Season 2, Episode 11: Rough Justice
Recap by Coops

Synopsis

Di Barker gives Fenner a lift to work - he says his car is at the garage.

In the toilets, Renee takes her chance to attack Yvonne with the razor blade, but Nikki pulls her off. Helen bumps into Dominic on the way in, and we learn that she is now based at Larkhall.

At lunch, Renee is keen to know what's in the food. Shell lists the ingredients of the ice cream and when she mentions nuts, Renee walks away. Yvonne overhears and looks interested.

Yahoo! Nikki is in the Potting Shed, but fails to take advantage of it - when Helen walks past she rushes out *lol*.

"Helen! When d'you come in?"
"This morning, I've been in meetings all day."
"You here for long?"
"Uhuh, I'm setting up a lifer's group. We are going to be seeing a lot more of each other."
"In private I hope."
"You're gonna have to keep your hormones under control, Nikki! Listen, I've got some good news."
"Yeah?"
"I sent a copy of your file to a lawyer friend of mine, she wants to meet you."
"She knows about my case?"
"She thinks that you could appeal your sentence."
"I can't believe it, you're joking. Wait 'til Fenner hears."
"Oh don't wind him up. I kind of broke the rules when I photocopied your file. Listen, we've got a long way to go, so don't get your hopes too high."
Yeah, but just to even have a hope..."
"I've got to go, got more meetings. I'll see you tomorrow."

Crystal is back in the dorm, and Renee starts racially abusing her. Karen is on the wing, and Crystal goes straight to her and complains. Fenner offers to deal with it. He tells Renee to keep her thoughts to herself.

An unusual sight - Yvonne's in the library, studying a medical encyclopaedia. She rips a page out and hides it down her trousers.

At lockup, Shaz tricks Hollamby into entering the dorm. Bodybag fails to leave the door on the latch, and Shaz and Denny run out and close the door behind them, trapping her inside. She passes her keys out for them to unlock the door but they run off to the servery. Den grabs biscuits and other goodies, while Shaz rummages through the rubbish, collecting bits of mouldy bread. They return to the dorm and swap places with Bodybag. Later, Shaz drops the mouldy bread into Renee's carton of orange juice while she's snoring.

Next day, Helen starts her Lifer's Group, made up of 6 women, including Shell, Shaz and Nikki. There's a lot of eye contact between our heroines which keeps putting Helen right off and nearly sending her into giggles *lol*. She gives out a questionnaire and they leave. N is of course the last to leave

"I'm gonna phone my lawyer now, about my appeal."
"Are you still in touch with Trisha?"
"Why?"
"Because you're gonna need friends on the outside if this goes ahead; publicity, lobbying, that kind of thing."
"She still runs our club, so we keep in touch."
"Good."
"Hard to believe I'm a businesswoman, innit?"
"Sometimes."
"We're doing well, apparently. I'm gonna show you a good time when I get out."
"I hope so."
[their heads are now v. close together, when the door opens and Dom enters. He definitely suspects something now!]

Crystal's in the servery, and spots the rat poison on the floor. Does she collect some though?

Fenner and Dom go for a lunchtime drink in the PO's bar. Fenner is looking more and more rough, and stays for another drink when Dom returns to the wing.

Back in the dorm, Renee takes a swig from her carton of juice, then sprays it all over the place before retching over the toilet. Denny, Shaz and Crystal all look on with satisfaction.

A white woman's hands are seen crushing nuts with a book, then adding them to a pepper pot. At lunch, Renee leaves her table to get a drink, and the pepper pot is switched. She covers her food with it, and eats half, while all the girls watch on. Suddenly she staggers off choking for air, and collapses dramatically at the foot of the stairs, looking like Cruella De Ville *lol*.

Next day Karen tells the team that the police will be interviewing everyone, with Shaz a key suspect due to her record. Fenner arrives late, looking hungover and unshaven. He's back in the bar before long. This time Bodybag joins him, and confesses that she gave Shaz her keys. He says she must tell Karen what happened.

H goes to N's cell and finds her sleeping. H sits beside her and caresses her cheek. N wakes startled.
"Sorry."
"Oh Christ!"
"You're on your own?"
"The screws let Barbara out 'cos she makes their tea."
"I've come to collect the questionnaire, did you fill it in?"
"Yeah. My board review's in two months' time; my appeal might be underway by then."
"If it's granted."
[N hands H an envelope]
"What's this?"
"I'm not usually the soppy type, but... it says a lot of the things I don't get a chance to say in this place."
"I'll wait 'til I'm in bed, I'll read it then."
[Karen comes in]
[...]
"Bye Nikki, I'll look forward to reading your views."
"Yeah, I mean every word."

Karen looks a bit suspicious - the girls are giving off a lot of signals right now!

