Original subtitles

[ Up-tempo music plays ]

This vote-box thing -- storm in a teacup?

MERYL: Be blown over in a day or two.

Why don´t we just get you a thousand dollars´ worth of beer

and no one´s the wiser?

Meryl, you and Hayley, you have to get a lawyer.

This guy is serious.

What if Meryl stepped down as mayor?

Can I say ill health?

Our mother´s corrupt.

That´s a sick woman you´re talking about up there.

No one´s gonna buy that.

[ Audience murmuring ]

Clear!

-What are they doing? -Art. It´s Jackson Pollock.

They´re supposed to do it in class on an A4 sheet.

You wrote a book.

Yeah. Stupid.

It´s very good.

What?

It´s a sort of a meshing of Philip K. Dick

and the "Blade Runner" aesthetic.

Yes!

-Are you early? -Always.

It´s a bad habit from my Army days.

You should know that about me.

I hear your Mum has a guest tonight.

Yeah. Toke.

-I like him. -Do you, though?

-Hey, dude. -I´m not really a dude.

No. I can´t! I can´t! I can´t!

Stop the plane now!

PENNY: I hate flying.

You trust me, right?

You drive me crazy.

Likewise.

He´s much more handsome in real life, don´t you think?

[ Down-tempo music plays ]

[ Birds chirping ]

Aren´t they wondrous, Floyd?

Worth getting up early for.

All I see is the Hindenburg.

Your mother´s up there.

She must really like him.

Do you like him?

I don´t dislike him.

He´s very...

Energetic?

Tidy.

He has two toothbrushes --

one for the morning and one for the night.

Good to know.

[ Sighs ]

I´m going to need a coffee before roll call.

-TOKE: Easy. Easy. -PENNY: Oh, my God.

TOKE: See you next time, guys.

PENNY: Safe.

It was so good, right?

Are you pumped?

I was a bird.

I was a cloud.

[ Exhales deeply ] When that wind picked up...

You were very brave.

I was fetal in the basket.

Yeah, but you got back up.

That´s what counts.

[ Chuckles ] Next time I´ll open my eyes.

Oh!

Actually, uh, I´ve got a little something else planned.

-You hungry? -Yes.

Jump on board.

Thanks, mate.

Come on! Giddyup! Hyah!

-[ Laughing ] -Here we go!

[ Mid-tempo music plays ]

It´s not my birthday.

Well, why wait?

Bags the chocolate croissant!

Hey!

Can I have this, Mum?

Go ahead.

I was just about to take Floyd to school.

TOKE: Oh, no, no. There´s plenty of food for everyone.

So let´s all eat together and I´ll drop him in after.

What´s this?

No. That is my...special gym gear.

Uh...Danish, Toke?

Oh. No, thank you. I don´t do carbs after 5:00.

A.m. That makes me anxious.

[ Mid-tempo instrumental music plays ]

KIMBERLY: [ Breathing heavily ] Oh, my God.

-Ah! Oh, my God! -[ Cellphone ringing ]

Oh, my God!

[ Thudding ]

Keep going. Keep going.

Ah. Oh!

Ah! Oh!

Champion! Ah!

[ Breathing heavily ]

[ Chuckles ]

What?

It wasn´t that good.

Okay, maybe it was.

But there´s always room for improvement.

I´ve got to go.

Another meeting in the hospital.

Or stay and wait for my break at 11:00.

And then what?

My break at 5:00.

I´m pretty sure keeping a woman in your room for sex is illegal.

-See you next time. -Mm-hmm.

[ Birds chirping ]

Are you sure this is all they sent?

Yes, Meryl. That´s all they would give me.

Your office said not to worry.

Your replacement has everything under control.

Replacement.

Seems so final.

Mum, these are from your bridge club.

Oh, you´re a doll.

Right. I´m off.

Dialysis.

Or as I like to put it, the crushing of my eternal soul.

Don´t be so dramatic.

-MATT: Hey, guys. -HAYLEY: Hey, Matt.

Matt, can you drive your father to Orange?

JIM: No, no, no, no. I´ll do it myself.

I´ll see you.

What are you doing in bed?

