Synopsis

Series 2 follows the huge success of Redfern Now Series 1.

"This isn’t genre television. It’s not a procedural. Redfern Now is essentially an anthology series, with each episode telling its own standalone story, though characters cross over and connect in unexpected ways between episodes and seasons. The writing is as good as anything... and there’s an undeniable force behind its quality... Not a single moment is forced or out of place. There are clear character arcs, and there’s perfectly strung, tightly woven narrative tension. Everything that happens, happens for a reason." ^[1]

Redfern Now 2 - Episode guide

Here's an episode guide for the Season 2 of Redfern Now:

Episode 1: Where The Heart Is

Richard and Peter are a loving couple who have made a life, family, and home for themselves raising their daughter, Amy. Like every other couple they have found themselves in a funk, and with pressure from work and tension increasing, Peter and Richard start arguing.

But in just one morning their whole world is turned upside down when Richard is involved in a freak car accident. As he lies on life support, Peter is the one who has to break the news to Richard’s estranged mother, Margaret.

It is the call a mother never wants to get and one Peter doesn’t want to make. Richard’s condition goes from bad to worse, and as his next of kin, Peter is faced with the heartbreaking decision of switching off his life support. Under protest from Margaret the decision is made.

A custody battle ensues: Margaret has a team of lawyers and a well-prepared case; Peter is hampered by his grief and recklessness, despite the well-meaning ministrations of his best friend Lorraine.

Episode 2: Starting Over

Director: Rachel Perkins, writer: John Bell

Aaron's life as he knows it has been completely turned upside down since the tragic death of Lenny, an Aboriginal teenager who died in police custody when Aaron was on shift.

His career in the force is on hold whilst he goes through psychological assessment. And in fact he's not even sure going back to the police force is what he wants. He is being ostracised from the local Redfern community, he can't even enjoy a beer at the local Koorioke as the bartender refuses to serve him.

Aside from the shining beacons that are his daughter, Robyn, and granddaughter, Donna, things are pretty dim for Aaron. That is until romance sparks with his very attractive neighbour, Allie.

The only problem is that Aaron has just been involved in the arrest of Allie's partner, Indigo. And although it was Allie who called the police after Indigo hit her – it's not a good look.

Determined to get on with life without Indigo, Allie makes the bold move of attending the local Koorioke with her bruised eye on display, a move that is frowned upon by her local community. It is here that Allie and Aaron, both on the outer, bond over their mutual experiences of being treated like outsiders in their small community.

And it is not long before their newfound friendship turns into something more serious - although several hurdles will need to be overcome if they are going to be together. In trying to get his life back on track, Aaron will feel his way through the new challenges he faces to discover whether rejoining the police force is ultimately the right decision.

Episode 3: Babe in Arms

Director: Adrian Russell Wills, writer: Steven McGregor

Janine and Justin have welcomed their first child, a son, into the world. Their dreams and hopes for their new life quickly unravel as Janine struggles with the responsibility of looking after a newborn.

While Justin spends his days at work Janine spends her days caring for their son. This proves to be more of a challenge than she expected. The child won't settle, won't feed, won't sleep – Janine is way out of her depth.

Sleep deprivation, wearing the same clothes for days on end, and the end of her once ordered life places a strain on her relations hip with her new son and her husband. Justin's insistence that caring for a child is in every women's DNA doesn't go over well with Janine, which sparks a huge argument that sees Justin storm off for some much needed peace and quiet.

This triggers an incident, which is every parent's nightmare – their son goes missing. The authorities are called, a media blitz is undertaken and professional mourners set up vigil outside the family home.

As the days roll on, and there is no word or clue as to the whereabouts of the child, suspicion switches to the parents. This is magnified further through a neighbour's observations of the baby crying all hours of the day and night. And the fact that Janine reveals, during a media plea, that they had not named their son fuels the suspicion.

Justin is supportive of his wife and refuses to believe that she had anything to do with the disappearance. But with the court of public opinion swirling around them, and Justin's parents professing their doubt over Janine's version of events, Justin soon begins to suspect his wife may have had something to do with the disappearance of their child.

What transpires is a collision of love and loyalty versus fact. Justin must decide who to believe - his wife, or the evidence.

Expisode 4: Consequences

Director & writer: Leah Purcell

A 35 year old, high achieving Aboriginal woman, Mattie has just received a PhD in Cultural Anthropology. She races to share the news with her estranged white father, Jack, who she hasn't seen in 19 years. She wants to gloat.

She wants to thank him for leaving her Aboriginal Mother Patricia and herself when she was ten years old. His decision made many changes to Mattie and Patricia's life. First off, Mattie hated the fact that she was black, she thought this is why Jack left. But Mattie found no worth in hating herself and decided that her hatred would become a great motivator and used it to drive herself to succeed. And she did.

She makes the call, asks for Jack and a man comes to the phone. She lets loose, thinking that she is talking to her father, only to discover it is Richard, Jack's older brother. And he informs her that Jack died two days earlier.

Mattie is determined that Jack 's family – her white family – will accept her. So she sets out to drive herself back to Sydney to confront Jack's wife and other children. As Mattie drives from Canberra to Sydney, we travel back with her to her memories of the time she spent with her dad as a child.

When she gets to Sydney she goes straight to Jack's Butcher's Shop but discovers that it is now a café run by her half sister Angela. She manages to strike up a conversation with Angela but decides it would be best to wait until the funeral to reveal her hand.

Mattie attends Jack's funeral, intent on placing her graduation photograph on his coffin and telling the congregation about her relationship to Jack. Before Mattie can do this, Angela recognises her from the café and realises that the conversation they had at the coffee shop about dead fathers was not a coincidence.

When Mattie insists on speaking at the funeral, this leads to a very heated confrontation between them, with Angela determined to stop Mattie from hurting her grieving mother. In the end Mattie must decide for herself whether to reveal the truth to all.

There were people in the creative team that said, "Well, that’s my story too, my mum’s black, my dad’s white, I didn’t know him…"

— Leah Purcell

Episode 5: Pokies

Director: Beck Cole, writer: Steven McGregor

Nic Shields’ lunchtime relief of pressing pokies leads her to become a victim of a robbery in a desperate attempt to absolve a whirlpool of deceit and debt.

Episode 6: Dogs Of War

Director & writer: Wayne Blair

A series of burglaries set the residents of Redfern thinking of security. Ernie, a retired army drill sergeant with a lot of demons and Toby, a mongrel German Shepherd, are new residents in the community making for a volatile combination.

Tensions build and come to the boil, forcing Ernie to face the deepest fears from his past and his future. His neighbours also need to negotiate new ways of making peace with each other.