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13 Episodes 1992 - 1992
Episode 1
Phoenix begins with the Major Crime Squad investigating a number of armed hold-ups. The main suspect is John Mercer a member of one of Melbourne's leading criminal families. It is clear from the start that Inspector Jock Brennan is from the old school, a tough copper who lets nothing ruffle him. His dead-pan reply to Superintendent Wallace's advice that the brass are concerned about the Majors looking like thugs; "tell the big girls upstairs to piss off" is a classic, and his open disdain for forensic scientist Ian "Goose" Cochran is rooted in an old style of policing; "only a fool trusts that which he's not equipped to question." It will be some time before Jock will come to trust and respect the abilities of the Goose. As the Majors wind up their investigation Jock receives his divorce papers and attends the Police Club "Christmas in July Ball". Shortly after arriving, a huge explosion occurs which will provide the focus for the rest of the series.
Episode 2
In the chaotic remains after the Police Club bombing, over the grim task of sorting through the pieces, Ian and Jock are forced to work together. With the death toll mounting, the only leads come from within the police force itself. One is the shell shocked young constable who is Jock's only eye witness. The other is a disgruntled policeman who may well have set off the bomb. The police find themselves doing what they dread most, investigating one of their own.
Episode 3
Megan, an analyst, is the first woman to join the all male world of the Major Crime Squad. She has a hard time of it, initially being shut out by their prejudice. It's not until she starts making headway with the thousands of pieces of information flooding in to the bombing investigation team that she gains some grudging acceptance. It is Megan who helps save Jock from making a disastrous error with a likely suspect.
Episode 4
Inspector Brennan recruits Snr Det Lazarus Carides to the task force. Laz has been undercover with the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) for over two years, predominantly investigating stolen car rackets. He has some difficulty fitting in to the close team environment of the task force. He inspects the wreckage of the bomb car, noticing that the chassis number has been drilled out, an unusual technique of disguising a vehicle's identity. Believing he is of more value to the investigation as an undercover, he returns to the street in an attempt to locate the garage which handled the bomb car. His "disappearance" creates derision within Major Crime-Laz is seen as untrustworthy, particularly by Sgt Peter Faithful. Meanwhile, Forensic believe the bomb was constructed from household items and are building a bomb replica. The Cochrane's baby, Suzie, first appears.
Episode 5
Laz is still trying to earn the trust and respect of his new colleagues in Major Crime, but nevertheless, the immediate focus of the investigation is now on the Balcescu Brothers garage, which Laz believes handled the bomb car. It's "the kind of thing they specialise in and they're very bloody jumpy". The Major Crime squad is running over the Drug Squad, who has the garage under surveillance for drug offences. However, the Drug Squad submits to the Major Crime squad investigation; "it all comes down to two poor bloody dead coppers, doesn't it?" Application for Special Operation Group assistance on a raid of the Balcescu garage is knocked back by the Deputy Commissioner, leaving the Majors with no choice but to conduct the raid themselves. Brennan insists Laz be first through the door, ending his undercover days for good. While the raid is successful in execution, Forensic finds no direct link to the manufacture of the bomb. Several arrests are made, including Nick Panopolous and Lenny, but only Gaspar Balcescu is charged, for firearm and immigration offences.
Episode 6
The last vestiges of Laz's undercover persona are blown when Jock orders him to start acting like a detective. He can no longer work the streets without risking his life from the criminals he once lived amongst. It's a terrible loss of identity which leads to a violent outburst. Defending his Senior Sergeant, he assaults a member of the public. This brings him under the cold hard scrutiny of the Internal Investigations. Before it's over, Laz could be charged with a criminal offence.
Episode 7
With the bombing investigation stalled for lack of hard evidence, Jock seeks out an old trusted informant. Tiny, a professional safebreaker, is Jock's direct link to criminals who handle explosives. But Tiny, needing cash, double crosses Jock and decides to blow a safe. Things go wrong when the car he steals to transport his gear has a sleeping baby in the back seat. Jock gets a frantic call for help from the panicked Tiny. His much needed informant is about to go to jail for a long time.
Episode 8
Witnessing two fleeing bank robbers reinforces Megan's belief that money will be the answer in solving the Police Club bombing as those responsible would've needed lots of it to carry out the job. Megan turns her attention to looking into various armed robberies which leads her to the rape squad. Jock is concerned she's wasting time follow unrelated leads but allows her to press on. Megan questions a woman about her violent assault believing her attackers are connected to the bombing. The woman is able to provide a description from which a composite image of one of her attackers in created. This new suspect quickly becomes the key focus of the investigation*#8212;despitef Jock's superior's dismissal of the new information's importance. Meanwhile, detonators recovered during a police raid are confirmed to be of the same batch as that used in the bombing. The Major Crime squad sets up a sting to go after the intended buyer who turns out to be a legitimate quarry owner buying stolen detonators.
Episode 9
Pursuing another line in the bombing investigation, the team raid known drug dealers with the hope of shaking out much needed information. One raid goes wrong when Lochie, the Senior Sergeant, is nearly shot by a terrified dealer. During questioning, it's discovered the frightened man was robbed - and his young sister assaulted - by some very dangerous men. It all points to the bombers but the dealer will not talk - no matter what. He's scared to death of the men. It's a frustrating dead end for the team.
Episode 10
Knowing that they are facing very heavy villains, Jock allows a member of the crack Special Operations Group to be assigned to the bombing investigation team. Although Blazo is the epitome of a black suited 'headkicker', it soon becomes clear that Blazo is not a thug but a thinking policeman. The small boy in Ian falls 'helplessly in love' with the Special Operations cowboys. Bags of high explosives are recovered from a river - a sure indication that bombers maybe getting ready to do a runner - getting rid of the evidence. Time may be running out for the investigation if the bombers decide to head out of the state.
Episode 11
With the forensic evidence largely tagged and ready, Carol becomes increasingly cut off from Ian and the lab. Now that she has returned to work - abandoning her maternity leave - her entry into the team rearranges alliances at a critical moment. Other crimes are drawing much needed resources from the investigation. Jock takes too long to discover his team is close to disintegrating.
Episode 12
Running low on cash, Nick is eager to do another job but Pat is guarded, wanting to keep a low profile with the police investigation still ongoing. His hopes are threatened when Dennis befriends their 13-year-old neighbour bringing her mother into the equation with her concerns. The Major Crime Squad is having trouble linking their suspects to the bombing but Forensics continues to make progress identifying components from the bomb car. When a key piece of information is leaked to the press, the case is put in jeaopardy as the bombers begin to dispose of potential evidence but their mistakes begin to mount giving detectives crucial information allowing them to begin to put the final pieces of the puzzle together.
Episode 13
The suspect's house is under heavy surveillance as the Major Crime Squad makes it's final preparations before moving in. The decision is made for Megan to approach the neighbour to get a closer observation point but Jock refuses to let her be told exactly what the police's interest is, despite Megan's insistence the danger merits telling her what's she and her daughter are getting involved in. With admissions caught on tape, the police raid the house, taking the suspects into custody. Goose and the forensic team move quickly to secrure the ample physical evidence allowing the detectives to confront the bombers with the overwhelming evidence resulting in quick confessions. With the job done, the Deputy Commissioner arrives to offer his congratulations but pulls Jock aside to tell him he'll be under investigation by IID.