Love Child Season 1 Episodes
Season 1 Episode Guide
Episode 1 - Series 1: Episode 1It's 1969. Defiant country girl, Viv Maguire, wakes to find she's been drugged by her parents and sent to the city to hide her pregnancy at Stanton house - a home for unwed mothers in Sydney's Kings Cross. On the same day, Joan Miller, 28, steps off the plane from London and commences work as a midwife at the adjoining hospital - Kings Cross General. Joan is nursing a broken heart and hiding a few secrets of her own. When Joan is called to assess Vic's pregnancy she comes into conflict with the Head of the Obstetrics, Dr. Patrick McNaughton. He's more than a little intrigued by Joan, and attracted. Meanwhile, Viv encounters Shirley, a mystery woman who has admitted herself to Stanton House. She's older than the other Stanton House girls and has a lover in Kings Cross.
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Episode 2 - Series 1: Episode 2Astronauts are about to walk on the moon and Viv is determined to see this grand event on television. She steals a portable TV and is arrested. Joan uses her acquaintance with an old flame, Phillip (criminal lawyer), to secure Viv's release. Phillip wants to restart his relationship with Joan but her head has been turned by Dr. Patrick McNaughton. When Shirley's in-laws arrive unexpectedly, the need to hide her illicit pregnancy leads her to wear a too-small corset to a lunch meeting. In doing so she faints, taking a fall that sees her end up in hospital. Shirley's affair with Johnny - her lover - is almost exposed. Annie returns to her home in Newcastle after giving her baby up for adoption but cannot fit back into the world she left behind. Yearning for her lost child, Annie turns her back on her family and sets out to get her baby back as Neil Armstrong walks on the moon. And anything seems possible.
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Episode 3 - Episode 3When Annie’s denied a straightforward revocation of her adoption by the Hospital’s Social Worker, Joan becomes committed to see Annie’s baby returned to her- risking her job in looking for evidence of the baby’s whereabouts. Sidelined, Joan is forced to rally the Stanton House girls to help Annie in her quest to get her baby back and prove she is a fit mother. Meanwhile, Joan’s actions bring the hospital Matron and Dr. McNaughton- co- conspirators in the baby’s private adoption- into conflict. Patricia’s society doyenne mother, Belinda, pays an unexpected visit and is dismayed by the conditions at Stanton House. She gives Patricia the opportunity to leave Stanton House but her offer has a hidden catch. Just as it seems that Annie may have her child returned to her, Matron drops a bombshell.
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Episode 4 - Series 1: Episode 4Viv's enlisted older brother Bernie arrives in Kings cross on R&R leave from Vietnam. After Viv tracks him down with Joan's help, Bernie is shocked to find his little sister pregnant. When he leans that Viv is being pressured to give up her baby for adoption he offers her an escape - he offers to go awol and take Viv with him. Meanwhile, as the girls plan a clandestine cocktail part, Martha's former employer, Mr. Wilder, tracks her down and threatens to charge her with theft. His relentless pursuit of Martha leads the girls and Matron to learn that Martha's baby is the product of her rape by...
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Episode 6 - Episode 6All of Shirley’s plans unravel when she receives news that her husband, Colin, has been injured in Vietnam and has been flown home. With a sick. Premature baby in hospital, Shirley has to face up to her past as Johnny desperately tries to prove himself as a father, doing all he can for his baby son and Shirley. Viv urges Martha to visit the address in her welfare file that appears to be the last contact for her lost family. Asking Patricia to provide cover, they make a half-day trip to Parramatta to a house that awakens old memories. Annie’s success as a performer at the Blue Moon attracts the attention of Rick Allen, who wants to recruit her as his back-up singer. But as Annie starts taking steps forward, Joan becomes convinced that the Matron lied and Annie’s baby is still alive.
