"Odds On" - Summary and Review"Odds On" - Summary and Review
by Melissa Rivers
Written by: Tony Gooding
Directed by: Mark Piper
Original Air Date: 13th March, 2001
Jack comes to his father's rescue when annoyed punters begin taking aggressive action against Tom over his non-payment of bets. During the drive to Tom's home, he explains how he rolled out the odds too much, causing his 'liquidity problem'.and claims that if Prince wasn't scratched that he wouldn't be in his current dilemma. Jack airs his suspicions that the dog was doped. A knock at the door has Tom undertaking some 'late night business' and Jack watches through the blinds. He insinuates that his father is up to no good and leaves.
Harbour waste control locates a hessian bag containing the body of Prince Zuma, who had been reportedly stolen. Donna arranges for the greyhound racing stewards to be notified regarding the body. Darcy Driver, the trainer, arrives before the stewards and identifies the body, wanting to take it with him. Hawker advises him that the stewards want to do an autopsy prior to release and Driver doesn't argue about it.
Jack arrives at Tom's house and wants to know his connection with Darcy Driver and Prince Zuma. He accuses Tom of knowing that the dog was doped and would win. Tom avoids his accusations, claiming to need to use the bathroom. Jack catches Tom trying to get rid of speed down the drain. Tom explains that Darcy had dropped them over because he had helped Tom in the past.
A visit to Darcy Driver leaves Jack surprised when the ICAC arrives with a search warrant for the premises. At the station, Det. Binns interviews Jack. Binns has had Darcy under surveillance as part of a sting into the collusion between trainers and bookies to predetermine race results with the use of illegal stimulants. Binns believes that Jack witnessed the exchange of a packet at Tom's house.
After the interview, Jack heads back to Tom's place to question him but he isn't about. Jack finds out that his father had a heart attack five years earlier and since that time has laid off the alcohol. Liz tells him that Tom went off with the 'rough-nut' of Darcy's. Jack storms in on Darcy, wanting to find Tom. It is an awkward confrontation since Darcy's young children are in the living room.
Returning to the station, Jack tells Sophie about Tom, her grandfather. Sophie insists on accompanying Jack back to Tom's house and they meet Liz. Tom hasn't returned. Liz lets them wait in the house while she goes to the church to light a candle on his behalf. Once inside, Jack sets the two of them into searching the house for a clue as to where Darcy might have taken Tom. During the search, they locate Jack's mother's jewellery and some photographs, bringing back memories for Jack.
Late that night, Tom arrives back, unharmed and annoyed that Jack is there. Jack tries to convince Tom to allow him to take care of the situation and protect him. Tom tells him that there's no point and Sophie interrupts them, introducing herself to Tom. Emotion overwhelms Tom as he finds memories of his wife in Sophie and they hug. Jack plays on the emotion and suggests that if he wants a reason to get Darcy, she's standing right in front of Tom.
Tom spills the full story on Darcy Driver to Hawker and Det. Binns, losing his Bookie Licence by his admissions. Outside Jack accuses Tom of lying to ICAC, which Tom admits. He wants Jack to scare the pants off Darcy before ICAC. Arriving at the country property where Darcy trains his dogs, Alex and Jack apprehend Darcy and his cohorts. Jack puts Darcy through the 'wringer' and makes him realise that he should not mess with Jack or his family.
PLOT 2: GOOD FRIENDS OR SOMETHING MORE...
At the races, Jack discloses to Helen and Alex that he hasn't seen his father since he hit Tom nine years ago. He is reluctant
to give precise details other than to indicate how little he thinks of him. Helen tells him that she regrets never bringing
closure to her relationship with her father and that Jack should take the opportunity to do so while he can.
Returning to the pub at the races, Jack tells Helen how his mother finally left his father when she found out she was dying. It was only at her funeral that Jack found out that Tom had been sleeping with the next door neighbour.
Jack questions why Helen is so miserable. She explains that her husband, Pete, has asked her for a divorce. The divorce application has been prompted by Pete's current gorgeous Greek partner who is pregnant. Helen is jealous that Pete is going to have a child when she has been experiencing the yearning of motherhood. She explains that for many reasons, not the least of which is her sexual preference, it is very difficult. Jack points out that there are many decent 'studs' out there. Helen floors Jack when she contradicts him saying that she only has one in her sights, eyeing him up and down. The next day, Helen asks Jack to forget their conversation.
After the greyhound case has been wrapped up, Jack asks Helen whether she signed the divorce papers. She tells him that she did and pauses before disclosing that she thinks she is in a rut and walks off.
PLOT 3: JUST BY CHANCE
Tourists are robbed at Manley Aquarium and the thief has escaped on a hovercraft. The Nemesis and Harpy are called in to
apprehend the thief. Emma spots the hovercraft and they chase him to a small beach and the thief runs off into rugged
bushland. Andy and Emma follow him and having trouble finding him until they hear the engines of the Harpy being
gunned as the thief takes off in the boat.
Hawker reprimands Emma for her careless handling of the boat and warns her that one more incident will land her in remedial performance training. Emma tries to explain that she doesn't make a habit of it and Hawker asks her how many times would be acceptable. Emma endures his judgement and is dismissed. Mick takes down her statement.
Gavin and Matt locate the Harpy intact but cannot find her kit bag and her parka. Emma is 'pissed off' when told about their partial success worried about the consequences of the burglary. Fingerprints from the hovercraft reveal that the thief is Ricky Mistoe, a petty thief from Adelaide who hasn't been to Sydney before. Matt suggests that the thief may use the bridge climb tickets that he stole from one of the tourists. Mick and Emma wait for the climbers to descend from the Harbour Bridge and apprehend Ricky.
