You are going back to uni.
You are not making a career out of working the damned coffee cart.
Come on, baby. Come on, baby.
Go, go, go, go! Drop, drop, drop, drop!
Do we know each other?
Do we?
Hey! Give me back my keys!
I did right by you, Jimmy. Yeah, you did.
When you didn't come for so long, I thought you were angry with me.
You are the first in my life and in my heart.
Always have been.
My dad is in an unmarked grave.
What the hell is wrong with my family?
If you want to finally step up and organise Dad's headstone,
be my guest.
Oh!
Hey!
Help!
(PHONE BUZZES)
"Help. Duck in grace."
It's a drunk text, man. Classic.
So what exactly happened at this party?
Ed had a fight with Tommy
and he crash tackled him, over a pig.
Oh, yeah, OK. That happens. Yeah.
What's with all the crosses?
What if 'grace' is 'grave'?
And what's 'duck'?
Don't say it.
Stuck?
Shit.
It's along here!
He's not here.
Where is he? It's OK, we'll find him.
Um, guys?
Shit.
Ed?!
(SCREAMS)
Went too far. Hi. Ambulance, I think?
It's OK. It's OK.
Ed? Ed?
Hey.
Ed. (EARS RINGING)
Ed?
(MUFFLED SPEECH)
Ed, mate, it's Simon.
(SCREAMS)
Oh.
Oh, it's not as bad as it looks.
Oh, so you weren't pushed into a grave?
I never said pushed. I fell.
What, someone just threw dirt on you?
OK, look, yeah, I panicked, and that's why I sent the text.
But once I fell asleep, I was fine.
You could have been buried alive. Worst nightmare.
Did you see who did it? Uh-uh.
Maybe it was more than one person.
OK, so now we're up against some card gang?
Yeah, but look!
Three new clues.
This is exciting.
Ed, you could have died.
But I didn't!
You got buried alive.
Guys, this is not even the most dangerous thing
that's happened, OK?
It's not like that time when they gave me a gun.
When? What?
They? So this is a gang?
Edgar Street.
You shot Dale?! I...
I didn't shoot him. I gave him a scare, so...
God, this is crazy.
Shit. Yeah, listen to me, man.
You have to quit.
I can't do that.
No.
Don't you get it?
I have finally found my purpose.
This is who I'm meant to be.
I am The Messenger.
The Messenger?
You've been hanging out with that priest so much
you've caught yourself a God complex.
Here's a message.
How about don't go to a creepy-arse cemetery
in the middle of the night and fall in a grave, man!
Mum, what is it?
Alright, alright, OK. I'm coming.
Is everything alright?
Mum needs me.
Says it's urgent.
Yeah, this is where I fold, too.
Oh.
Mum?
Mum! Audrey! Audrey!
What? Where's Mum?
Sorry about the dramatics. We couldn't wait.
We just had to open it.
Uni! Oh, my God, this is so great!
Yes. Yes, it is.
I'm gonna miss you!
Oh. We really will.
I'm just so proud of you.
Thanks, Mum. My little baby.
You're gonna do it.
Do it again.
Like that. (LAUGHS)
How did you...?
It takes practice.
I know it's weird, but I really was OK in that grave.
I believe you.
I could have got out, but it was weirdly calming.
It was making me see things clearly
for, like, the first time in my life.
Like what things?
Oh, like, who I am, or who I'm supposed to be.
I don't know, I feel like I'm finally doing something
with my life.
Something that matters.
I don't know, everything just made sense in there.
It was comforting to know I'd fallen,
and I could fall no further.
What?
It's from The Bell Jar.
Sylvia Plath.
Oh, these are authors! Uh-huh.
Come on.
Don't even know what I'm looking for.
This is gonna take forever.
Well, lucky you have a kind and generous friend
who happens to need reading material
for her Centrelink appointment this arvo.
The queues are long, but they're not that long.
This'll do.
Thanks, Ed.
OK.
Let's throw on something nice. I'm taking us out.
You don't have to do that.
I know, but I want to.
It's nice to have something to celebrate.
I'm not sure I want to go.
