Another breath taking episode of Redfern Now.
Titled ‘Pokies’ Thursday night’s episode focused on a successful family. Son Joel (Aaron McGrath) is at a private school and succeeding above his age potential, father Eddie (Marly Sharp) is a happy go lucky man who is blessed to have a great family. Then there’s the wife and mother Nic (Ursula Yovich) who is hiding a big secret from the rest of her family. She’s addicted to gambling and has used all of the family’s money on the pokies.
Addiction is such a sad issue and has been dealt with real sincerity and honesty in the second last episode of this season. In the usual Redfern Now grittiness, ‘Pokies’ written by Steven McGregor, looks at the real toll an addition such as gambling can take on a family and on the gambler. A special mention must go to Leah Purcell who plays Nic’s sister Grace and to Les Chantery who played the police man who unraveled Nic’s lies about a supposed ‘mugging’ she had organized in order to account for missing money that she had gambled away. In the end, knowing her lies will be discovered she heads to a hotel with the aim of taking her own life using an overdose of pills and alcohol. Just when it looks like lights out she awakes in the hospital with her family surrounding her. She knows she is going to have to deal with the fallout of this mistake forever.
As always it was heart breaking and yet beautiful. The acting is superb and the scripts are flawless. There’s only one episode to go. Watch it.
Redfern Now airs on ABC1 on Thursday night’s at 8.30pm