You realize there´s absolutely nothing wrong with you?

I had a number of unexpected concerned visitors.

Yeah? Well, I´m not one of them. I´m here to borrow a chain saw.

You know the more you cover this up,

the worse it´s gonna get.

Be on my side, angel, favorite son.

[ Cellphone ringing ]

Mum.

Hugh, darling.

My prodigy.

-What do you need? -An end to this purgatory.

How soon before I can be back on my feet?

You´re the one who committed us to the defibrillator.

Yes. Well, it had to look convincing.

Sorry. You´re gonna have to fake convalescence a little longer.

-Two weeks. -[ Sighs ]

You´re no help. Bye.

[ Down-tempo music plays ]

-I´ll take your bag. -Thank you.

Mark on the chart that she´s allergic to penicillin.

And nil by mouth before day of surgery.

-Thank you. -I need your signature here.

TOKE: [ Laughs ] Mm!

PENNY: [ Laughs ]

That´s professional.

If I may, as one well versed in the art of lovemaking,

his technique is quite impressive.

Your assault by Celia hardly makes you the resident sexpert.

My newfound sexual awakening is confronting to some.

Ken, you nearly asphyxiated.

Now, that´s a man.

-TOKE: Do you feel a bit horny? -PENNY: [ Laughs ]

[ Down-tempo music plays ]

I have observed that he is methodically making steps

towards the capturing of her heart.

If that´s what she wants.

Your eyes don´t match your mouth.

The doors are closing, my friend.

Better make a serious move before he does.

-Love you. -FLOYD: Bye, Mum.

Bye. See you.

[ Music continues ]

[ Bell chiming ]

[ Seat belt clicks ]

What a morning, huh?

Eh? [ Grunts ]

I am loving life right now.

So, uh, your -- your mum -- Are her folks around?

Yeah. Nan and Pop are in Port Macquarie.

They have chickens and believe in the death penalty.

Great.

Um, do you reckon you could give me your pop´s number?

Why?

There´s just a little question I need to ask him.

Sounds serious.

You bet I am, buddy.

[ Engine starts ]

God, I´m good.

-Hello, commission. -Great.

Hey, I´ve been thinking.

That´s unusual.

Why don´t we...go legit?

What?

Move in with me.

Come on. You´re always saying how boring it is on the road.

We can keep each other company.

Let me think about it.

No.

-You´re married. -Not married.

Scared.

Really not.

Gay but...confused?

I know it´s hard to fathom, but...I just don´t want to.

Kim.

Kimmy.

Let´s crank it up, try and be more than just this.

Hugh.

Hughie.

[ Down-tempo music plays ]

Actually, you know what?

What the hell?

Let´s do it.

I´ll move in.

How´s the panic coursing through your body right now?

Yeah. It´s pretty intense.

No need ruining a good thing.

I knew you´d see reason. Bye.

Yeah. Bye.

What do you think?

You´re still looking good.

Do I have long?

You need to put your affairs in order.

Thank you, Doctor.

My turn.

I need to check that hole in your heart, mister.

How´s the café?

I got employee of the month.

Congrats.

And your dad?

He drove to Armidale to sell some of our sheep.

Just a minute, Max.

Penny.

-Oh, I was just calling you. -I need to talk to --

I have a Down syndrome patient with ventricular septal defect.

The murmur seems loud.

Take a look.

Right.

This is called an echocardiogram.

You ready?

This might be a bit cold.

Here we go.

[ Heart beating ]

Now, these are notoriously hard to read -- for most doctors.

Just do the scan.

[ Keys clicking ]

All right.

Well, there´s only a slight increase

in pulmonary vasculature.

I don´t see any reason to examine you any further.

You´re in good health.

I made nationals for gymnastics.

And I want to be in the Army.

Nice.

Though I have found that the Army does produce big wankers.

Huge.

Thanks for that.

We´ll keep an eye on him.

VSD can be a sleeper in some Down syndrome patients.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ]

Hugh.

You know.

I don´t know.

He´s got to go.

Toke?

I like to call him...Joke.

I enjoy him as Oke.

Grow up.

-Twenty-four hours or I -- -You turn into a pumpkin?

