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30 Episodes 1989 - 1991
Episode 1
Michael sees the law from another perspective after he becomes the key witness in Flicker's prosecution against an arsonist. Fulvio's quest to find the ultimate bargain wreaks havoc in Michael's life, while Michael is left side-eyeing his former neighbour after rediscovering some records that went missing when his apartment was burgled. Atomic age politics enter the courtroom when Michael has to rule on a case involving bomb shelters.
Episode 2
Michael begins to wonder if someone is trying to put a spell on him after a number of suspicious run-ins with a member of a religious commune. An elderly man creates a headache for the police when he creates a series of devices designed to monitor and control the speed of vehicles. Lisa starts becoming closer to a young police officer who is filling in with Youth Liaison. All is not well in the Frangellomini household as living in a back shed begins to take its toll on Fulvio and Sandra.
Episode 3
Lisa confronts the prejudices of society when she defends a man with AIDS who has committed an armed robbery in order to ensure his wife's future following his death. A cockroach infestation creates problems for the courthouse. Joanne comes to the city to visit Michael, just as Michael finds himself surrounded by women seeking to win his affections. Flicker is at his wit's end after he ends up in hospital.
Episode 4
Michael is drawn into the world of a struggling young family after he witnesses a woman being hit by a car; however, his other colleagues at the court are afraid that he might be being taken for a ride as he grows closer to the woman's daughter. Lisa defends a young man accused of committing a violent crime in an attempt to save his heroin-addicted girlfriend.
Episode 5
Lisa finds herself at odds with her colleagues when she defends an anti-nuclear activist whose family and the police are determined to have detained for his own safety. Michael starts to make changes to his life after the Chief Magistrate tells him that he is in the running for the Deputy Magistracy; however, some at the courthouse begin to worry that Michael might just be becoming another part of the Establishment.
Episode 6
Maverick magistrate Michael Rafferty dispenses his own brand of courtroom justice with his own brand of humour - ironic and black respectively, coloured by a dislike of privilege and a suspicion of the police. This tough series portrays events from Rafferty's life both inside and outside the courtroom.
Episode 7
Flicker and Rafferty have differing attitudes to a debacle in police processing, keeping a Polish-Australian in the local police station holding cell. Fulvio is chosen to sit at a panel interviewing job applicants (including Georgie Parker) but doesn't impress the other panelists including the one who chose him. Rafferty has terrible trouble chasing up errors made by his credit card provider, which concludes with Rafferty presiding over a case on civil rights where a woman is charged for not filling out a survey partially due to a discrepancy in its instructions. Penne Hackforth-Jones, making an appearance, prosecutes this case.
Episode 8
Racial tensions erupt when two Asian men are accused of murder, while Michael questions his capacity as a magistrate after an act of leniency has dire consequences. Four people protesting against the Apartheid regime in South Africa are charged after disrupting a golf tournament on national television, but things go awry in their sentencing after one of them fails to qualify for Legal Aid.
Episode 9
Flicker and Lisa find themselves dealing with a particularly challenging court case when a girl alleges that she was raped by her father four years earlier. A squatter's efforts to avoid eviction repeatedly bring him before the court. Joanne is anxious after being harassed by a group of hoons, while Michael is more preoccupied with the fact that his cat, Rhubarb, is undergoing surgery for a tumour. Fulvio is determined to get revenge on Sandra after her social life keeps her out at night.
Episode 10
Lisa defends a singer who has beaten his wife, but her personal involvement in the case is made more difficult when he brings a gun into the courthouse. Michael's family relationships become strained when his ex-wife learns of his adult daughter, Rebecca. A blossoming romance between two court constables divides opinion as to whether the relationship is romantic or unseemly.
Episode 11
Michael revisits his past as a university radical and conscientious objector when he is forced to decide the fate of a man who he once protested alongside. Lisa defends a school teacher who is accused of being an accessory to an act of vandalism committed by his students; however, it may not be the straightforward case of radicalism that it seems. Fulvio is determined to create his own manifesto.
Episode 12
Flicker confronts his own prejudices when he prosecutes a case involving the assault of a female impersonator; however, it is Michael who finds himself at the centre of a controversy after the verdict is given. Lisa defends a young woman accused of malicious damage against her father's property, but it soon appears that it may not be the act of political protest that everyone assumed. The discovery of some old Reader's Digest magazines leads to Fulvio's latest obsession.
Episode 13
Lisa is drawn into an organisation known as Life Force after a man is arrested for break and enter and assault. An elderly man is charged with using offensive language and is determined to spread his Marxist principles to the court, but a visit from his daughter reveals that there may be more to his revolutionary ways than meets the eye. Michael is struggling to sleep at night as he and his brother face the prospect of putting an elderly relative into a nursing home.
Episode 14
Flicker finds himself wandering into a murky world of corruption when he prosecutes a case against a police officer who has broken the law and where the key witness is a serial whistleblower. Lisa and Fulvio battle to save a former school friend of Fulvio's who has been arrested for possession of cocaine and who is being threatened with standover tactics by the detectives questioning him.
Episode 15
Fulvio and Sandra's marriage comes close to breaking point after Sandra is arrested for shoplifting. Lisa is impressed when she is assisted by young Law School drop-out Evan Fairchild, but Michael soon has to deliver some tough love when his hooligan friends get him into trouble. Flicker struggles to make his son, Dean, adopt a healthier attitude towards paid employment.
