a week for kicking someone.”

Helen: “Daniella Blood is a bully, Jim.  I’m surprised a man of your experience doesn’t know the difference.”

Oh snap.  Suck THAT, Fenner.

The next day, Denny’s brought back to see Helen and promptly says, “it’s Mr. Fenner.”

Helen:  “Mr. Fenner, what about him?”
Denny:  “She was shagging him. (sees the skeptical look on Helen’s face)  You know, having it off with her - Rachel.”

Helen doesn’t believe her.

Denny insists that Rachel told Shell.  "But it ain’t Shell’s fault!  It’s Mr. Fenner’s.  He’s the one that was doing it to Rachel.  He should get the blame.”

Helen wants to know if Shell will confirm her story.  Of course she won't!  But Denny asks to get off the block anyway.

Helen:  “You’re lucky I’m not giving you another week, making false accusations against my staff!”

The Garden. Helen goes looking for Nikki.

Nikki:  “Hi.”

Helen:  “Hi.  How’re you feeling?”

Nikki:  “So so.”

Helen:  “Nikki, can I speak to you in strict confidence about something?”

Nikki:  “Sure.”

Helen:  “It’s about Mr. Fenner.  You once said that he had a fan club.  Can you elaborate?”

Nikki:  “What do you mean?”

Helen:  “Well, what form this fan club took, for instance?  Seemed an unusual thing to say.”

Nikki:  “Are you asking me to be a grass?”

Helen:  “Nikki, a young girl has hung hanged herself.  Now I promised Rachel’s family I’d investigate her death.  I did expect a bit more cooperation from her friends.”

She starts to walk away.

Nikki:  “I can’t prove anything.  And I’m not naming any other names but I did warn Rachel off Fenner.  I thought he was taking advantage.”

Helen’s office.

Fenner:  “Well it’s a piece of shit.”

Helen:  “That’s what I thought.  At first.  Denny said that Rachel told Shell.  And now another prisoner’s told me that she thought you took advantage of Rachel.”

Fenner:  “Oh let me guess – Nikki Wade, by any chance? (laughs)  Another man-hating lesbian.”

Helen:  “Something’s beginning to smell, Jim.”

Jim leans forward.  “Look, mum.  If you think for one minute I took advantage of that poor girl, there’s not a shred of truth in it!  And you repeat one word of it, I’ll have you.”

Helen:  “Don’t threaten me, Jim.  It makes you sound guilty.”

G-wing.  Lorna escorts a very wasted Zandra back from Medical.

Lorna:  “Well?  How’d you get on?”

Zandra:  “Got my jellies.”

Lorna:  “Good.  That’s you and me quits then.  No more favors, got it?”

Zandra:  “Yes, Miss…”

She staggers away.  “…until next time.”

Simon’s office.  Helen says she’s making headway with Rachel's investigation. 

Helen:  “In the strictest confidence……”

But Simon interrupts to say that Fenner already spoke with him. And said Helen accused him of having had a sexual relationship with Rachel Hicks.

Helen (surprised):  “He told you?”

Simon:  “Yes, he did.”

Helen thinks there’s something to it.

Simple Simon:  “Last week, you said you didn’t have a problem with Jim Fenner.  Now you’re accusing him of the worst breach of professional conduct.  You’ve got no evidence against him, except the say so of a couple of very difficult prisoners, isn’t that the case?”

Helen:  “Yes, I suppose, but I felt they were telling me the truth.”

Simon:  “Did you?  Well that tells me a lot about your judgment, Helen.  That you’ve got none.”

Helen:  “Well what was I supposed to do?  Just ignore these accusations? I have a duty of care to these women!”

Simon:  “Helen, you’re really disturbing me! Duty of care? Don’t be absurd! If you can’t see how wrong you are about this then I think you should go home and seriously ask yourself whether you should be doing this job.”

Another kick in the teeth for Helen, courtesy of the old boys network.

The Dorm. 

Zandra:  “Poor Denny – it must be hellish for her being down there.”

Crystal:  “You wanna feel sorry for someone, you feel sorry for Rachel’s little baby.  Stuck in some home for orphans….”

Zandra:  “Yeah well, there’ll be a bed for her in here in 15 yrs, won’t there?”

Yeah, there will be, Zan.  And you’ll likely be her cellmate if you don’t kick the H.

Screws Lounge.  Helen storms in to find Fenner waiting for her.

Helen:  “So you went to see your buddy Simon after all.”

Fenner:  “I’m not having you slagging me.  I could teach you how to run this place.  Cuz believe me, love, if I had been running it, Rachel Hicks would still be alive.”

He walks out and leaves Helen seething.

Night calls.

Denny:  “Love you, Shell!  Miss ya!”

Shell:  “Love ya, Den!”

Denny:  “Sing us a song someone!”
Julies:  “Do you wanna hear the latest number from the two Julies?”

Shell:  “I’m gonna get that grassing cow.  Oi, Crystal – you listening to me?”

Crystal:  “You’re gonna fry in Satan’s fire, Shell!  Burn burn burn!”