I´m just saying

don´t be the one who goes closing doors between us

when you don´t know what might happen if you leave them open.

That was convoluted.

10:53 tomorrow... I´ll need your answer.

-I´ll give it to you now. -Sleep on it.

-It´s no. -Twenty-four hours.

[ Music continues ]

[ Indistinct conversations ]

Are you okay?

My God. You´re soaked.

I had to leave work

because the school couldn´t tell me where my son was.

We just went to the oval for maths, Mrs. Kokkotas.

But I saw the bush there, so I thought that --

[ Thunder rumbling ]

CHARLIE: I´m a think-outside-the-box educator.

I care about those poor, doomed millennials,

and I try and give them an actual experience

once in a while.

Well, it´s not caring to deviate from the syllabus.

They´ll fall behind their peers.

Their marks are fine.

They love the way I teach.

You made them do headstands before roll call.

-What´s wrong with that? -This physio invoice right here.

Mm.

You -- You cannot take students out into a storm.

An unseasonal storm.

See?

Global warming.

All education, all the time.

You´ve had three warnings. You´re out of luck.

-You´re not -- -Writing to the board?

Oh, you bet I am.

[ Laughs ] Well, you can´t.

Oh, I have waited for this day.

I´m fired?

We call it transferred.

[ Down-tempo music plays ]

[ Children shouting in distance ]

[ Sighs ]

CHARLIE: Found it online.

It´s the most beautiful oak desk.

I thought we could put it in the sunroom,

like a real writer´s studio.

And I need to buy a new ergonomic chair too.

Righto.

And a new laser printer.

´Cause I can´t be a full-time writer without quality toner.

And yes, I know what you´re thinking.

"Charlie´s a procrastinator."

Well, not anymore,

´cause I bought a new Internet lockout system,

so I´m gonna do it at least four hours of writing a day.

Five.

Seven.

You have to get your job back.

Don´t stomp on my dreams, Matt.

You can´t just not work. We can´t afford it.

Not until this takes off, anyway.

I expected this kind of resistance.

All the greats go through it -- Austen, Kipling, Orwell.

How did you even get three warnings?

Bruce Collins is an autocratic old-school prick.

He´s all right.

I want to be a writer.

And you can be, afternoons and weekends.

Go ask for your job back.

Beg like you mean it.

[ Groans ]

And "1984" was really depressing!

Are you sure about this, Meryl?

If Rod Eagle find out we tried to access the council files --

Did Helen Keller let her disability stop her?

I think not.

But you´re not actually sick.

Oxygen. Quickly. Quickly.

[ Coughing ]

Oh! Hello, Mrs. Daley.

Oh, what a miracle!

It´s nice to have you back.

Thanks, love.

I couldn´t stay away.

Look, your sense of duty has no bounds.

Oh!

[ Exhales deeply ]

You see what I mean, Hayley?

Oh, there´s the man I´ve been meaning to talk to.

I thought you were on death´s door.

I´m feeling much better, Tim. Thank you for asking.

I´d like you to return what you have of mine.

Hayley, could you get me a juice?

I´m feeling parched all of a sudden.

Yes, Meryl.

-Citrus or berry? -Either.

What about a blend?

-Fine. -Okay.

Not the paragon of discretion, are we, Mr. Heinrich?

Spreading inebriated falsehoods around the town

and trying to bribe a police officer.

I don´t know what you´re talking about.

But since you lost your position on the council, Meryl,

our deal is off.

Actually, I had the most inspired thought

from my sickbed.

You know the land we have a mutual interest in?

The site can still be rezoned but for a far nobler purpose.

Thrill me.

Nuclear fuel rod storage.

Shall we have Devonshire tea so I can talk you through it?

They only had apple.

Thank you.

There are many ways to claw your way back to power, Hayley.

It´s a matter of finding it.

CHARLIE: [ Chanting ]

[ Birds chirping ]

[ Inhales deeply, exhales rapidly ]

[ Exhales deeply ]

Hello?

Mr. Collins?

Hello?

[ Rattle jingling, toy squeaking ]

Oh.

[ Toy squeaks ]

Don´t...

Mm.

Well, don´t look!