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Episode 6 - Series 1: Episode 6All of Shirley's plans unravel when she receives news that her husband, Colin, has been injured in Vietnam and has been flown home. With a sick, premature baby in hospital, Shirley has to face up to her past as Johnny desperately tries to prove himself as a father, doing all he can for his baby son and Shirley. Viv urges Martha to visit the address in her welfare file that appears to be the last contact for her lost family. Asking Patricia to provide cover, they make a half-day trip to Parramatta to a house that awakens old memories. Annie's success as a performer at the Blue Moon attracts the attention of Rick Allen, who wants to recruit her as his back-up singer. But as Annie starts taking steps forward, Joan becomes convinced that the Matron lied and Annie's baby is still alive.
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Episode 7 - Episode 7On the day of the Melbourne Cup, Viv trails Matron on one of her secretive excursions and finds that she is involved with a young SP bookie, Chris. Viv accepts a role from Chris to take bets from the hospital staff. But when Chris is arrested by the Police and the race favourite is scratched, Viv has a lot of money to return. Pressure building, Viv turns to Matron, the only person who can help. In doing so, she uncovers a secret Matron has kept for years- Chris is her son. Martha’s anxiety increases as her delivery approaches. She’s fearful of experiencing the trauma Annie went through. Martha begs to bend the rules so she can see her child before giving it up for adoption. Shirley and Johnny are given debilitating news that their baby Ben will require a major operation.
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Episode 9 - Series 2: Episode 1It's the eve of 1970, the dawn of a new decade, and Joan Millar (Jessica Marais) is now a qualified doctor at Kings Cross Hospital. She's working hard to prove herself, but the appearance of a mysterious pregnant girl and the return of Dr. Patrick McNaughton (Jonathan LaPaglia) threaten to throw her career off track.
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Episode 10 - Series 2: Episode 2After the death of the mystery girl (Gail) in Episode 1, Joan (Jessica Marais) is doubting her abilities as a doctor. This doubt is compounded when Viv (Sophie Hensser), who is already frightened and wary of her mother, goes into labour and rejects Joan, asking for another doctor to attend her baby's birth. Viv finds an unlikely source of support in Matron (Mandy McElhinney) as her labour drags on through the night. Shirley (Ella Scott Lynch) refuses to allow herself a moment to mourn when she receives some shattering news.
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Episode 11 - Series 2: Episode 3Driven by the guilt she feels over Gail's death, Joan (Jessica Marais) gets a step closer to finding a family for Gail's orphaned baby. On the cusp of giving birth, Patty (Harriet Dyer) receives some heartbreaking news. Matron (Mandy McElhinney) welcomes back someone from her past while Shirley (Ella Scott Lynch) struggles with a goodbye.
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Episode 12 - Series 2: Episode 4The time has finally come for Patty (Harriet Dyer) and Viv (Sophie Hensser) to leave Stanton House, but their futures could hardly appear more different. Shirley (Ella Scott Lynch) is tempted by an offer from McNaughton (Jonathan LaPaglia) and Joan (Jessica Marais) finds herself suddenly negotiating with both the father and grandfather of baby James.
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Episode 14 - Series 2: Episode 6Joan (Jessica Marais) puts the welfare of baby James ahead of her career and agrees to marry Jim (Matt Le Nevez) in an effort to keep the infant from his violent grandfather. Viv (Sophie Hensser) is tempted by the idea of a fresh start, and Matron (Mandy McElhinney) makes a deal in an attempt to stop the closure of Stanton House.