To lunch? To uni.
Why?
Do you know what I got for my first assessment?
A credit. A credit. Sounds good.
No, Mum, a credit is one better than a pass.
It's profoundly average. So? It's just one assignment.
You were the dux of your school...
Yes, in Moledale, Mum!
Whoo-hoo. And it's not just one assessment.
It's everything. It's... I couldn't even pick a course.
I picked two, Arts and Law, because I couldn't decide.
And I can't work that out, so what hope have I got?
Bullshit. You chose two things that you love.
Changing the world and the arts.
You knew exactly what you were doing.
All you've got to do is go out there and do it.
It's not like here.
I'm a nobody there.
So, you'll be a nobody for a little while
and then you'll figure it out.
You can have the whole world, or you can have Moledale.
What on earth would keep you here?
(WAS THERE ANYTHING I COULD DO? BY THE GO-BETWEENS PLAYS)
♪ She comes home and she's happy
♪ She comes home and she's blue... ♪
Keen reader, eh?
Oh, something like that. Sorry.
♪ Was there anything
♪ I could do
♪ Was there anything
♪ I could do... ♪
Oh!
(LAUGHS)
Yes! OK.
(PHONE BUZZES)
Anything? Yep.
A spade symbol, a small one, next to one of the page numbers.
Is that it?
Ritchie, just check the bloody book.
There's nothing, sorry.
Are you sure?
Maybe... Do you think the page numbers add up to anything?
What, like a birthday?
Or a phone number.
Depends on that last spade.
Oh, it must be that one book I couldn't find in the library.
Oh. OK, goodnight.
Two years?!
Shh.
How does someone get away with keeping a book for two years?
Evidently not everyone respects their local library.
Ritchie, if we don't find this spade, then...
It's all good. (SLURPS)
I got this.
Um, excuse me.
Spillage.
Where? Travel.
It's bright pink. You can't miss it.
Sorry.
OK, now what?
By the looks of the package, no-one's home.
Ritchie.
Ritchie, wait. Let me think!
Uhh...
Ritchie!
(LAUGHS)
Ritchie, you can't do... What are you...
Well, I have, so keep watch?
Oh, my God.
Ritchie!
Damn!
Ritchie, answer me, please.
Forget it. We're done. We're done.
Yes!
Oh, yes.
No, you... Close the window!
Come one! I got it, by the way.
Whoo! (LAUGHS)
(BOTH LAUGH) I can't believe you did that!
That was insane!
And so good!
Ha-ha! Here it is!
YEAH! (SCREAMS)
OK.
Um, OK, so the numbers together are 114, 39 and...
And 23.
OK.
Yeah, that doesn't mean anything to me.
No. No.
Stop!
These street names.
Surely it's not that easy.
I think it might be, though.
OK. So I'm gonna look it up.
OK, we'll start with The Bell Jar.
39 Bell Street is an old cinema.
OK, 114 Glory Road is residential.
And then 23 Clown Street is a restaurant.
Melusso's. (LAUGHS) That easy.
We did it. You did it!
Oh, my God. You did it, Ritchie.
Oh, my God. Yeah, we did it. We did it, we did it, we did it.
Go, Ritchie. Go, Ritchie.
Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!
(SIREN WHOOPS) Ohh.
Ah. Keep cool.
Ed Kennedy.
We meet again.
And I'm guessing you know why.
Ha... It was my fault.
I made him do it.
Oh, great. You can help him clean it up, then.
Main Street?
You know, a bit of decorating?
Oh, yeah. Oh.
Oh. Well, that's all you.
See ya, Ed.
I've got some returns to do.
Maybe Audrey could help you.
So I got my re-enrolment letter yesterday.
For uni.
Oh, that's great!
Yeah.
Yeah. It's great, isn't it?
I mean, it's about time. You've been back for ages now, so.
Tell me about it.
Real world, here I come.
Is, um... Is Simon going?
Um, what?
Simon?
Yeah, I don't know.
Does he not know?
No, it's just... Well, it's pretty on and off again.
We only just got back together, so...
You... You broke... You broke up again?
When did you break up? Mm-hm.
