A Place to Call Home (season 3)

The third season of the Seven Network television series A Place to Call Home premiered on SoHo on 27 September 2015 and concluded on 29 November 2015. The series is produced by Chris Martin-Jones, and executive produced by Penny Win and Julie McGauran.

A Place to Call Home
Season 3
Country of originAustralia
No. of episodes10
Release
Original networkSoHo
Original release27 September (2015-09-27) 
29 November 2015 (2015-11-29)
Season chronology

Production

Helen Vnuk from TV Week confirmed that a third season had been commissioned in May 2014.[1] However, one month later, the magazine reported that Channel Seven had passed on the option to renew the series and had recently told the cast and crew they would not be required for a third season.[2]

On 15 October 2014, it was announced that Foxtel had finalised a deal with Channel Seven that would see third and fourth seasons written, using the outlines created by Bevan Lee, produced by Seven Productions, but aired on Foxtel.[3]

On 25 October 2014, Amy Harris of The Daily Telegraph announced that A Place to Call Home had been officially renewed for another two seasons and would return in late 2015, airing on Foxtel channel SoHo. It was also announced that all the original cast and crew members would return. Production was scheduled to resume in March 2015 in Camden, the show's original filming location.[4]

On 19 November 2014, it was announced that Bevan Lee had stepped down as the script producer and had hand-picked Susan Bower to take over.[5] As well as a new script producer, a new writing team, consisting of David Hannam, Sarah Lambert, Giula Sandler and Katherine Thomson, was also hired.[5]

The season has been written by Susan Bower, Katherine Thomson, Sarah Lambert, David Hannam, Giula Sandler, Deborah Parsons, Kim Wilson and John Ridley, and directed by Ian Watson, Shirley Barrett, Lynn-Maree Danzey and Chris Martin-Jones.[6]

Plot

In season three of A Place to Call Home: as Australia faces internal and external threats to its way of life so too do the people of Inverness, and previous alliances and relationships are tested. Sarah's dilemma, between her feelings for George and her duty to her husband Rene, is exacerbated by a heartbreaking secret. James and Olivia's relationship is under pressure when the true parentage of baby George is threatened with exposure. Elizabeth Bligh's decision to leave Ash Park to explore a life of her own proves more difficult than she thought. Anna and Gino face the difference between the fairytale romance and the reality of married life. Independent lovers Carolyn and Jack try to move closer to a commitment. Through it all, Regina's manipulative behaviour weaves an impenetrable web around George. In the sleepy village of Inverness, sex, death and secrets are never far below the surface.[7]

Cast

Casting

Puberty Blues actress Brenna Harding joined the series as maid Rose O'Connell.[8]