-I´m not looking. -What do you want?

I-I came to talk to you about the letter,

whether you´d sent it to the board yet.

Please, Bruce. I need my job back.

-[ Rattle jingles ] -[ Chuckles ]

Oh, I´m sor-- I´m sorry.

I hadn´t sent the letter.

But I´m gonna do it right now!

Come on, Ken. Curl your thumb. That´s it!

Keep your upper arm closer to your body.

I-I must.

I will.

Nothing like some lunchtime testosterone.

Raise your wrist. Raise your wrist. That´s it.

-What? -That´s it!

-[ Grunts ] -I´m...winning.

-[ Grunts ] -Oh.

Oh!

Winning in life? Yeah, you are, dude.

Thanks for the meal plan, dude.

Aw.

Hey, protein´s your friend. Do you meditate?

Looks like you have a rival for Toke.

Are you distracting my staff, Doctor?

Well, I was, but now I´m here to distract you.

You want to grab some sushi?

Hey.

Hey.

-Lunch would be great. -[ Siren wailing ]

[ Siren stops ]

-Sorry. -[ Doors close ]

I´m partial to sushi.

WOMAN: 50-year-old male. High-speed MVA.

Chest and pelvic injuries.

It´s Harry -- Max´s dad.

Take him straight through.

Mia, we need to put in a central line

while he waits for evac to Melbourne.

Dad!

Max.

Max -- Max, your dad was in an accident.

His ute collided with another car.

Dad.

-Can you fix him? -We can´t.

We don´t have the facilities here to help him.

But they´ll come and get him and they´ll fly him to Melbourne.

-Dad! -Max. Max.

Max, he´ll be okay.

He´ll be okay, Max.

Do you have anyone that I can call?

No.

It´s just me and him.

Oh, Max.

[ Sobs ]

[ Birds chirping ]

It´s beautiful.

Yeah.

Penny´s new bloke booked it.

Mm.

You didn´t get your job back?

No, I did not.

Chazza.

I sprung Mr. Collins dressed as a baby,

and then I accidentally laughed, and then I don´t even know.

Penny´s a lucky girl.

Wait. Dressed as a baby?

It´s so weird, right?

I can´t stop googling it.

It´s like some weird executive-stress-relief thing,

men in power wanting to unwind.

Well, now you´ve got something on him.

I would never do that.

Ever.

[ Horn honks ]

Sometimes I wish I was a barmaid.

That´s hot.

Or...a childcare worker.

Less hot.

Or something that doesn´t involve

the near-death of parents.

Ah.

It´s close, but he´s stable.

I hope it stays that way

or I don´t know what will happen to Max.

He´s got no other family.

Harry takes him to all his gymnastic trainings.

They´re such a tight unit.

And he´ll be in Melbourne by morning.

Got to go.

You´d better tuck in early tonight.

Big decision tomorrow.

[ Exhales deeply ]

You really gonna go there now?

What did we learn today?

Life is fleeting and unpredictable.

Flo just tied Ken to the water cooler, and I need to lock up.

Oh, crap.

Sorry, Betty.

Oh, no. I totally forgot.

Toke. Surprise tonight.

Surprises lose the element of surprise when they happen daily.

Can you take the boys for a few hours?

Please. Please. Please.

Sorry. No can do.

I´ve got my Grade Six flute exam tonight.

I-I guess I could cancel.

No, no. You go.

[ Down-tempo music plays ]

[ Monitor beeping, respirator hissing ]

You´re going to stay with me tonight.

But I want to stay with Dad.

All night?

You can´t.

Come on.

[ Birds chirping ]

[ Dog barking in distance, cow lowing ]

[ Mid-tempo music plays ]

[ Key clicks ]

[ Laughs ]

TOKE: It sounds like a rough day.

I couldn´t leave him at the hospital.

It´s really beyond your call, Pen.

I know.

You have no muscle tone.

I´m pretty sure that´s an ab.

MAX: It´s not.

-Can you help me make some? -Sure!

Let´s warm up. Lunges.

I had a similar IVC case when I was deployed to Kabul.

The guy didn´t make it, though.

MAX: Deeper. Knee to the ground.

