SeaChange

Mop-up operations continue

after a week of violent storms and flooding

lashed the entire Port Deakin

Boats slipped their moorings, roofs were blown off,

trees uprooted, powerlines damaged,

and the newly opened Pearl Bay Bridge

is once more closed to heavy traffic

during structural repairs.

Oh, the things we've seen!

Whales the size of semitrailers, dolphins dancing together,

sharks that could swallow you whole.

Didn't we, Trev? I knew you'd find safe harbour.

Is that all you have left? Yeah.

There's this bloke at Warrigal Point...

They've got the best marine world!

..who reckons he can raise it up again.

That is how far you journeyed? Warrigal Point?

58 nautical miles before we hit the reef.

Er... what's happened to the bridge?

Oh, if only we did not have the storm.

Is the caravan park alright? Did you manage?

Oh, Kevin.

If only you had returned yesterday.

And if only fish could fly.

SOFT FLAPPING SOUNDS

What's that noise?

Ooh!

That's something you don't see every day.

TRAFFIC LIGHTS PING

BLUESY THEME MUSIC

HORNS BEEP

SIREN WAILS

MUSIC INTENSIFIES

I looked after everything so diligently.

I had the rose garden growing, the shrine to Shiva.

I repainted the 'Golden Rules'.

Then this one little thing comes to spoil it.

The Deluxe Continental!

How?

My whole life's work has been swept out to sea.

What was the book's name, Mr Chrzanowski,

in case it washes up somewhere?

'Chaotic Analysis - A Reappraisal'.

Hmm. Catchy.

I spent my best years working on that manuscript.

I gave up everything - my country, my family, the woman I loved.

It was a week away from being published.

Oh, well. Maybe it's just one of those things.

No, no, no.

That is what my book was all about - that everything is predictable.

The formation of galaxies.

An avalanche of snow.

The changing weather.

The way we live and die.

Do you mean it's all... spelled out? Yes.

There is no such thing as a random event.

Even this stupid accident was no accident at all.

And I will prove it.

Someone will pay.

Just the same old boring stuff.

Jenny Woolly's dad was struck by lightning but lived.

Alex Maconachie's dog was swept into a stormwater drain

and then washed up at the vet's.

HORN BEEPS

Oh, and my Dad's back.

Apart from that, you didn't miss much.

Hey, Dad, guess what? Hey.

Trev's back. Take this.

Who's Trev?

Only his best friend in the world, Jack.

Don't worry about it. What's your problem?

I'm doing you a favour.

You'll have more time for your boyfriend

with the hanky around his neck.

Dan is not my boyfriend. Oh?

Silly to jump that conclusion

just because he was naked in your bedroom.

Do my kids see him like that?

One, two, three, four... five pairs of socks and no jacket.

Get your jacket. Thanks.

Whatever Dan is to me has nothing to do with you.

It certainly doesn't interfere with my responsibilities to my children.

Fine.

I wouldn't mind knowing if this access business will be regular.

Well, I wouldn't mind staying their father, if that's alright with you.

It's not one of those things you can genetically alter.

A grey dawn broke over Washington today,

marking the second week of the latest presidential crisis.

PHONE RINGS

And still no official statement

from the most influential leader in the world,

who observers fear has retreated into total denial...

Hello?

It's the office. The MacGyvers want to settle today.

What should I tell them?

Tell them... tell them to go home and cherish the good times

before it's too late.

Megan, I think you'd better lock up the office for today.

And no change, I'm afraid.

Heather leaves and Bob decides to get the wobbles.

I mean, 20 years calling himself the big man around town

and then we really do need him and suddenly he's the Invisible Man.

Hmm.

You don't think he knows, do you?

About Heather?

It's not true.

Then what was she doing on the bridge -

the right place, the right time.

Well, it could be any number of reasons!

She's our daughter.

No, Harold, I simply refuse to believe that.

She looks like you! She doesn't.

Oh, well.

Maybe she looks a lot like me,

but, I mean, all the time we've lived in this town together

we've never bonded, we've never had anything in common,

we've hardly exchanged a polite word to each other.

Right. No.

So I think we'll just let this one lie.

The Council's still calling.

Give them my regards.

You could tell them it was a misunderstanding -

you were upset and didn't mean to resign.

Why couldn't I see it coming?

It starts off small, then next thing

you're watching 'Play School' in your underwear!

It was the vacuum cleaner. Pardon?

The vacuum cleaner. The present I gave her for her 30th.

I don't think she liked it. Mum?

She hated it. She wanted a diamond eternity ring.

The funny thing is she vacuumed the same day she left

with the same vacuum cleaner.

I have to go.

SPRIGHTLY BLUES MUSIC

The 28th claim is by the Marshes.

Well, it seems that the roof became airborne

and then it ricocheted on the corner of Reg's flagpole,

which fell on Graeme's police car and dented four corners of it,

which caused Graeme to veer off the road.

And he then took out a section of Pembleton's fence,

which, in its turn, fell on the Marshes' chook farm.

Blimey, how many times has that happened?

No, but you see, the worst of it is our public liability insurance

was a unique arrangement between our illustrious shire president

and the company who apparently sponsor the annual golf tournament.

And Bob failed to renew it two weeks ago.

We should make some allowances for Robert.

A man without his wife by his side is a sorrowful thing.

No offence, Kevin...

..Harold...

..Elliot..

..Gibbo.

Well, the point is, has Bob resigned officially or not?

We are facing 19 legal actions here worth thousands of dollars

and I would say Bob spent every last red cent

on a wretched bridge that doesn't work anyway.

You're being a bit hard on him, aren't you?

Oh, Graeme. Oh, not more!

Yeah, I'm afraid so.

Er... one's an action from the Girl Guide group.

Apparently a council rubbish bin went through the trophy cabinet.

This is for a computer and a shaving set.

It's... Krzy... Krzysztof. It's a writ.

Yeah, yeah. Sorry.

That's for Kev. That's for you personally, mate.

That foreign backpacker bloke that, you know, went for a row.

He's suing me? Yeah. Afraid so.

I wasn't even here!

Good morning.

Angus, what sort of a week have we got? What's this?

63 separate civil actions arising from the storm.

We've got 36 claims against the council

and 27 individual ones.

63 actions? Mmm.

Is anyone not suing someone?

I... I'm not.

I'm pretty sure Sid Farley's not, because he was away.

God bless Sid Farley.

Any idea how I fit a private life in the middle of all this?

This is chaos!

Maybe that Polish bloke's theory's right!

Maybe I should have seen this coming.

And this Krzysztof reckons

everything that seems like chaos isn't really.

But if it's all worked out beforehand

then how do you know you're changing the master plan?

You reckon there's someone at the wheel?

Oh, God, I hope not.

Because if there is I'm heading for a rut.

It's like I'm being sucked into this stormwater drain and...

..only I won't end up at the vet's like Maconachie's dog.

That's when some inner chaos is a good thing.

How do you mean?

I mean that little voice inside that says, "Quit your job.

"Cut loose. Go surfing."

But say it's more complicated than that

and you're in this relationship, you know -

could be any relationship -

and it's, well... it's not very chaotic at all,

except for once, which was fantastic...