Episodes

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateAustralian viewers
(millions)
241"The Things We Do for Love"Ian BarryDavid Hannam27 September 2015 (2015-09-27)154,000[9]
After George is shot, Sarah is forced to remove the bullet from his chest en route to the hospital. He is later operated on and awakens in his hospital room and whispers Sarah's name, around Regina. Anna is shocked to learn that the baby that is being masqueraded as James and Olivia's, is actually the baby of an unwed mother, and is later disappointed to learn that Gino is disgusted by James' homosexuality. René is arrested for attempted murder, however, after Regina delivers Sarah an ultimatum that if George dies, she'll make sure René hangs, he is released when Regina changes her story and says George stopped René committing suicide. Olivia hires a new maid Rose, who acts oddly suspicious around baby George. James quietly flirts with George's doctor, Henry Fox, over a cigarette. After dealing with the shocking events of the past day, Sarah is shocked when she learns that she is pregnant with George's baby.
252"L'Chaim, to Life"Ian BarryGiula Sandler4 October 2015 (2015-10-04)154,000[10]
George's return from hospital opens a whole new world for the Bligh family, as his new lease on life, pushes him to pursue a career in politics, announcing that he'll run for the Country Party in the next election. While he has the support of close friend, Sir Richard Bennett, George is later informed by Richard that he will more likely win the election if he were to marry a suitable woman, with an aristocratic background. James and Olivia's decision to move the christening of baby George forward is marred when Gino, now aware of James' sexuality, chooses to not become the godfather of his son. With his father's political bid announced, James assures Olivia that his sexuality will not stand in the way of their marriage, and they proceed to make love. After learning she's pregnant with George's baby, Sarah is forced to deal with her past in Ravensbrück, as she reveals to Jack that she was once pregnant, however was brutally bashed by the Nazis and seemingly, lost the baby. After René has a severe health crisis, Sarah makes the ultimate decision to go to the city, and have an abortion.
263"Somewhere Beyond the Sea"Lynn-Maree DanzeyKatherine Thomson11 October 2015 (2015-10-11)154,000[11]
Elizabeth's new life in the city gets off to a great start when Douglas Goddard, a prevalent man in Sydney's high society and a friend of Prudence's offers Elizabeth the experience of a lifetime, volunteering in a soup kitchen for men affected by the Second World War. Gino tries to continue to hide his disgust towards James, and his sexuality, whilst revealing to Anna that he wants to use his parents' farm to grow grapes and become a successful wine maker like the other men in his family. Lloyd Ellis Parker, a painter friend of Carolyn's, arrives from England to paint the young Bligh family. George throws a party to celebrate his entrance into the ballot for the Country Party, which is the catalyst for two romantic moments: one between James and Dr Henry Fox, and the other moment between Olivia and Lloyd, leading to them sharing a passionate kiss. Sarah arrives in Sydney to look after Aunt Peg, while secretly searching for a doctor, willing to terminate her pregnancy, and after a disagreement with her, Aunt Peg gives her the number of an abortionist and Sarah pays them a visit.
274"Too Old to Dream"Lynn-Maree DanzeyDeborah Parsons18 October 2015 (2015-10-18)170,000[12]
Anna and Gino's grape plantation gets slowly underway, but Anna worries that there will not be enough time and money to allow them to wait for them to be harvested. Regina witnesses a moment of passion between James and Henry, and decides to use it to her advantage. Elizabeth's feelings towards Douglas begin to slowly grow as she continues to do work at the Retired Veterans centre. Carolyn is offered a writing job by Sir Richard at the Sydney newspaper, but Elizabeth worries that her views may not be accepted, nor liked by the public. Olivia worries when she can't find Baby George, until it is discovered that he was in bed with Rose. Later that night, Olivia dreams that she is involved in a passionate romp with Lloyd, the painter. Sarah decides against the abortion, but sees a young girl, whose mother eventually contacts her for help. Despite her and Jack's best efforts, the girl dies, and Sarah makes the ultimate decision to tell René that she is pregnant with another man's child.
285"Living in the Shadow"Shirley BarrettKim Wilson25 October 2015 (2015-10-25)167,000[13]
Carolyn takes up Sir Richard's offer of having her own column in the Sydney newspaper, and begins her new job with a controversial article about the woman with no female friends, an article written specifically about Regina. Douglas decides that life is too short and begins a series of romantic advances towards Elizabeth, which cause her to withdraw. Doris organises a day out for Inverness to meet George as the new Country Party candidate. Anna learns the truth about Olivia and Andrew's deception, which leads Olivia to seek solace in Lloyd's arms and ultimately begin an affair with him. Gino begins to realise how bad his money problems are and sells his father's pocket watch as a way to try and save his farm. Jack and Sarah travel to Sydney to track down the doctor, who is performing illegal abortions, in a bid to avenge the death of the young girl Jack couldn't save. After initial problems, René finally accepts Sarah's pregnancy, but the next morning on her way to work, Sarah begins cramping and collapses.
296"In the Heat of the Night"Shirley BarrettSarah Lambert1 November 2015 (2015-11-01)174,000[14]
After introducing Olivia to the world of oral sex, Lloyd's life is threatened when James uncovers the truth about his wife's level of intimacy with him and punches him. Learning that Henry is, in fact, gay and his partner died some time ago, James seeks solace in him. Carolyn's given a further opportunity by Sir Richard when he decides to keep her on as a writer, and she is later invited to one of his soirees, and takes a homosexual friend, Simon. Elizabeth makes a decision not to return to the soup kitchen, but after Douglas reveals his true feelings for her, she changes her mind and returns. Anna and Gino are caught in the middle of the Bligh family drama after Rose steals baby George, believing that he is the child that she lost at birth, and whilst Olivia knows it is the truth, she hides it from Rose and tells her that George is hers and James' son. Sarah is placed into hospital with spotting, and is forced to tell George the truth - he's the father of her child. After the cramps stop and Sarah is given the all clear and taken home, René's illness takes a turn for the worst, and mistaking his wife for George, René strangles Sarah.
307"The Sins of the Father"Chris-Martin JonesJohn Ridley8 November 2015 (2015-11-08)198,000[15]
George is haunted by the memory of his father's death and it is revealed that when George was 12, he found his father, Lewis, kissing another man, and when George confronted him over it, Lewis bashed him and rode away on his horse. He later found his father dead on a river bank, having been thrown from his horse, over a bridge - and believed it to be a suicide, until Elizabeth assured him that he was not to blame for Lewis' death. Regina suspects that James and Henry's relationship is more than platonic, and while spying on them, she pays Richard a visit who tells her to put her plan to get George into motion. Anna's decision making about buying a horse, and writing her book, puts Gino offside, straining their already fragile marriage. Sarah learns that René's ailment is worsening, and the only way to fix it is for him to have experimental brain surgery that could potentially kill him. Carolyn's new job at the newspaper puts her life in danger, when she invites Sir Richard over for drinks to propose a new story, and in an alcoholic rage, he brutally attacks and rapes her.
318"Til Death Do Us Part"Chris Martin-JonesGiula Sandler15 November 2015 (2015-11-15)178,000[16]
René is admitted to hospital on the day of his surgery and tells Sarah that everything will be alright and after undergoing his potentially fatal brain operation, he awakens, but when he tries to get out of bed, he falls over and hits his head, causing a brain haemmorhage, which leads to his death. Carolyn reels in the wake of her rape and decides to confront Richard about it, but is soon disheartened when he tells her that no one would believe her because she's a woman. James returns to Inverness for baby George's christening, and decides to stay to keep up appearances, but he will stay in a separate room to Olivia. Gino discovers that all of his grape vines have died and when he reveals this to Anna, she also learns how in debt the young couple are. After taking Richard's advice on board, George proposes to Regina; however, when she learns that René has died and that Elizabeth knows that she cheated on her late husband, Charles, she suggests an impromptu wedding. As Sarah returns to Inverness with the body of her late husband, the wedding is well underway with George and Regina pronounced husband and wife, before taking their wedding photo.
329"The Mourners' Kadish"Lynn-Maree DanzeyKatherine Thomson22 November 2015 (2015-11-22)169,000[17]
Regina and George return to Ash Park from their wedding, where both Elizabeth and Carolyn warn both parties about their marriage of convenience. Sarah is flustered in her attempts to arrange René's funeral but Roy and Doris Collins offer their support. With her family in tatters, Elizabeth refuses Douglas' offer of a deeper friendship. Gino is upset when he finds and reads Anna's unpublished novel. As their romantic dream finally shatters, Anna returns to Ash Park. Regina takes extreme measures to further ensnare George.
3310"The Love Undeniable"Lynn-Maree DanzeyDavid Hannam29 November 2015 (2015-11-29)163,000[18]
Elizabeth and Douglas' relationship grows to the point where he asks her on an overseas trip as more than friends, and to accept his offer, she just needs to meet him at Carolyn's apartment, but when he arrives, he's disappointed when she isn't there, ignorant to the fact that she has suffered a heart attack and is unconscious in the apartment. Anna and Gino make up and she reveals to him that she has received a book offer from Angus & Robertson, who want to publish her novel. James learns that baby George isn't his son, and in the heat of the moment, sleeps with Dr. Henry. Olivia, after learning of her husband's infidelity, packs her bags, takes her son and pursues a plight to find Lloyd. Jack learns that Carolyn was raped by Sir Richard, and is called into questioning by police after allegations are made that he is performing backyard abortions. George learns that Sarah considered having an abortion, and he reveals that he loves her, and that, when she is ready, he will divorce Regina to be with her. After learning that George is still in love with Sarah, Regina poisons Sarah's tonic with rat poison.