[ Grunts ] This is brutal.

Man up, Floyd. Come on. One, two, three. And lunge!

Just because I´m Down syndrome

doesn´t mean I need help coaching.

Sorry.

-You were saying? -I was just saying --

MAX: Jumping jacks.

Does my core look different?

It´s rock hard, buddy.

[ Grunts ]

Could you guys maybe go inside?

-Tuck and roll. -Oh!

Just be careful in there, fellas.

There´s, uh, candles.

-MAX: Oh. -FLOYD: Oh.

MAX: Ooh.

Do you want some more wine?

-What´s this? -Sweet berry wine.

"Darling, enclosed is a model of the Mercy Ship

-off the coast of Africa. -Oh.

-My dream is for us to --" -[ Laughs ]

Ah. Thank you.

[ Chuckles ]

Ah.

Wait. You already worked on the Mercy Ship.

Yeah.

And I want to go back -- with you.

They have family rooms.

What´s a Mercy Ship?

It´s a floating hospital.

Can Dad go in it to get better?

I´m going to look for more cards.

Max?

Are you going to show me your boobs?

-Oh, gross. -TOKE: [ Laughs ]

Aerials.

Oh, man.

Okay. Okay.

He´s staying with us for just a couple of nights, right?

Oh. Yes.

Probably.

How did dialysis go, love?

It was fine.

Did you give Dr. Chang my marmalade?

No. I forgot.

Why the interrogation?

Blood came in. Piss went out.

Can I have some potatoes, please?

Here you go. Spuds make everything better.

-Can I come next time, Dad? -It´s very dull.

Charlie held up at work?

Uh, yeah.

A meeting? It´s not P&C night.

No.

Yeah.

What?

Matthew.

Mum.

Matthew.

I´m just -- I´m eating -- I´m eating my beans.

Jim.

Meryl.

Jim.

Go on, boy.

-Uh... -Out with it.

I don´t think I´m allowed to tell you.

Oh, that´s ridiculous. I´m your mother.

It´s a sacred bond.

Charlie got fired.

Hey, everyone. Sorry I´m...late.

So you got fired? Why?

Matt!

She mind-controlled me!

Mr. Collins was threatened by her, apparently.

I thought it was hard to get fired from the public service.

Everyone relax. I´m not being fired.

I´ve been transferred.

St. Benedict´s is a really good school.

-It´s two hours away. -That´s not too bad.

Did you even try to get your job back?

Yeah. And she made it worse.

That wasn´t my fault.

Mr. Collins, you say?

[ Mid-tempo music plays ]

-Yes. -Meryl.

Meryl.

Shh.

I´m sifting through my memory bank for something important.

Mr. Collins, watch out.

No, Meryl. I don´t want your type of help.

I´m begging you to stay out of it.

Please.

What time does the sun come up tomorrow?

About 5:50.

Matt, Ajax, meet me at the school then.

Oh, please don´t make me hide in any more water tanks.

Oh, God.

[ Music continues ]

Try and fell it near that bench.

[ Engine starts ]

[ Engine revs, wood cracking ]

[ Exhales deeply ]

-Floyd. -TOKE: Yep.

Hey, buddy.

I was just helping your mum look for her contact lenses,

but we can´t -- we can´t find them.

I know about foreplay.

Okay.

Forgot to tell you -- I need to make a model of the Taj Mahal.

-When? -For geography.

-Tomorrow. -Right.

It´s Max Kerr with a double pike twist!

-Oh! -[ Laughs ]

And he´s done it! Gold for Australia!

-Whoo! -Whoo!

How was it?

What?

The sex.

Sabotaged.

What?! No! Nude!

Nude here, dude. Nude.

-Cuddles. -[ Laughs ]

I love cuddles.

Mm. There´s nothing better.

I really miss my dad, Penny.

I know you do.

When he gets better, can we all live together?

-FLOYD: Yeah! -PENNY: [ Laughs ]

How did you get it up there?

No?

[ Telephone ringing, indistinct talking on P.A. ]

You paged me?

Yes. Interesting case. Marble stuck up his nose.

I´ve tried to force it out.

Tom bowler?

No. Regular size, I think.