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Episode 18 - Series 3: Episode 2Shirley (Ella Scott Lynch) fights to keep her job at the Blue Moon as Maggie (Tiarnie Coupland) learns the truth of their relationship. Joan (Jessica Marais) uncovers McNaughton’s (Jonathan LaPaglia) part in Greg Mathieson’s death, and Viv (Sophie Hensser) loses her twins all over again. Still reeling after discovering Maggie (Tiarnie Coupland) is her daughter, Shirley (Ella Scott Lynch) is dealt another blow when the new owner of the Blue Moon, Leon (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor), gives her an ultimatum -- triple the week’s takings or lose your job. Determined to succeed, Shirley capitalises on the U.S. soldiers flooding into the Cross, with a 24-hour 'Groove Train’ gala. Amidst the preparations, she makes an uncomfortable visit to Tarramar Girls Home to return Maggie’s letter - leaving the girl suspicious of her motives. In a risky move, Viv (Sophie Hensser) befriends her twins’ adoptive mother Faye (Jessica Donoghue), but when one of the twins is rushed to hospital, Matron (Mandy McElhinney) connects the dots. Viv is taken to task for making contact with her babies and their adoptive mother, but it’s nothing compared to the painful news she later receives - the twins are moving overseas permanently. Meanwhile, Joan (Jessica Marais) is furious with McNaughton (Jonathan LaPaglia) when she discovers he witnessed Greg Mathieson’s death (at the end of Season 2) and did nothing to save him. Joan suspects the sudden appearance of a pro bono lawyer who gets Jim (Matthew Le Nevez) out on bail is McNaughton’s way of assuaging his guilt. Chris (Lincoln Younes) wants to prove himself to Annie (Gracie Gilbert), but a lowly job at the hospital isn’t appealing. He bolts, leaving behind a wad of cash and no word on when he’ll be back. A severe bout of morning sickness makes Annie too ill to perform, and she unexpectedly bails on the 'Groove Train’ gig. Shirley heads to the Oasis to look for Annie but instead finds Maggie, who has escaped from Tarramar to confront Shirley about being her mother. Shirley admits the truth but says she can’t be the mother Maggie needs. The situation intensifies when Maggie discovers Shirley had another child, Ben, and kept him. Irate and betrayed, Maggie runs, leaving Shirley shaken.
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Episode 19 - Series 3: Episode 3Whilst being blackmailed by McNaughton’s (Jonathan LaPaglia) estranged wife, Joan (Jessica Marais) rescues Maggie (Tiarnie Coupland) and other abused girls from Tarramar by agreeing to help Matron (Mandy McElhinney) reopen Stanton House. Eva (Maya Stange) surprises her estranged husband McNaughton (Jonathan LaPaglia) with an ultimatum; she wants his help with a new fertility treatment so she can have another child, or else she will publicly name Joan (Jessica Marais) in their divorce proceedings. McNaughton is unmoving, refusing to administer experimental drugs. McNaughton informs Joan of Eva’s plan, forcing Joan to admit to Jim (Matthew Le Nevez) that she once had an affair with McNaughton. More pressing problems arise when Joan discovers that Maggie (Tiarnie Coupland) (and other young girls) are being sexually abused at Tarramar Girls Home. Desperate to get the girls to safety, Joan makes an unsavoury deal with Matron (Mandy McElhinney) - only by reopening Stanton House will Maggie and the other pregnant girls have somewhere safe to go. As Matron convinces Norman (Richard Healy) to release the girls, Joan must persuade the retiring (and recalcitrant) Chairman of the Hospital Board to give Stanton House his blessing. At his retirement party, Joan puts on a charm offensive that succeeds -- Stanton House will reopen. Meanwhile, in defending Martha (Miranda Tapsell) against a racist slight, Bowditch (Andrew Ryan) gallantly pushes the inebriated Chairman into the pool, convincing Martha to propose to him in the process. When Joan and Matron turn up to collect the girls from Tarramar, Norman has hidden Maggie. With Cynthia’s (Lauren Esposito) help they find her, and not before time -- as in desperation, Maggie has swallowed bleach and is convulsing on the dormitory floor. As Maggie recovers in hospital, Joan is unexpectedly approached by Eva directly. Eva suggests she will not make good her threat if Joan administers the fertility drugs she wants.