Ah... I don't know.
Days, they're all the same, aren't they?
Hang on, was that at the church thing?
Ah, maybe.
Was that at my party? Does it matter?
Just do the damn posters, would you?
Do you want to come scope out some card stuff after this?
No. Thanks, but I have a life.
Hello? Excuse me?
Oh. Ah, hi.
You're here for the next session.
Cool Hand Luke, perhaps?
Sorry, what? Um...
No, no, no, I was just... Sorry, a woman just came in here.
Sort of... Kind of creepy looking? Really creepy looking.
Did you... Afraid not.
It's just me.
It's always just me.
I'm Bernie, by the way.
Right.
Hi, Bernie. Um, I'm Ed.
So no-one came in here?
No-one in the toilets, maybe?
You don't think I'd notice?
Why don't you stay for a movie?
There's sure to be something you like.
I have a huge catalogue dating right back.
Anything you want.
Maybe bring a date. Oh.
Do you have a girl?
Or a boy?
Or an other?
Well, no.
And no.
And no?
Oh.
Why not?
Oh, you know, it's complicated.
Is it? Mm.
Sometimes things aren't as hard as you think.
KID: I'll get it.
Hey! What the hell are you doing?
Are you spying on my kids?
No. No, sir... Well, what are you doing, then?
I, um...
I, ah...
I used to live in this house.
You what?
My dad died recently and I like to come here
just to think about him, and remember.
Oh.
Sorry about your dad.
You, ah, you want to come inside and have a look?
Yeah.
Yeah, welcome to our home.
Has it changed much?
Oh, yeah, yeah. Ah, a lot.
Oh, I'm Henry, by the way. Henry Tan.
Ed Kennedy. G'day, Ed.
We never really did much for Christmas.
Yeah? Oh, we're suckers for it.
But this year, yeah, we won't be able to do as much
as we'd like.
Come and see what we've done with the kitchen.
Rahh! Oh!
Oh, bloody shit! Rahh!
You little monkeys, you! Sorry, I...
You got me a good one. Yeah!
(LAUGHS)
We got you good that time. We gotcha.
You gonna stay for dinner, Ed?
What do you think, kids? Yeah? Yeah!
See, Ed? You're staying for dinner.
Eat up, eat up.
When did you live here, Ed?
Um...
Oh, it was ages now.
Years ago.
Mm.
When my dad was still alive,
and he and my mum were still together.
Oh. OK.
Yeah.
How'd your dad die?
Isa.
I'm sorry. No, it's OK.
Um, no, it's a nice story, actually.
Ah, so he worked for a removalist company
and his workmates sort of noticed that he wasn't around
and, uh...
...got... got a phone call.
Rushed over.
Opened the back of the truck.
Saw him there.
He was sort of just still, sitting on a couch.
And I put my head on his shoulder.
And it was sort of like he was asleep.
And... the doctor said it was quick.
Um, that his liver had just sort... sort of just conked out.
Sorry.
Here.
Thank you.
Your family is just...
Ah, you're... you're welcome.
Come round anytime, yeah?
Come on, monkeys.
I bags this side!
Hey, hold up.
I don't know, I got some pretty clear signals.
They can't afford good Christmas lights,
but they love Christmas, so...
Yeah, you know what else people love?
Cash, mate. Cold hard cash, alright?
Yeah. Not this family.
What would I know? I'm not a Messenger.
Thanks for doing this.
What was I supposed to do? Leave you to do it by yourself?
My old man can't even fix a leaky tap without my help.
Hey, how about card night this week,
we do some official Sledge Match planning?
For real? Mm.
OK. Ah, switch it on?
Family are gonna love this.
Bring this.
Hey, looks good.
Yo!
Yeah, I'm on my way back now.
Yeah, yeah. What? No, it's not my turn to shout lunch.
Hey, these guys reckon I'm late, man.
Want me to shout again!
9, 10, 11.
11 inches.
Where's the extra inch, Marv?
I knew it. He's ripped us off again.
At least it's better than those home-brand freezer pies
like last time.
You don't need these carbs. I'm doing you all a favour, right?