Cat´s-eye.

Kidney dish?

[ Exhales sharply ]

Seriously?

I mean... what´s the physics of that?

I don´t know.

Some old country GP once showed me it.

Come on.

-Just see Betty on your way out. -Yeah. Thank you.

Oh, would you, uh, look at the time?

Only two hours to go.

Exciting.

You know, despite the fact that I generally don´t respond

to being pressured, why don´t you just admit

this whole ultimatum is motivated by petty jealousy

and ego?

Maybe it´s not.

Are you for real?

I might be.

[ Birds chirping ]

Just a few hours later, and splat --

an entire kindergarten class could´ve been wiped out.

Imagine that, Mr. Collins.

Oh, a tragedy of epic proportions.

That´s extreme, Meryl.

As was your decision to fire Charlie Pereira.

What has she told you?

Nothing.

Then what has she got to do with this?

Minutes from the P&C meeting last November.

There were concerns about this rotting tree then,

and you agreed to have it removed, and you didn´t.

I´m pretty sure no one´s going to remember it,

and I for one am not going to remind them --

once you organize a panel

to independently reassess Ms. Charlie Pereira´s position.

She deserves a fair hearing.

She deserves what she got.

I may not be mayor,

but I´m still the eyes and ears of this town.

Everybody has their secrets.

And you, sir -- I know yours.

It´d be terrible if I let something slip.

[ Down-tempo music plays ]

[ Cellphone ringing ]

[ Cellphone ringing ]

Bloody Hugh.

You´ve reached Penny Cartwright. Please leave a message.

[ Music continues ]

[ Cellphone beeps ]

[ Insects chirping ]

New Delhi.

Oh. I loved India.

It´s amazingly filthy, and it gets in your blood.

Mm-hmm.

I was deployed there for Special Forces training.

It is an amazing place.

Toke, do you ever have nightmares?

Sometimes.

You seem calm, but I sense a deep restlessness.

You have PTSD.

I don´t have PTSD.

Why is Toke annoyed?

He has PTSD.

Your nervous system has really taken a hit

from Kabul and the Mercy Ship.

I think I would know.

Actually, most veterans don´t.

No, no. I wasn´t in combat. I was a medic.

Well, even worse. A passive witness to horror.

I´m starting to question your commitment to training, Floyd.

Is it that time already?

Yep.

Go get ´em, fellas.

Remember -- no pain, no gain.

FLOYD: Go easy on me. I think I pulled my hammy.

Can I ask you a question, Toke?

Mm.

Do you really believe that the universe is aligning

yours and Penny´s hearts?

Uh...yeah.

Well, then I wish you luck.

I suppose only time, in her infinite wisdom,

will tell who the victor of love shall be.

Why don´t I take those boys to a movie,

let you and Penny have some space?

Yes. Thank you.

Yes. That would be awesome.

[ Indistinct conversations ]

You told him what?

I told him what he needed to know

in order to secure a second chance for you.

But I haven´t told you anything, Meryl.

So there is something?

No.

Yes, but you don´t know what it is,

and you shouldn´t have pretended that you did.

I don´t want my job back if it means burning Mr. Collins.

I´m not you.

I don´t know how to do this stuff.

If Mr. Collins´ happiness is more important to you

than the mediocre dulling of those young minds --

You´ve completely stacked the panel.

Unbelievable.

Nonsense. Perfect slice of the community.

Okay, everybody.

If you wouldn´t mind taking your seats, please.

Now, I´ve declared my conflict of interest as adjudicator,

and I think we all agree that my neutrality is a given.

Now, this panel here is to reassess the firing

of Ms. Charlie Pereira from the Whyhope School.

Charlie will present her case first.

[ Down-tempo music plays ]

I believe in progressive education.

I believe in challenging young hearts and minds.

Now, I´ve only just begun with these kids.

Please don´t take me away from them

when I still have so much work to do.

They´re our future generation,

and I´m here to show them the way.

If that´s wrong, then sack me.

WOMAN: Well said.

Thanks.

WOMAN: Good on you, Charlie.

[ Applause ]

[ Insects chirping ]

[ Keys jingling ]

[ Door closes ]

[ Exhales deeply ]

Betty deserves a medal.