Ratings

No. Title Air date Viewers[19] Rank
1 "The Things We Do for Love" 27 September 2015 154,000 2[9]
2 "L'Chaim, to Life" 4 October 2015 154,000 2[10]
3 "Somewhere Beyond the Sea" 11 October 2015 154,000 4[11]
4 "Too Old to Dream" 18 October 2015 170,000 1[12]
5 "Living in the Shadow" 25 October 2015 167,000 1[13]
6 "In the Heat of the Night" 1 November 2015 174,000 2[14]
7 "The Sins of the Father" 8 November 2015 198,000 1[15]
8 "Til Death Do Us Part" 15 November 2015 178,000 1[16]
9 "The Mourners' Kadish" 22 November 2015 169,000 1[17]
10 "The Love Undeniable" 29 November 2015 163,000 1[18]

References

  1. Vnuk, Helen (10–16 May 2014). "Home comforts". TV Week. Bauer Media Group (19): 97.
  2. Williams, Glen (14–20 June 2014). "No place to call home". TV Week. Bauer Media Group (22): 11.
  3. Idato, Michael (15 October 2014). "New Place for A Place to Call Home". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  4. Harris, Amy (25 October 2014). "Foxtel breathes new life into A Place To Call Home after Seven signs deal to keep the show alive". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  5. Knox, David (18 November 2014). "Bevan Lee passes the baton on A Place to Call Home". TV Tonight. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  6. "A Place to Call Home series 3 (2015)". Screen Australia. 5 August 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  7. Knox, David (17 August 2015). "Returning: A Place to Call Home". TV Tonight. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  8. "Puberty Blues star Brenna Harding turns down transgender roles coming soon to Australian TV". news.com.au. 14 June 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  9. Knox, David. "Sunday 27 September 2015 – TV Tonight". Tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  10. Knox, David. "Sunday 4 October 2015 – TV Tonight". Tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  11. Knox, David. "Sunday 11 October 2015 – TV Tonight". Tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  12. Knox, David. "Sunday 18 October 2015 – TV Tonight". Tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  13. Knox, David. "Sunday 25 October 2015 – TV Tonight". Tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  14. Knox, David. "Sunday 1 November 2015 – TV Tonight". Tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  15. Knox, David. "Sunday 8 November 2015 – TV Tonight". Tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  16. Knox, David. "Sunday 15 November 2015 – TV Tonight". Tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  17. Knox, David. "Sunday 22 November 2015 – TV Tonight". Tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  18. Knox, David. "Sunday 29 November 2015 – TV Tonight". Tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  19. OzTAM same day live/delayed viewing figures are for the 5 City Metro areas
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