Hey, you are the tightest person... (ALL TALK AT ONCE)
OK, OK.
Hey, hey, hey, hey!
Pipe down the lot of you, OK?
Back to lunch.
Go.
You know they only do this to get a rise out of you, eh?
So why would you cut down a sub?
Don't we pay you enough?
No, Dad, you pay me well. I'm just being careful.
Hey, you got the other stepladder?
Yeah, it's in my car.
OK, cool.
Hey, eat.
What's all this for?
Ah...
Sledge.
Sledge, yeah. Um...
I thought I'd do my own personal donation this year
on top of the charity drive, just for the... kids.
Oh, my boy.
You know, before the very first sledge match,
we did something like this.
Me and all the boys who were working on the site back then.
Really? Yeah.
Your Uncle Noa had just died,
and we were desperate to feel useful,
so we gathered up all the town's old jigsaws and board games
and handed out to the kiddies who'd lost a parent,
'cause of that damn asbestos.
Well, how'd you get to that from sledge?
Well, insulting each other seemed a more appropriate tribute to Noa.
Yeah.
Clearly, you and I think alike.
Good job, son. Good job.
Hey, why don't I take this down to the charity office now for you?
OK. Ah...
To me.
Ah...
Come on. Come on, baby. You can do it.
Get up, get up, get up, get up.
Go, go, go, go.
Ah, shit!
Hey! What?
Machine's busted!
OK. OK, get it together.
WOMAN: I'll just put this shopping away.
Do you want a cuppa? I'll put the kettle on.
(LOUD CLATTER)
Darl.
What's up?
Oh.
Jesus, Ritch. You know they could have called the cops?
Or they could have pressed charges.
So thank God they were nice people.
And returning the book?
One they probably hadn't even noticed was gone?
I mean...
God, they're not even your stupid cards!
What were you thinking?
This is so not like you.
It was just good to have something to do.
I'm not like you, heading to uni, having a life.
I told you, I haven't decided yet.
Anyway, you have a life.
Yeah, yesterday I spent two hours at Centrelink.
Whoo-hoo. You're better than this.
You could go to uni. You're just as smart as I am.
I'm smarter, actually.
Then come with me. To uni.
It's not that easy for me. Why not?
You know why.
I'm the town freak, remember?
I'm the local psycho stabby girl.
Do it.
Why, Ritchie? Why did you attack her?
I dare you, do it.
Go on, do it.
Ritchie, if that's how you see yourself,
that's all you'll ever be.
Thank you so much, Oprah.
Oh, Ritchie.
You know it's not easy for anyone.
You could do anything. I...
You could.
AUDREY: You've called Audrey. Leave a message.
I know you're not a fan of the cards, but, um...
I dunno it could be fun.
No-one's ever there so it'd be like our own private movie date.
Not a date, but you know, this card thing.
Ah, shit.
Shit.
Hey, you!
Stones of Home, right?
Sorry, I think you've got the wrong person.
Who sent you that day? And how did you know where to take me?
Mate, I already told ya, I don't know what you're on about.
Hey, and the cinema?
Yeah, why were you at the cinema?
Tell me, who is behind this?
Huh? Is it a gang?
Oh!
Mums are important.
Oh.
She hid it from me!
Deliberately. God!
Some things are hard to admit out loud.
Yeah, which means she knew it was wrong.
Oh, bet it's been happening for ages.
Probably when she and Dad were still together.
Oh, what?
Well, your dad, he wasn't exactly a saint.
Oh, well, they... they were married. They loved each other once.
Yes, and sometimes love is complicated.
You can love someone,
but if they don't give you what you need
and if they're not on the same path...
...maybe you have to find someone who can.
What are you talking about?
Gregor. And Bev.
(KNOCK AT DOOR) Ed Kennedy.
What the hell?
Think it's my new friend.
(KNOCK AT DOOR)
Oh, so this is a card-related friend?
Mm-hm.
And you thought what this particular family was missing
was Christmas?
Yes, they love Christmas, they said.
Oh, and do they like white boys telling them how to celebrate it?
Ahh. Jesus.