-Mm. -What should we do?

-Wine? -Mm.

Dinner?

Awkward car sex?

Penny, I´ve -- I´ve been doing all this fancy stuff,

like dinners and hot-air balloons, because...

Well, um, the truth is...

...it´s time.

And there´s only one question I need to know.

Penny Cartwright, w--

Before your question, I have three.

Uh-huh.

What if I foster Max for good?

Then we´ll --

Can you give up your life to live in Whyhope?

Because I can´t live anywhere else.

I´m sure I --

I can´t go on the Mercy Ship with you, Toke,

even if they´ve got family rooms.

If you stay with me,

can you handle missing out on the things that you love?

[ Down-tempo music plays ]

Sleep on it tonight.

Mm-hmm.

[ Indistinct conversations ]

[ Mid-tempo music plays ]

[ Whispering ] Hi, babe.

MERYL: Well, you´ve heard from all the parties,

and the panel have conferred.

-We have a result, folks. -[ Coughs ]

[ Coughs, moans ]

[ Exhales deeply ]

Please welcome back the teacher of Class 6C,

Ms. Charlie Pereira.

Oh! Yay!

-[ Chanting ] Charlie! Charlie! -Thank you.

You -- You -- You can´t reinstate someone

that has no regard for policy,

no understanding of the bell curve --

Order, please.

She does not follow protocols,

and protocols are all we have to achieve our desired outcomes.

-Don´t spit the dummy, mate. -Matt!

The panel have made a decision.

Well, keep your job, Pereira.

Keep your minion, Meryl.

If she´s coming back, I´m not.

Consider this my resignation.

[ Crowd murmuring ]

[ Down-tempo music plays ]

Oh, dear. What an unfortunate display.

But since we suddenly find ourselves in this position,

I think we need to discuss the role of acting principal.

I´d like to nominate Charlie Pereira.

Shall we take a vote?

Wow.

[ Birds chirping ]

[ Music continues ]

Sorry. I couldn´t find my phone.

When did you pack that?

Uh, about 3:00 a.m. Couldn´t sleep.

Oh.

No. It´s -- It´s not because of Floyd.

Okay.

Or Max.

Maybe it´s a little bit of Max,

which makes me sound like an arsehole,

which I´m not trying to be.

It´s just...every time I try and connect with you, we´re --

-Interrupted. -Yes.

And you are so --

-Whyhope. -Yes.

-And I don´t know if I -- -Can be too.

You´re so embedded here, and everyone wants a piece of you.

You don´t have room for me.

I´ve tried to make room.

I know.

I know.

Just -- I want...

I need more out there.

Let´s try again. I´ll be more available to you.

[ Pager beeping ]

[ Down-tempo music plays ]

[ Beeping stops ]

[ Birds chirping ]

Do you think I´m like Meryl?

Well-dressed and good at crosswords?

Oppositional and Machiavellian.

I´d say my ears are burning, but it´s actually my heart,

with the knowledge that you are back where you belong.

Congratulations, Charlie.

Mm! Isn´t it wonderful?

-Promoted. -Thanks, Meryl.

I can´t believe I´m gonna be principal.

Acting.

Now...

-What are these? -Nuclear fuel rod show bags.

Hayley helped me put them together.

I don´t remember these at the Easter Show.

Now, I want you to distribute those to your students.

They´ll take them home to their parents,

and that´s called education by osmosis.

Must go.

Jim and I are going to the vineyard for brunch.

Bye-bye, darlings.

[ Down-tempo music plays ]

CHARLIE: Uranium Kids?

Resistance is futile.

[ Birds chirping ]

[ Music continues ]

Where´s Joke?

Gone.

Gone?

Back to Sydney.

Oh.

Well, I...guess you made the right decision.

Stop gloating.

This had nothing to do with your annoying ultimatum.

Oh, I won. You totally sent him away.

I´m actually feeling quite sad about it.

As am I.

Look.

Tears.

[ Down-tempo music plays ]

So...now that you´re free and single --

Is that what I am?

As am I.

What about Kimberly?

Oh, she was getting really clingy.

Mm-hmm.