This review contains spoilers.
The conclusion of this two-part finale to the second season, and which I found to be much better than the first half (which was fair, but a bit awkwardly paced in places). Lots of revelations and developments; my only real gripe is that I feel some of these could have been better balanced through the entire story Part 1 felt a bit stretched, while Part 2 is much more crammed.
When Bob Morrow, a worker for Chris, appeared in Part 1 (delivering some food to Tom's Christmas barbecue), I wondered if he might be somehow involved in the rape. But there were so many possibilities, that it could have been a red herring. But indeed, Morrow does become a prime suspect in this second half, after his history of being a peeping tom and related offences come to light.
But the true culprit turns out to be the smarmy older brother that the Heelers were seen dealing with in Part 1. On my review for Part 1, I did actually comment that I wondered if he was involved and so he was. It wasn't made at all obvious though, and really leaves the viewer guessing until the last minute.
The trap set for the rapist, of Maggie leaving a party "drunk", seems to be a failed attempt, until Maggie returns home and *then* the rapist strikes. Thankfully, he is stopped in time, but it makes for a gripping climax to the story.
There are also several b-plots; Continuing from Part 1, is Nick's plans to marry Sasha, but Sasha both not looking forward to the responsibilities of being a Policeman's wife, and realising that she doesn't love Nick pulls out and leaves. I never really fully bought the sudden return of Sasha and the rekindling of the relationship in this story, not after Nick left her in bad circumstances in 'Trust Me' previously in the season; but I suppose the plot plays out engagingly enough here.
The other real note, of course, is the first "real" kiss between Maggie and P.J. They had kissed "while in character" undercover in 'Double Jeopardy Part 2' a few episodes previously, but this is their first kiss proper. It sets in motion their romance storyline that will continue until Maggie leaves the show.
There are also many nice other character moments I like the mentally disabled but eternally well-meaning Clancy blurting out about the pregnant dog that's he's rescued "She's called Monica. And she's a B*tch." blurting out a quiet joke that Nick had made about Snr. Sgt. Monica Draper (who, by the way, has almost mellowed by this episode, almost being likable at times!).
By the way, as some of my previous episode reviews mention, I was just about discovering the series at around this time. Although I couldn't recall the specifics of this story, I did remember the end scene, with the dog giving birth, and Maggie and P.J.'s first kiss.
All-in-all, this is a really nice conclusion to a very satisfying second season. I give 'Brotherly Love Part 2' a very decent 9.5/10.
-----Second season review-----
Well, the second season of 'Blue Heelers' had a lot to live up to after the very strong first season. And boy, didn't it succeed, with many of the episodes being top-notch, and with a number of character developments along the way.
As the show settles into its longer run, a number of longer story arcs were introduced. Some of them Police related, and some of them more soap opera-like. Although I have commented on several of my episode reviews that I'm not really a fan of soap opera storytelling, here in BH, with such strong characters and perfectly played by the cast, I can generally take them, and enjoy them.
Stories such as Adam's HIV scare, Nick's on-off relationship with Sasha Peters, Tom's various problems with daughter Susan, and Adam and Chris's relationship, span the season, and play out very well, adding another dimension to the series.
The season felt to be trying new things at times some more successful than others, and also took a much more serious tone for some episodes. Thankfully, there was enough light-hearted banter and even the odd out-and-out comedy episode to balance this up.
Favourites of the season for me include 'A Question of Courage', where Adam finds that he may have been infected with HIV; the wonderful 'Out of Harm's Way' about a girl's estranged step-father grabbing his daughter, coupled with the results of Adam's HIV test; the series classic two-part 'Paranoia', where the officers are framed for being corrupt and Tom is shot; 'The Best of Rivals', where a young girl that Nick befriends is mown down by some street racers the Heelers have been trying to nab; and delightful comedy episode 'The Mongrel Factor', about a supposed gold rush in Mount Thomas.
Although there were naturally some lesser episodes in such a long run, only a few stories really fell below the mark in my opinion see my reviews for 'Ripples on the Pond' and 'Trust Me' for my least favourites of the season. But even then, any 'Blue Heelers' (with the "classic cast" line-up) is good 'Blue Heelers' at this stage, and is still more engaging than some of the later episodes.
Here in the U.K., the series only got a half-hearted run on various ITV regions, usually being shown on Monday afternoons. I was only really discovering the show, by chance, in the latter second season, so I have really enjoyed watching the whole run for the first time and unedited, as ITV often chopped up episodes for language and content.
All-in-all, a great second season. I can't wait for the third (about the point that I really started watching) and thanks to the odd season break patterns of the DVDs, I don't have to wait, as the third start of the third season comes right after the end of the second on the DVDs!moreless
Episode Summary
EDIT
The Mount Thomas police are still trying to find Gina's rapist, and after Adam's brother is cleared the next suspect is a man who works for Chris. The police decide to set up the rapist by using Maggie as the bait, but will PJ and the others save her in time after the plan is called off? PJ and Maggie share their first official kiss.moreless
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GUEST STAR
Nola GaylardHouseholder
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GUEST STAR
Georgia PowerMiss Lamb
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GUEST STAR
Judy JohnsonMrs Ogmore
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Grant Bowler
Constable Wayne Patterson (1994 - 1996)
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Martin Sacks
Senior Detective Patrick Joseph "PJ" Hasham (1994 - 2005)
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John Wood
Senior Sergeant Tom Croydon
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Julie Nihill
Christine "Chris" Reilly
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Lisa McCune
Senior Constable Margaret "Maggie" Doyle (1994 - 2000)
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Damian Walshe-Howling
Constable Adam Cooper (1994 - 1998)
Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions
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Elimination Game!
06/07/10161
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Favourite character
02/26/101
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Does anyone know if they're going to (or when) release series nine plus on DVD?
09/29/093
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Favourite Episode(s) ever
03/13/0918
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season 7 dvd
07/28/085
Season 2 Episodes
See AllEp 41
Brotherly Love (2)
Ep 40
Brotherly Love (1)
Ep 39
The Discount Suit
Ep 38
Juggling With Smoke
Ep 37
Vow of Silence
Ep 36
A Question of Loyalties
Ep 35
Tough Love
Ep 34
Unnatural Death
Ep 33
Just Deserts
Ep 32
The Mongrel Factor
Ep 31
Double Jeopardy (2)
Ep 30
Double Jeopardy (1)
Ep 29
Swings and Roundabouts
Ep 28
The Best of Rivals
Ep 27
The Last Straw
Ep 26
Secrets
Ep 25
The Homecoming Queen
Ep 24
The Collector
Ep 23
Paranoia (2)
Ep 22
Paranoia (1)
Ep 21
With Prejudice
Ep 20
Gun Crazy
Ep 19
Parenting
Ep 18
Trust Me
Ep 17
Shadow Man
Ep 16
The Lolita Blues (aka Salu...
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