Do you think we should call the police?
Oh, yeah, call Hal.
Call my mum too while you're at it. Oh, get over yourself.
You two.
Out.
Sorry, Henry, what are we doing?
Ed!
Ed, should we run?
OK. Now!
(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYS)
Over here! This one's my favourite!
What do you think?
This... This is incredible.
Amazing.
I've never seen so many lights.
Um, was the string that I put up... was that in the way?
Are you kidding?
That's pride of place.
We wanted to pay tribute.
It all came from your design.
OK!
You never lived here, did you?
(KIDS LAUGH)
Ooh. (LAUGHS)
Come to the movies with me.
The not date? Mm.
Now?
The Sentimental Bloke is Australia's finest
and best-known silent movie.
Filmed in 1918, in Woolloomooloo.
I love this guy. I know, right?
So sit back, relax, because you're in for a treat.
When's the last time you reckon he had an audience?
About the same time this movie was made.
(LAUGHS)
(PIANO MUSIC PLAYS) Whoo!
Should we ask him to join us?
Oh, wait till I find my lightsaber!
You've got me! I feel like a pin cushion!
Oh, you've skewered me like a shish-kebab!
(ALL LAUGH)
(LAUGHS)
Kiss me! No, really! Kiss me!
You've dislodged my falsies!
Oh, kiss me like a man! Kiss me like a woman!
Like a man kissing a woman who wants to kiss another woman
while thinking about a man.
(ALL LAUGH)
Oh, my God.
Oh, he was so serious.
Oh, my God, I can't believe he gave us both double free passes.
I know. He was so rapt.
Actually...
Oh-ho!
A tick. We did it.
Yeah, we sure did.
Still nothing for the Christmas lights, though.
Oh, I mean sometimes there's a bit of a delay, so...
Come with me.
What?
Where?
To uni.
To the city.
Wait, are you serious?
Yes. (LAUGHS)
I mean, what would I do there? Who cares? We'll work it out.
You're my best friend, Ed.
The first in my life and my heart.
Wait, what'd you just say?
What?
That thing you just said. That first thing thing.
Nothing, it just popped into my head.
Oh, you read it?
Read what? The letter.
Ed, I have no idea what you're talking...
Don't lie to me.
Oh, not you too.
I don't need this.
(MELANCHOLY MUSIC PLAYS)
Yeah, I knew it! Doorman.
Yeah, she read it.
She's been lying this whole time.
Just like Mum.
No more lies.
Are you trying to get me drunk?
Oh. (LAUGHS)
Might be? No, no...
What the hell is this?
Oh, hello, Ed.
Ah, this is a surprise.
Ed, this is Hal.
Hal, Ed. Uh-huh.
What are you doing? What does it look like?
I'm introducing you.
Yeah, we don't need introducing. We know each other.
You know that we know each other.
How long has this been going on?
I was waiting for the right moment to...
How long?
Go home, Ed.
Were you fucking him when you were with Dad?
Hey, Ed... Oh, stay out of this.
How dare you! You go home now.
Is this man disturbing you? No, no.
No, Ed was just leaving.
Weren't you, Ed?
Yeah, glad to.
(KNOCKS AT DOOR) Milla. Milla!
Jimmy, are you alright? It's so late.
Sorry. Sorry, I woke you, but... so many people lie.
OK? They lie all the time, like it's nothing.
I... I'm not gonna do that, OK?
Not to you.
I love and respect you, so I'm going to tell you the truth.
Jimmy... I'm married.
Me. Jimmy. I have a wife.
And a family. Yes, I know.
What?
Well, Milla, you can't keep seeing me.
It's not right.
I'm a cad.
Well, maybe I'm a cad too.
We met before the war.
And it was magic then.
It really was.
But you were sent away.
We wrote letters and then they stopped.
We lost each other.
And when we found each other again, much, much later,
you were married and had three beautiful children.
But that magic between us...
...that was still there.
That feeling, Jimmy, was always enough for me.
Oh, Milla.
You deserved so much more.
Who are you to say what I deserve?
You have given me the most precious gift, Ed.
The chance to have that magic feeling all over again.