Episode 16
Michael, Flicker and Lisa are dragged into a murky political world when they discover that the conflict between the British and the Irish is alive and well in Sydney. Lisa's defence of an elderly man accused of vandalising his neighbour's Land Rover is complicated when he disappears. Fulvio and Sandra struggle to cope with the Frangellomini extended family. A royal tour is due to pass by the courthouse and Mrs. McCarthy can't hide her enthusiasm.
Episode 17
An act of vandalism by the member of an animal rights group leaves Michael becoming emotionally involved with the accused's mother. Flicker and the rest of the police struggle to cope with the fallout when a hacker targets the Police Force's computer system. Fulvio and Sandra clash after Fulvio decides to find himself a new job.
Episode 18
A man seeks Lisa's help when he is sacked after complaining about the work conditions; however, she soon finds herself defending him when he assaults his former boss. Michael finds an ingenious solution when a musician is accused of infringing copyright. Fulvio helps Michael look for a cleaner for his flat, but Fulvio's candidate for the job might just be a little too efficient for Michael's liking.
Episode 19
Lisa is drawn to an attractive young lawyer; however, she is forced into an ethical dilemma when his personal life unravels. Flicker prosecutes the case against a woman accused of murder, but the true culprit may be someone no one expected. Michael's politician brother is attacked and Patrick is afraid of how his wife will react when she learns just what he was doing at the time. Meanwhile, Fulvio is determined to save the planet one aerosol can at a time.
Episode 20
The feminist movement comes to the courthouse when a prominent feminist runs a group of pigs through the shop of a man accused of sexual harassment. Lisa clashes with a lawyer when they disagree on whether or not to bring the victim from a controversial sexual harassment case back into the courtroom. Fulvio begins to question whether or not he really is a "New Man".
Episode 21
Flicker finds himself at the crossroads of a major life decision after he falls in love with a young female Constable, but his excitement at finding new love may see him lose it all. Lisa's defence of a man accused of masturbating in front of schoolgirls creates a scandal in the courtroom. Michael worries about his friendship with his former girlfriend Helen Hawthorne when she asks him for help after her husband is charged.
Episode 22
A convicted criminal whose ex-wife is about to marry a police officer comes before the court accused of assault; however, his violent outbursts in the courtroom and allegations of police brutality further complicate an already complex case. It is Michael's birthday and, while he is hoping to keep things low-key, his colleagues at the courthouse have other ideas.
Episode 23
Lisa assists a young woman whose boyfriend has been arrested; however, she is horrified when she learns that he has been detained without charge and suspects that the police are fitting him up because he is Aboriginal. Michael's plans to see a concert with his new flame are complicated when he finds himself looking after his two children. A man is charged with offensive behaviour after wearing a shirt in protest against Aboriginal deaths in custody.
Episode 24
Lisa fights to save an Indian couple who are facing deportation, only to discover that the collapse of the British Empire means that they have no real home to go back to. Flicker prosecutes an alleged rape committed by an Aboriginal man that is complicated by the fact that the victim is South African and her father is unashamedly racist. Fulvio flirts with a new romance after a woman from his past reappears in his life.
Episode 25
Michael and Flicker befriend the beachcomber and poet, Snowy White; however, their admiration is crushed when it begins to appear that Snowy may be guilty of murder. Lisa becomes involved in a volatile domestic situation where the contents of a house have been dumped over a cliff. Flicker fears the worst after stepping on a syringe at the beach, while Fulvio is certain that his new metal detector will lead him to his fortune.
Episode 26
Lisa is charmed by a client accused of appropriating money from elderly women; however, Michael and Flicker cause conflict when they question her judgement. A woman is charged with theft after removing the furniture from the house in what Michael quickly recognises is a divorce situation that is out of control. Sandra heads over to New Zealand for a trip, but Fulvio is afraid that she may not be coming back.
Episode 27
A prominent radio host has been charged with brawling. Michael is faced with the consequences of his judgements when he sentences a man accused of assault, only to later learn that the man's employer has sacked him. Jack Rafferty is being bullied and Michael and Flicker have very different opinions on the best way to deal with it. The courthouse is abuzz in the lead-up to a Mike Tyson fight.
Episode 28
Michael is reunited with an old classmate in the lead-up to a school reunion; however, he is left wondering if they've come very far at all since the schoolyard. Flicker deals with a new Court Constable who doesn't seem to have what it takes for the job, but who has relatives in high places. Lisa goes for a job interview, but she may be underestimating the power of factional politics. Fulvio is anxious about his studies as his exams approach.
Episode 29
An elderly journalist is arrested for shoplifting and, while Michael and Lisa attempt to find the reason in his actions, Flicker and the rest of the police force are determined to seek revenge for the article that ruined their mate's career. An artist is accused of assaulting a police officer while defending her rather controversial painting.
Episode 30
Michael is consumed by guilt after he hits a man with his car; however he starts to wonder if maybe there are deeper issues at play when he seeks guidance on how to deal with his feelings. Flicker clashes with a high-flying defence lawyer after a witness is heavied into changing his story. A former lover reappears in Lisa's life with a business proposition that is too good to refuse, but she finds herself conflicted when he offers her the chance to revisit their relationship.