S02E01: 'Tug Of Love'

Helen is late returning from her holiday and is now officially considered AWOL.

Stubberfield appoints Fenner as wing governor in her absence and informs him that it’s only a matter of time before his temporary promotion is made permanent. Shell is delighted when Fenner tells her the good news, hoping that she’ll have her enhanced status returned as soon as possible. It also provides Shell with an excellent opportunity to taunt an increasingly depressed Nikki.

Zandra goes into labour in the four-bed dorm and is whisked away to hospital by a concerned Dominic and a reluctant Hollamby. Zandra is desperate for Robin to be present at the birth but things progress so quickly that it looks unlikely that Dominic will be able to contact him in time. Just when it looks like all is lost, Robin and Dominic arrive in the delivery room in time to see Zandra deliver a baby boy. It’s a touching scene and even Hollamby is forced to wipe away a tear. Later, Robin reveals to Zandra that he called off his engagement and is willing to give their relationship another go if Zandra’s still willing. Zandra’s euphoria is short-lived when she and Robin are informed that their son, Robbie, is withdrawing from the drugs Zandra took during her pregnancy and as a result, has been placed in a special care unit. Before she leaves the hospital, Zandra pleads with Robin to give her another chance and promises never to touch drugs again. Reluctantly, Robin agrees and promises to visit her as soon as he is allowed.

Now that he has Fenner lined up to take over as wing governor, Stubberfield needs to find a new principal officer for G-Wing. Karen Betts, a PO Stubberfield has worked with in the past, is invited into Larkhall and offered the job. After Karen accepts, Fenner is asked to join the meeting and is pleasantly surprised to see a familiar face – he and Karen had a brief fling at a conference they both attended a few years ago.

Marilyn Fenner has been receiving anonymous letters from Shell Dockley. At first she dismisses them, but as they increase in frequency, she realises she has no option but to confront Fenner. Although he’s clearly spooked, Fenner manages to convince Marilyn that the letters must be the work of an inmate with a grudge. He even has a good idea about which inmate it is and informs a relieved Shell that he’s convinced Nikki is the culprit. Shell can’t believe that her letters to Marilyn aren’t having the desired effect. She plots with Denny and arranges to have a mobile phone smuggled into the prison. Denny stages a fight between two inmates to distract the officers and takes delivery of the phone without detection.

The following morning, Fenner receives the shock of his life when he walks into the wing governor’s office to find out that Helen is already there – it turns out that her return flight was delayed which is why she was late arriving back off holiday. Although she’s amused by Fenner’s shock and later gratified by the inmates’ warm welcome, Helen is brought back down to earth with a bump when she is summoned into Stubberfield’s office and given a severe reprimand. After reassuring Stubberfield that she will never again bring her personal life into work, Helen asks for Nikki to be brought to her office and makes it clear to her that as long as she is wing governor, there can never be anything between them. Nikki is angry and upset and storms out of Helen’s office.

Re-united with Robbie on the Mother and Baby Unity, Zandra is discovering that motherhood isn’t all it’s cracked up to be – Robbie won’t stop crying and she’s practically tearing her hair out – so much so that she eventually succumbs to temptation and scores some smack from a dealer. After coming to her senses Zandra tries to return the drugs and get a refund, however, the dealer refuses and a fight breaks out which results in Zandra being dragged away kicking and screaming. Robin is called in for an emergency conference with Helen and calmly informs Zandra that he’s already started legal proceedings to gain custody of their son.

Back at the MBU, Zandra panics and decides that if she can’t have Robbie then no one can. She wraps him up and blankets and takes him up onto the prison roof where she threatens to jump unless she is allowed to keep him. Fenner is first on the scene and tries to talk Zandra down without much success. Helen arrives on the roof, and as the stunned inmates watch from the exercise yard, inches her way towards Zandra, eventually persuading her to hand Robbie over. Now that Helen has the baby, Zandra tries to throw herself from the roof but is saved by Dominic who was creeping across the roof from the other direction.

After lock-up, Nikki waits for Helen in the corridor in order to express her admiration.

Meanwhile, Shell decides its time she put her phone to use and calls Fenner’s house.