Why would you take that away?
Ed?
But I'm Jimmy.
Oh.
Jimmy...
Jimmy!
(DOOR OPENS, KEYS JINGLE, DOOR SLAMS)
What the hell was that?
How dare you!
Oh, sorry, did I ruin your night? Did I kill your vibe?
You will not make me feel bad for this.
I've done nothing wrong.
I have needs. Ohh!
I deserve to be happy!
Yeah, well, you can keep telling yourself that.
The only thing I didn't do was tell you.
You know what? There were others.
When I was with your dad.
You remember how he treated me.
God, you wouldn't expect me to stay faithful to that.
Why... why do you hate us so much?
What?
Dad and me.
You're always so nice to Tommy.
But look, he's gone!
I am the one who stuck around.
Who's here.
That's just it, Ed.
You're here, but you're lost.
Driving that cab, playing cards.
You're wasting your life!
You're just like him!
He always promised we'd make a big, beautiful,
rich life for ourselves here,
and I believed him,
because when he was good, he was beautiful.
And smart.
And full of wonder, just like you are.
And he pissed it all away. That's not... That's not true...
You're as good as any of them, Ed.
As good as Tommy, even.
I just don't want you to waste the one life you've got.
Believe it or not, it takes a lot of love to hate you like this.
Come on. Come on, come on, come on, come on.
ED: It was weirdly calming.
It was making me see things clearly
for, like, the first time in my life.
Come on, come on, come on, come on.
(HEART BEATING, HYMN PLAYS)
MAN: Oi!
What do you think you're doing?
I was just...
I am... I am so sorry.
You freak.
Who the hell gets into an open grave?
Get out of here!
OK, so what else don't I know, hmm?
What's going on with everyone?
Come on.
Come on, out with it.
OK, then, I'll start.
Um, my mum is screwing Hal.
Milla's actually a mistress. Yeah, not the wronged old nice lady.
And Audrey's going to uni.
And likes to read.
This is bullshit. OK.
No, who do you think you are, judging everyone?
Can we just drop this and talk about sledge?
I just want to know what's going on.
Why can't everyone just like say it like it is?
Oh? Huh? All cards on the table?
I'll say it like it is. You said that we'd talk sledge.
You promised, man!
Jesus, you are so lost in being The Messenger
you can't even see what it's doing to your friends.
I'm sorry, what are you on about?
Alright, you promised Marv we'd talk about sledge, but no,
we're here talking about you, again.
And Ritchie!
Do you know she got caught breaking into that house for you?
I'm right here... To return your stupid clown book?
Yeah, and she got her drivers' license.
Do I get to...
I thought she already knew how to drive.
She drives my car... Just ignore the break-in.
She only got it legal now because of my driving lessons.
Sorry!
Is driving our new euphemism for sex?
Because I thought we'd settled on "darts" for that.
I'm... I'm sorry, you two...
With each other?
And have any of you noticed that you all talk about me
like I'm not even here?!
You and Marv are not supposed...
Oh! So now you wanna talk to me?
OK, why not, Ed?
Why not sleep with your friends?
Because there are rules. Yeah, I thought that too, OK?
But it was chill. So just chill, man.
Friends don't fuck friends!
Off to Simon's?
You know what I said before, about coming to the city with me?
Forget about it. Oh, already forgotten.
Yeah. I don't know what I was thinking.
I don't need you. Awesome, because I don't wanna go.
Great! So it's settled, then.
I'm so... I'm so sorry.
Don't be.
ED: I've finally found my purpose.
I am The Messenger.
Oh-ho! A tick.
AUDREY: We did it.
Yeah, we sure did.
Still nothing for the Christmas lights, though.
What's there to say, Ed? Hey, wait, wait!
Hey, I can't not talk about this.
Or what? You're gonna hate-kiss me again?
He's not real, OK? That Santa's a big fake.
Santa isn't real?
Look, Suzanne... Just go. We're done.
Don't come back!
Ritchie!
I don't want to be a Messenger anymore!
What's this?
Captions by Red Bee Media
Copyright Australian Broadcasting Corporation