Wentworth season 7 went heavy on the revenge themes. Prisoners went through all sorts of schemes and problems in search of revenge. All it got them was a lot of trouble. This review is almost spoiler free.
The other theme in season 7 was protecting loved ones. Whether that protection went to real family, prison family, or romantic attachments, it often clashed with someone else’s desire to exact revenge.
In overall terms, I thought the season veered too far into soapy territory with improbable plot twists. Or plot twists you could see coming a mile away. Some of my favorite characters died in season 7. I was sorry to see them go. It ended with an exciting double episode thrill ride with danger, suspense, tension, and a baby.
Of the prisoners we started out with in the earliest seasons of Wentworth, only Liz (Celia Ireland), Kaz (Tammy Macintosh), Allie (Kate Jenkinson), and Boomer (Katrina Milosevic) are still around to take us into season 7.
Franky (Nicole da Silva) showed up for a brief visit this season. She always makes we wish Bea could stop in for a visit, too. Yes, I’m still crying over Bea.
Lots of new folks have cycled into the prison. Big players in season 7 included Rita Connors (Leah Purcell) and Ruby Mitchell (Rarriwuy Hick). They are sisters. Their story began in season 6 and will continue into season 8, which has already been promised.
We meet Boomer’s mom (Anni Finsterer) this season. What a horrible woman. So many characters in this series are extremely unlikable. However, ya gotta give the actors credit for knocking it out of the park with these parts. Artemis Ioannides as Kosta is another who deserves a mention for being particularly good at being bad.
The baddest of them all? Marie Winter. Marie (Susie Porter) replaced everyone’s favorite previous evil bitch as the current evil bitch. She manipulated Allie and Will Jackson (Robbie Magasiva). Marie and Allie conducted a very unconvincing romance this season. Neither of them were into it for a good reason and it showed. Maybe because Marie had someone else she used for sex as well.
Marie got herself elected top dog. She wanted to avenge her son’s death and took action against several people for it – except they weren’t the right people.
The question of who the greatest evil bitch of all time is got thrown open in the last couple of seconds of the season. Who knows what that will mean in 2020? Two evil bitches?
Will Jackson took on the job of Governor this season because Vera Bennett (Kate Atkinson) was pregnant. Even pregnant, it seemed like she was around all the time.
Jake Stewart (Bernard Curry) turned himself into one of the good guys with fatherhood looming in his future. He became such a sweetheart he taught Liz how to tango!
Linda Miles (Jacqueline Brennan) still let her gambling habit lead her into trouble. But she helped Vera when she needed it.
Sean Brody (Rick Donald) took over Stewart’s role as corrupt guard. He caused mayhem everywhere. He was in cahoots with Marie. Those two had a very interesting connection on the outside.
A new psychiatrist, Dr. Miller (David de Lautour) came into the prison with ideas to help Boomer and an experimental drug that might help Liz with her dementia. Dr. Miller was an interesting character. Smart and full of good ideas but also prone to breaking the rules to promote his own agenda.
There were two women listed among the season 7 directors: Fiona Banks and Beck Cole.
Odds and Ends
I was delighted to see Geraldine Hakewill show up in episode 1 as a meth head. She was only in the one episode. She was terrific!
I’m tired of watching people’s feet as they walk around the prison. It’s such a part of the series I don’t suppose it will stop merely because I’m losing patience with it, but still, I’m tired of it.
On the other hand, I still like the way they transition from night to day by showing the lights in the yard suddenly switching off. And I like the technique of swooshing in on people. It compresses a few seconds and adds tension. I’m sure this trick has a name, but I don’t know what to call it.
The music choices this season were especially good.
Wentworth season 7 trailer
This trailer doesn’t tell you much about season 7, but here it is. The trailer is right about one thing – Wentworth is a lot more brutal and dangerous than Orange is the New Black.
Have you watched season 7 of Wentworth? What did you think of it?
Whoa! Yep, Got a crick in my neck from all the twists and turns. It’t the deep acting that keeps me binge watching, especially one of my all-time faves—Pamela Rabe. It’s also a joy to hear Aussie accents, after living in Sydney for two years. No spoilers here, although you and I know that the last few seconds point to a roller coaster ride in Season Eight. Can’t wait!
That’s a good way to describe what may be coming next year.
Does anyone know when season 8 will be available?
Looks like in the spring of 2020 in Australia and late in 2020 for Netflix.
The final two episodes of Season 7 are the most tense and dramatic in the whole series, and the series could well have ended here, withe th birth of a new life, and many loose ends tied up.
Season 8 will introduce a whole slew of new characters and situations, however time will tell whether they will have the same compelling interest for the viewer as all those who have passed on or out of the daily life of Wentworth.
Waiting eagerly for season 8 to get to the US