The fates of five people hang in the balance in tonight’s gripping season three premiere of 800 Words.
Weld is rocked by a boating tragedy, with three men missing, possibly dead.
Another local falls from a cliff while trying to find them. And a fifth person may die on the operating table.
Yep, this is certainly the most intense episode of 800 Words so far. Who will survive?
“We pick up a few hours after the season two cliffhanger,” 800 Words star Erik Thomson, 50, explains.
“And we plunge the audience right back into the drama. The stakes are really high.”
Tonight’s opener sets the scene for a season of surprises – one of which will see the show in completely new territory.
George finds out that Jan has gone into labour.
Baby drama
Three people are missing at sea. But George Turner (Erik Thomson) has his own dilemma – should he stay and support his daughter, Shay (Melina Vidler), and help the others search for the men?
Or should he be with Jan (Bridie Carter) at the hospital?
Last season, Jan was revealed to be pregnant with twins.
But there was confusion about whether the father was George, Steve (Mark Ferguson) or Zac (Rob Williams)?
And then, in the season finale, Jan’s waters broke – she was going into labour!
Big Mac visits Jan in hospital.
Now, Big Mac (Peter Elliott) is keeping her in the dark about the fact that two of her three potential baby daddies are missing.
George rushes to the hospital to be with Jan, who has given birth to twin boys (“Thing One and Thing Two,” Jan calls them).
“George is in the eye of the storm,” Erik says.
“He’s there as a friend, and as a possible father. George is trying to work out where he stands [with Jan].”
Jan gives birth to twin boys. But who’s their father?
But something is wrong. Suddenly, Jan falls unconscious and needs emergency surgery. What’s wrong with her?
“Episode one certainly starts with a bang – and that’s great storytelling,” Bridie, 46, says.
Rescue me
Fans of the series will recall the final shocking moments of the season two cliffhanger.
Constable Tom (John Leigh) alerted George to the terrible news that Zac, Steve and Ike (Alex Tarrant), who had gone fishing at sea, were missing.
This season picks up with their empty boat being dropped on the sand. It’s an ominous sign the men could well have perished in the raging sea.
Woody, George and Shay watch as the empty boat is brought in.
But no-one is giving up hope of finding them alive. The townsfolk, led by Constable Tom, stage a search and rescue mission.
“Let’s get out there and find our people,” Tom tells everyone.
Things start to look very grim later, however, when the trio’s life jackets are found washed up on the beach.
“No sign of our men,” Hannah (Cian Elyse White) tells Woody (Rick Donald).
Hannah perhaps has more cause for concern than most – her father and brother are missing, after all.
George, Shay, Arlo and Hannah await news of the missing men.
Blame game
As the search continues, a grieving Shay heaps blame on herself. Shay and Ike broke up last season, although they clearly still had feelings for each other.
“The only reason Ike stayed in Weld was because of me,” a teary Shay points out to George.
She reasons that if Ike had left Weld to go to university, instead of sticking around in town to be with her, he would now be safe.
“Ike’s missing, that’s all,” George tells Shay, doing his best to calm her down.
George tries to comfort his daughter.
History sometimes repeats
Elsewhere, Billy (Reon Bell) remembers a tale about a shipwreck that happened at the exact same reef where Zac’s boat was discovered.
He thinks he knows where the missing men could be.
When Billy’s idea is panned by Tom, he and Arlo (Benson Jack Anthony) sneak off to find the men.
However, their search takes a deadly twist when Billy loses his footing and falls down a cliff!
Will he be OK?
Tune in tonight to find out!
