Well. That was intense.
As the authoritarian control increases in Wentworth prison, so does the prisoner’s thirst for violence. Allie uses the gas canister to get high with Judy, leading to Judy admitting she attempted to murder Allie. When the guards ordered the inmates to strip in front of front of each other to “find contraband,” the prisoners coincidentally humiliated Judy in a biblical style shaming for attempting to murder Allie.
Inmate see, inmate do
Brutality among prisoners is inspired by their own treatment. Instead of simply murdering Judy — like has been done in the past to other traitors — the prison mob savagely plucked her feathers one by one. What General Manager of Corrections, Ann, doesn’t realize is that when she doubled-down on corrupt punishments, including leaving Judy outside all night until she developed hypothermia, she set the precedent for the inmates’ systems of punishments.
An egotistical leader begs for rebellion. Ann’s ego was hit when she was forced to apologize to Judy for her actions because guard Will would take her to the board if she didn’t. This episode we see the aftermath of Ann’s humiliation. Ann admits to Judy, when Judy’s in medical after being bashed by Boomer, that her daughter being killed by a London bombing meant she has nothing left to lose, making her dangerous.
Ann thinks the systems of control she’s created are bulletproof despite the overwhelming evidence that prisoners and (some) guards can see right through the rottenness. The lavish wine lunches she’s been providing the guards has furthered the divide between them and the prisoners. The guards are rewarded for flexing power by being made to feel like they belong to a superior class. They’re made to feel like their work is much more meaningful than it is and that freedom is a privilege, not a human right, and it’s their “responsibility” to police the freedom of prisoners.
The footage Boomer has been taking of fights and intimacy between women in the prison has been uploaded to the Internet and brought to Ann’s attention. While there’s no excuse for Boomer’s complicity in lesbian fetishism, surveillance is normalized in the prison. The inmates are used to being objectified. They even willingly help Boomer by allowing her to record performed scenes in exchange for the “boyfriend’s” sperm so she can have a baby. Ann fails to see that the more she clutches at power and flexes it over inmates, the more they will rebel — even learning from her systems — with equal strength.
Returning urges
Lou’s plan to destroy the prison is revived in this episode. As top dog, it is her responsibility to administer punishment to Judy who, beyond trying to murder then-top dog Allie, also stole money from Lou and Reb’s top-surgery fund while Reb was still alive. After dunking Judy multiple times, she asks Judy if she has any last words. Judy whispers something to Lou and Lou orders the inmates to drag her back out of the water-filled bin.
Judy offered Lou an alternative outlet for her grief. Instead of just crucifying Judy, which will do nothing in the long run, Judy offers up her bomb-making skills to blow up the entire prison. Lou, who has already expressed desire to ruin everyone inside the prison, and who is suspected to have something to do with the “mass-suicide” at the cult she and Reb escaped from, now sees a way to avenge Reb’s death. Now she has a purpose.
Gone are the days where Joan Ferguson needs to use her own hand (or glove) to exercise her “urges.” Learning how to empathise has given Joan a new power: higher social intelligence. She now listens, learns why people act the way they do, and now knows how to manipulate people like never before.
Joan’s formed a friendship with Eve Wilder, who she knew from working at Blackmore prison, finding out that “Nanny Wilder” has killed multiple men who she suspected used her and spat her out. Joan’s desire to kill guard Jake increased when she overheard an argument between Jake and Vera about their daughter. Through convincing Eve that Jake wants more from her than tips on curing colic, she hopes Eve will add Jake to her list of murdered men. Jake smuggling Eve a bottle of wine played into Joan’s hand.
“Innocent” guard Vera pries into the psychologist’s documents while he’s busy counselling Boomer, who bashed Judy before the mob came for her. Vera discovers that Joan Ferguson actually has regained her memory. Vera already knows the psychologist is trialling a drug on Ferguson, but she’s probably unaware how well it’s working at containing Ferguson’s violent urges… that could return without it.
What will happen if she exposes Ferguson’s regained memory and the drug trial? Surely, considering she tried to bury Ferguson alive with Will and Jake, she wouldn’t want to open a can of worms that could put the spotlight back on what they did. If she knows Ferguson has regained her memory, then she might be aware who tried to kill her. I don’t think she knows Vera had anything to do with it. Vera’s habit for getting on her high horse might be her undoing.
Is “innocent” Vera the most corrupt guard? Who and what she protects, like Ann’s spiralling lust for control, reveals her inconsistent values. Wentworth knows how to challenge our character loyalties and the final season is no exception.
