From her slicked-back bun and crisp uniform days to the period of an unhinged prisoner in a teal tracksuit, Joan “The Freak” Ferguson has been one of Australia’s most captivating characters on TV.
Her portrayer Pamela Rabe tells TV WEEK Joan has undergone a transformation over the past four seasons of Foxtel drama Wentworth.
“When Joan was sitting at the pinnacle of her mountain as governor of the prison, and the authority that the position was endowed with – she knew who she was,” Pamela, 58, says.
“The moment you put her in teal, and on the other side of the prison population, she had to enter in to allegiances to survive. It involved really altering her behaviour and becoming what the person who she was speaking to needed or wanted.”
After the season five jaw-dropping finale that saw Joan buried alive in a box by guard Will (Robbie Magasiva), we take a look at 10 of her best moments.
1. Deadly Showdown with Bea: In the season four finale, inmate Bea (Danielle Cormack) died after confronting Joan (Pamela Rabe) about her murderous past. In the tussle, Bea ended up being stabbed multiple times and died. Bea’s girlfriend Allie (Kate Jenkinson) spent all of season five trying to get revenge.
2. Fire Killer: When a fire swept through Wentworth Correctional Centre in the season three finale, Joan was busy confronting prisoner Jess (Georgia Chara) who had stolen Doreen’s (Shareena Clanton) baby. In a vicious move, Joan choked Jess to death before leaving her body to be consumed by the flames.
3. Ordering A Hit: As the governor, Joan showed just how far she was prepared to go to cover her tracks. She ordered her henchman Jesper (Tony Nikolakopoulos) to kill guard Fletcher (Aaron Jeffery) when she was worried her past would be exposed.
4. Freak Got Your Tongue: The blood-curdling moment earlier in season five that sealed Joan’s position as Top Dog in the prison yard. Joan cut out the tongue of fellow prisoner Juice (Sally-Anne Upton) when she was drugged and strapped to the dentist chair.
5. Attempted Drowning: Before she was involved in Bea’s death, Joan had plenty of moments where she attempted to kill the prisoner. In one tense moment, she drugged Bea and then plunged her drowsy body in to a sink in an attempt to drown her.
6. The Puppet Master: The Freak had guard Jake (Bernard Curry) wrapped around her little pinkie. She forced him to murder her former associate Jesper in the season four finale, and then tormented him for most of season five – making him carry out all of her dirty work.
7. What A Hot Shot:
In season four, Joan targeted prisoner Allie (Kate Jenkinson) who was in a relationship with Bea. Cornering her in the bathrooms, Joan gave Allie a hotshot that nearly killed her. A devastated Bea died believing Allie had died from the hotshot.
8. Mind Games: Joan and Vera (Kate Atkinson) had an unhealthy relationship from the start. As Governor, Joan befriended Vera only to abuse the friendship to strengthen her own position of power. Then when Vera became Governor, Joan used every trick in the book to undermine her position – including getting Jake to start a romance with Vera.
9. A Torturous Governor: As Governor, Joan manipulated prisoners and wielded her black-gloved fist to achieve violent outcomes. One of the prisoners who suffered horrifically at the hands of Joan was young Jodie (Pia Miranda), who was tortured while in isolation.
10. The Making Of A Murderer: In season five, Joan snapped the neck of fellow prisoner Iman (Zahra Newman) to stop her from talking. Iman had just confessed to Franky (Nicole da Silva) that she was the one who had killed Pennisi (Felix Williamson).