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Episode 20 - Series 3: Episode 4As Joan (Jessica Marias) struggles to admit her infertility to Jim (Matthew Le Nevez), Annie (Gracie Gilbert) faces the death of her father (David Whitney), but not before he encourages her to go to Vietnam as an entertainer. Annie (Gracie Gilbert) is filled with excitement about her chance to sing for the troops in Vietnam but a surprise visit from her mother, Eleanor (Helen Thomson), brings bad news; her father is on his deathbed and he wants to see her one last time. Back in Newcastle, Annie introduces her family to Deanna, the baby they’d thought she’d given up. Tension mounts when Chris (Lincoln Younes) shows up, wanting to marry Annie and confirming Eleanor’s suspicions that baby number two is on the way. Annie’s father dies, but not before he urges Annie to go ahead with her trip to Vietnam… As Joan (Jessica Marais) begins Eva (Maya Stange) on fertility treatment, her relationship with Jim (Matthew Le Nevez) is strained. He wants her career to take a backseat to her family, but Jim himself can’t keep a job because of his legal situation. Meanwhile, Patty (Harriet Dyer) has developed a crush on Jim, impulsively kissing him at the crèche, leaving her riddled with guilt. After receiving a reel of film from her brother Bernie, who is serving in Vietnam, Viv (Sophie Hensser) is convinced he’s in trouble. She decides she’ll join Annie in Vietnam as a nurse and locate her brother while she’s there. Matron (Mandy McElhinney) has Stanton House back up and running. Shirley (Ella Scott Lynch) tries to make life easier for Maggie (Tiarnie Coupland), sharing with her a secret hiding place she used when she was there. Now receiving fertility treatment unbeknownst to McNaughton (Jonathan LaPaglia), Eva turns up on his doorstep with the intention of seducing him. Meanwhile, struggling to accept the truth, Joan finally confesses to Jim, telling him she can no longer have children.
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Episode 23 - Series 3: Episode 7Martha (Miranda Tapsell) and Bowditch (Andrew Ryan) face uncomfortable truths about their future together, Annie (Gracie Gilbert) is arrested at the Moratorium March, Patty (Harriet Dyer) harbours a secret and McNaughton (Jonathan LaPaglia) discovers Eva’s (Maya Stange) pregnancy. Confiding in Martha (Miranda Tapsell), Patty (Harriet Dyer) is convinced she is pregnant with Jim’s (Matthew Le Nevez) baby - a guilty but thrilling secret. Viv (Sophie Hensser) and Annie (Gracie Gilbert) are back from Vietnam, both scarred by their experience. As Annie becomes an activist, Viv bottles up her feelings and reunites with her old flame, Pete (Ben O’Toole)… however she can’t resume their relationship quite as he would like. With symptoms of a miscarriage, Eva (Maya Stange) fears she is losing the baby. Distracted by Jim, Joan (Jessica Marais) skips a key examination later realising she failed to diagnose Eva’s "incompetent cervix". Joan finds Eva and operates without McNaughton’s (Jonathan LaPaglia) knowledge. Pete is taking a detective’s interest in Annie’s involvement with the Moratorium movement making his agenda clear to Chris (Lincoln Younes); he has dirt on Chris and wants information on violent activist Denis Thomlinson (Sean Barker). Knowing that Annie has been meeting with Thomlinson, Chris refuses to help. After Annie delivers a passionate speech at the rally, a scuffle breaks out and amid the fracas, Annie is arrested. Meanwhile, Martha, her mother Daisy (Leah Purcell) and Patty lunch with Bowditch (Andrew Ryan) and his father Henry (Tiriel Mora) - a famously plain-speaking medico. The relentless Henry highlights the problems of a mixed marriage reducing Daisy to tears, forcing her to tell Martha that her marriage has ended because her husband could not cope with the miscegenation. Bowditch tries to apologise, but Martha thinks Henry was being honest. With Deanna in his arms, Chris (Lincoln Younes) turns up at the police station hoping Annie will be released but Pete (Ben O’Toole) is determined for Chris’ help in nabbing Thomlinson. Annie is set free, blissfully unaware that Chris has sold his soul to protect her -- and himself, but when Leon (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor) finds out about Annie’s brush with the police, her job is in jeopardy. Checking on Eva (Maya Stange) recovering from her operation, Joan (Jessica Marais) finds McNaughton watching her sleep. He is now aware that Eva is pregnant… and that Joan has operated on her without his knowledge.