Crystal is interviewed by the police, and tells them that "every girl on G Wing had a motive". Bodybag tells Karen about Shaz and the keys, Karen is livid, saying all the cell door locks will have to be changed. Shell is interviewed, and tells the police that Renee had shagged Yvonne's husband. They are interested until Karen tells them that Shaz could have had access to the servery, and interview her again.

As she's leaving, Helen runs into Dominic. She is a bit flirty and agrees to a catch-up drink and curry with him the next evening. As they part, Nikki is watching from her window.

Next day Karen gives Bodybag a bollocking, docking her a month's wages and reduces her rank to Basic grade PO. BB looks tearful.

Nikki meets with Helen's lawyer friend who is positive about her chances. She has already discovered that Gossard, the policeman Nikki killed, was violent towards his wife. When they finish, Helen returns.

"Well, you look pleased enough."
"I am. The guy I killed - turns out he had a record of violence. First I heard of it. She's really good, your friend."
"Yeah?"
"You known her for long?"
"Yonks."
"That all she is - a friend?"
"Nikki, I've told you before - I've never been into women."
"Just men."
"Oh, stop being jealous. Look, that letter you wrote me - I feel exactly the same. Trust me."

The police plan to interview Fenner & Hollamby. Dominic tells Karen that Fenner wasn't on the wing when Renee died, and she sends him to get Jim. He's in the bar again and goes home instead of seeing Karen.

Yvonne finds out from Di Barker that Shaz has confessed to poisoning Renee. Yvonne grabs Denny and tells her that Shaz didn't do it and that she'll end up in a loony bin. Denny goes to the police, saying it was her not Shaz; during the interview the policeman's mobile phone rings. He's told that Renee died from anaphylactic shock, an allergic reaction to nuts, and not poison. They can't prove that anyone even knew about the allergy. Karen announces the cause of death and says it wasn't murder - leaving Shell looking unsurprised and rather smug. She tells Di to take Denny & Shaz down the block. After lockup, we see Yvonne eating peanuts and also looking smug. So who actually bumped her off?

Dominic tells Di that he's meeting Helen. Nikki overhears, and looks fretful. Di looks a bit put out as well - she seems to have a thing for Dom.

Karen goes to Jim's house. He tells her that Marilyn has left him, taking the kids.
 

Awards (by Coops and Filbertfox)

Top Dog of the Week
Yvonne of course - we can only presume that it was her hand doing the nut-crushing, but she certainly didn't do scared this week.

Nikki for fighting Renee off Yvonne and without even a word of thanks.

Fenner for being the only person able to knock the wind out of Renee's sails.

Twatting Twat of the week
Bodybag - busted down to Basic officer grade and docked a month's dosh, plus her crony Jim is on the skids. And not a single decent one-liner.

Dominic for interrupting a touching moment between Helen and Nikki, and likewise, Karen Betts.

Weedy Pigeon of the week
Jim Fenner - Marilyn has gone and taken her dodgy cardigans with her. Finding comfort in a bottle was a tad predictable, but then he never was the deepest thinker.

Spin Doctor of the week
Karen Betts - well how else do you explain the various breaches in security plus a dead prisoner, and not so much as an irate phone call from Stubberfield? Poor old Helen never got a minute's peace from the Fat Controller.

Worst Girl of the week
Racist Razor Renee.

Best Line of the week
Shell had most of the good lines:

Potatoes and dead cow.

You're starting your diet today aren't you Felicity?

...lots of E's - hey girls, make sure you drink plenty of water, haha. [Immaculate comic timing: Debra Stephenson shows her stand-up comedy roots]

Helen: You're gonna have to keep your hormones under control, Nikki. [Yeah, her and the rest of us Helen *lol*]

Fenner: You stupid bitch!

Worst line of the week
Renee's racist abuse of Crystal.

Yvonne: I can look after meself
[How about, thanks for saving me from getting my throat cut Nikki]

Helen: Look, that letter you wrote me - I feel exactly the same. Trust me. [For god's sake, poor Nikki is insecure and frustrated - she needs you to just SAY IT up front]

Warring faction of the week
Renee and the whole of G Wing *g*

Sight of the week
Helen losing her train of thought and trying not to giggle in the Lifers' Group meeting.

Helen and Nikki in close proximity to the Potting Shed - although sadly they didn't take advantage of it.

All the girls watching Renee eat her dinner.

Dead Renee *lol* - ding dong the wicked witch is dead.

Larkhall Miracles and Mysteries
Last series, Nikki told Monica that she didn't hear from Trish anymore (Ep7); now we discover that they're still running a business together.

Did Di Barker have a personality transplant during her absence last week? Suddenly she's all over Dominic like a rash.

Last week's preview of this ep included Karen on Fenner's doorstep, with him telling her he wouldn't be reporting for duty again... but this scene was not in tonight's ep.

How did Renee carry around an unsheathed razor blade without slicing her arse off or slashing her fingers when she took it out of her pocket?

So Renee had an allergy to nuts. Did the copper not wonder how nuts got in her dinner without deliberate tampering? Taggart he ain't.

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