Harbour Waste Control locate Emma's kit bag and give it to Gavin and Matt. Emma realises that there's something missing and is a bit concerned. Later Gavin tells her that Matt gave Mick her birthday card that they found in her kit bag and as she runs off comments that it was a nice shot. Emma races back into the station to find Mick fending off Jack and Alex from the card. She is totally embarrassed and asks Mick if Matt and Gavin saw it. Mick reassures her that she shouldn't worry about it.
MISCELLANEOUS PLOTS:
Matt wins $5,000.00 with his bet on Jillie's Dream. Instead of paying off his debts and putting the money in the bank, he
buys a jet ski which turns out to be a dud.
Sophie arrives at the police station wanting to speak with Helen. She asks whether she can nominate the water police as an attachment. Sophie wants to ensure that if she puts it down that it wouldn't be a problem for Jack. Helen explains to her that "if you get the attachment here, Sophie, you will be working for me and that means that you will be the lowest of the lows. You won't have to worry about Jack Christey because you won't even see him. Does that answer your question? Think about it."
REVIEW: "Odds On"
As soon as I saw the subject matter of this episode, I was quite happy and comfortable to deal with it. Being intimately
involved in the dog world of breeding and exhibiting show dogs, I have personally met and know quite well several
greyhound trainers and understand the undercurrents of competition at play.
The sport is highly competitive, similar to that of horse racing, and some trainers will stop at nothing to win the coveted prize; even to the point of drugging the dog to enhance its performance. It is a sport that requires a high level of dedication and for every top winning dog, there are several that have been discarded along the way. Through selective breeding, owners and trainers endeavour to produce the winning dog. However, there are also those who take the easier avenue of utilizing drug therapy from basic steroids through to the harder and more potent drugs which have made it necessary to introduce drug testing.
From the writer's point of view, the episode was solid and tight, with several plots going at once, the subplots complimenting and enhancing the major storyline. I enjoyed the way Tony Gooding had so many new elements (or relatively new elements) being introduced, many of which look to be followed up in future episodes. I'm hoping that we don't have to wait too long for some of them especially the one foreshadowed for Helen. But more on that a bit later.
To start off with, it was a delight to see Veteran Actor Bill Hunter in the role as Jack's father. Bill and Steve played their roles expertly and with passion, the distance and anger between their two characters was palpable and unrepentant. Time had not diminished their distaste for each other, only serving to expand the void between them.
Sophie served the role as saviour of Tom's downward spiral into the murky underworld of race fixing and concilliator of his relationship with Jack. This was fairly cliche but I didn't have a problem with it at all. Family ties bring out some of the strongest emotional reactions we ever experience from anger through to love and Sophie is able to give Tom some meaning to his life after he had given up hope.
I was glad to see that Sophie was realistically kept essentially out of the investigation. She knew her grandfather was in trouble and Jack allowed her to help him search Tom's house but at all material times, she was not allowed to participate in the police procedures.
Poor Emma. At the beginning she had doubts about her special birthday card, trying to ask Donna's opinion on it. The boys end up making the decision for her, one that makes her very uncomfortable. I liked the way Mick was so protective of her at the closure of the scene. It's nice to see that this relationship is being taken slowly. If you recall, we first saw signs of Emma taking an interest in Mick in It Happened One Night.
Okay, I know that we all enjoyed Helen's interaction with Jack. It was funny and yet very sad. I'm unsure how old Helen is meant to be in the show. I'm taking a guess that she's either approaching forty or is in her early forties. The emotions that Helen described that she was experiencing are not uncommon for a woman to experience, especially at this time of life.
Menopause can begin anywhere between 40 and 55, the changes in the biorhythm in the body bring about not only physical changes but emotional changes. Now Helen may not be undergoing the early stages of menopause, but I'm sure that she is thinking about the fact that it is not that far off and its ramifications for her future possibility of motherhood. I'm also sure that the recent loss of her partner and her run-in with the serial killers (High Roller/Shadow Man) have brought her to reassess her life. At the end of 'Shadow Man', Helen told Jack that if she had died there would be nothing left behind to mark her existence and I will be interested as to how the writers deal with this issue.
Finally, Helen with Sophie. I'm sure many of you were appalled at the way she spoke to Sophie but at least it was the truth. I'm by no means a veteran of my industry but I'm no spring chicken either. However, I do remember what it was like when I began work. You were on the bottom rung on the ladder and when you were given an instruction, you didn't even bother to ask 'how high?', you just jumped. Times have changed and I notice it especially when we get work experience kids coming through work. Kids these days don't appreciate being told what to do by anyone. It's a fact of life, you work for someone, you have to accept their directives. Helen gave a perfect example of what Sophie was to expect if she decides to do her attachment at the Water Police or any attachment for that matter.
MISCELLANEOUS THOUGHTS:
LOTW1:
Alex: "Hey, Helen, look, I can see the resemblance. Very fancy dresser's the two of them are."
LOTW2:
Jack: "Aw, come on. There's plenty of decent studs out there."
Helen: "Well, there's not really. From where I'm sitting, there's about...um... one."
Jack: "Helen. What are you saying? You can't spring that on a bloke without any warning."
Helen: "What do you want? A letter from a Solicitor?"
LOTW3:
Jack: "I'm still getting over the fact that I've got one kid coming out of the woodwork."
LOTW4:
Jack: "Although, it's not often I knock back, I have to tell you."
Helen: "Oh, well, thanks. That makes me feel so much better."
LOTW5:
Jeff: "I just had a call from your friend Binns. He seems to think that [Jack's] methods are a bit irregular. Naturally, I told
him that you'd never given me a moment's grief."
Look of the Week: Jack 's face when Helen propositions him.