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Episode 25 - Series 3: Episode 9McNaughton (Jonathan LaPaglia) finally opens up to Joan (Jessica Marais) when he’s forced to confront his demons; Viv (Sophie Hensser) risks all when Faye (Jessica Donoghue) faces life-threating surgery; Maggie (Tiarnie Coupland) loses the only true friend she’s ever had; and Patty (Harriet Dyer) conducts salsa lessons in preparation for Martha’s wedding. Maggie (Tiarnie Coupland) is left bereft when she suffers a double blow - first when Shirley’s (Ella Scott Lynch) plan to foster her comes to nought and then when her best friend, Cynthia (Lauren Esposito), has her baby and leaves without having a chance to say goodbye. McNaughton’s (Jonathan LaPaglia) drug addiction finally catches up with him and Joan is forced to act to save him from himself. Faye (Jessica Donoghue), the adoptive mother of Viv’s (Sophie Hensser) twin girls, returns unexpectedly much to Viv’s delight. But when Faye has an operation for suspected ovarian cancer, it looks like the twins may be left without a mother. Viv reveals that she gave birth to them with her confession bringing dire consequences. After numerous attempts, Annie (Gracie Gilbert) finally manages to breast feed her new baby, with help from an unexpected source. Patty (Harriet Dyer) turns into a dictator when teaching her friends how to salsa in preparation for Martha’s (Miranda Tapsell) wedding. As they twirl, Pete (Ben O’Toole) tells Viv (Sophie Hensser) he’s lined up a meeting with his boss, who needs to approve Viv as his fiancé. Viv realises she’s just been proposed to… again. 34
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Episode 26 - Series 3: Episode 10Tapsell) and Bowditch (Andrew Ryan). McNaughton (Jonathan LaPaglia) comes clean, Viv (Sophie Hensser) contemplates Pete’s (Ben O’Toole) proposal and Maggie (Tiarnie Coupland) gives birth to a baby girl. Meanwhile, amidst betrayal and secrecy, Joan (Jessica Marais) must face the hardest decision of her life. The Police offer Jim (Matt Le Nevez) a deal -- a reduced sentence in return for coming in from the cold. But when this is revealed to be a trap, Jim flees again just as Joan (Jessica Marais) learns that he has been unfaithful to her. She breaks the relationship in a tearful goodbye. Maggie (Tiarnie Coupland) has lost trust in everyone, including Shirley (Ella Scott Lynch). Shirley and Joan beg Matron (Mandy McElhinney) for assistance with the Welfare Department, and even Leon (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor) helps to find a live-in maid job for Maggie. As Maggie goes into labour, she finally reaches out to Shirley in her fear. Matron (Mandy McElhinney) confides that Annie (Gracie Gilbert) has been a very good influence on Chris (Lincoln Younes) and there is a hint of reconciliation in the air at last. Chris senses it too, and once again presses Annie to marry him. McNaughton (Jonathan LaPaglia) tells Joan he has confessed to the Police, saying that he was not only present when Greg Mathieson died, but that he was responsible for Mathieson’s death. Joan is astonished, why would he confess to such a thing? But McNaughton admits that he knows how important it is to keep Jim out of prison -- because Joan is pregnant, despite her damaged fallopian tubes. After a comedy of errors, Martha (Miranda Tapsell) and Bowditch (Andrew Ryan) tie the knot at last, but not before Martha’s wedding dress requires emergency overnight surgery! The wedding reception is held at the Blue Moon and Annie gets to sing for everyone once more… before clearing out her room at the Oasis and eloping with Chris. Meanwhile, Patty (Harriet Dyer) dances with the best man Michael (Michael Sheasby) who sweeps her off her feet with a kiss.
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