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The Letdown Season 1 Episodes
Season 1 Episode Guide
7 Episodes 2017 - 2017
Episode 0
Pilot
Sat, Apr 21, 201830 mins
The story centres on Audrey played by Alison Bell and her baby daughter Stevie. The title is a play on the term for the release of milk during breastfeeding, but also on the dark secret of the early months of motherhood. This pilot (Episode 1) was first broadcast as part of the Comedy Showroom of potential pilots on 04 May 2016. The Letdown was taken up for six episodes and this pilot episode aired as the first part of this new series at 9:35pm AEDST on Wednesday 25 Oct 2017 on ABC-1. The other episodes will be running 1 Nov (Ep 2 Frankenstein), 8 Nov (Ep 3 Genealogy), 15 Nov (Ep 4 Trivial Pursuites), 22 Nov (Episode 5) and (Episode 6) will finish the run on Wednesday 29 November 2017.
Episode 1
Frankenstein
30 mins
Parents Group triggers a reverse anxiety in Audrey when she realises she's the only one who isn't following a parenting book. Misinterpreting Ambrose's book club theme, Audrey brings Frankenstein - honest mistake or searing metaphor? Either way it throws Audrey in a spin. Is her relaxed attitude simply bad parenting? She heads for the nearest bookshop, but is quickly caught out by Sophie. She begrudgingly agrees to borrow Sophie's stack of parenting manuals. Determined to get Stevie in a routine and restore some dignity at Parents Group, Audrey hits the books and it's not long before she's slipping into old habits - scrawling illegible study notes, drinking instant coffee, working late into the night. A nightmare of (romantic) gothic proportions awaits - Night one of sleep training begins well enough but tensions soon rise when partner Jeremy proves a sleepy and ineffective wingman. By night two, Jeremy starts to question whether he's match-fit for fatherhood and night three brings much of the same, only worse; less sleep, more tears, self-loathing and another confession from Jeremy. Sophie invites Audrey to a Parents at the Pics movie for 'social outing' time. But when Sophie falsely accuses a man of inappropriately gawking at a breastfeeding Audrey, things go awry. Later that night, Audrey settles Stevie to sleep. And, just when peace and calm in the house is restored, there's a knock at the door - the in-laws arrive.
Episode 2
Genealogy
30 mins
When Jeremy's parents turn up uninvited, Audrey is forced to deploy some masterful restraint when it comes to mother-in-law, Carol's intrusive and out-dated parenting advice.
Episode 3
Trivial Pursuits
30 mins
Life at home with baby fails to provide the mental stimulation Audrey craves. She's bored and increasingly forgetful. When she gets her days mixed up and turns up at an NA meeting instead of parents group, she stays. But later that night when she uncharacteristically stumbles on a geography question at pub trivia and costs her team not only victory but also the vegan meat tray, the paranoia of brain atrophy becomes very real. Ester and Ruben's healthy sex life has become decidedly unhealthy since the birth of Eva, and Ester tries desperately to revive it. At Parents Group, Ambrose talks of the benefits of physical stimulation and has the parents apply massage techniques to the babies. The conversation naturally moves to other forms of stimulation - namely mental, and Barb - mother of three - declares baby brain to be an inevitable and irreversible outcome of childbirth. Inspired by Ruben's job interview, Audrey heads into her old work to visit Emma and other colleagues. Ruben's interview doesn't go well, he's distracted, disengaged and prematurely books an Uber to collect him. When Ester returns home later that evening, he declares he wants to spend more time at home with Eva, and take more time off work. This doesn't go down well, manifesting well into the next day when Ester brutally sacks her PR Manager for daring to ask for a pay rise to help support his family. Audrey, now ridiculously immersed in TED talks, crosswords, cartoon caption competitions, admits, to herself, an early return to work might be in order. This could prove handy, given the uncertainty at Jeremy's work and he starts to seriously consider, to himself, an overseas job offer from one of his clients. Back at pub trivia, Audrey, with the help of sub in team members, Ruben and Martha, has a better night. She learns that baby brain is a temporary state of brain pruning before a radical brain expansion.
Episode 4
Super Mum
30 mins
After being struck in the head by a pinecone, Jeremy starts to obsess about his broken promise to God. Is the pinecone the first in a series of vengeful acts? After leaving Stevie with Barb, Audrey arrives at work with Ester and is instantly lost. She sets about writing a speech for Ester on superannuation and the ever-widening gender gap, leaning heavily on Ester's PA and Google. Barb, multi-tasker extraordinaire, is late for school, tearing down the hallway with two babies and two kindergarteners in tow. She arrives just before Dr Karen and Fireman Josh and quickly realises that it's Careers Week. Her invitation to speak must have been lost in the mail. When Ester realises she has a diary clash, Audrey finds herself sitting opposite Father Wyman pretending to be Ruben's wife - in an attempt to secure an endorsement letter for baby Eva to one day attend the prestigious Catholic school. Their ruse for the priest goes well and after a lengthy chat involving mutual admiration of each other's parenting, the two linger on a joking matrimonial kiss. When Audrey returns to the office, wracked with guilt, she yields to Ester's request for her license points, and plays willing scapegoat to one of Ester's blunders. On Sunday morning, Audrey arrives at the church for her last work obligation. Just as Father hands over the coveted letter of endorsement, someone calls Audrey's name. She turns to see Jeremy, Pete and Stevie, wearing what can only be described as baptismal attire.
Episode 5
Mother Nature
30 mins
With tensions still high after Jeremy's failed baptism attempt and Audrey's secret church date with Ruben, Audrey willingly packs her bags for a weekend away with Verity at her grandmother's country cottage. In a last minute decision, she leaves the baby with Jeremy. Whether it's Lois' loveless treatment of Verity, or Verity's abandonment of Audrey, it's a fraught weekend for mothers and daughters. When Verity reneges on her promise to take Audrey on an early morning bushwalk and search for mobile coverage, Audrey is forced to go alone. She returns to find Verity drinking tea in the sun and she unleashes her fury. Back in the city, Jeremy's weekend with Stevie is far from perfect. After meeting Pete at the pub, things start to unravel: Stevie's bowel movements interrupt the game, Jeremy misses key moments; he's forced to use the women's toilets to change her nappy. When his team wins he stays for too long celebrating and completely mucks up Stevie's routine. He spends the night with an unsettled baby trying desperately to get her to take the bottle. In the morning, Martha and Barb come armed with their own 'fail-safe' techniques. Whether it's the restorative nature of the bush, the emotional release following her fight with Verity, or her equine therapy session with Barney the Horse, Audrey returns home empowered and renewed. But as she pushes through the living room door ready to make all things right with Jeremy, she's not prepared for what she sees.
Episode 6
Matresence
30 mins
Despite Audrey's repeated assurances that the Ruben kiss was innocuous and meaningless, things with Jeremy are at an all time low. And now that Audrey's promised the house back to Verity, the relationship is under considerable strain. As a grand gesture of help, Audrey decides to skip the final parents group and go house hunting instead. Avoiding Ester and Ruben is a happy coincidence. Meanwhile champagne is popped as the final parents group gets underway. As the mums and Ruben reflect, Georgia declares that she was evicted from a cafe for breastfeeding. Collective outrage follows and the group plan a nurse in - Later that week, when Audrey questions Jeremy over a recent eBay bid, Jeremy misinterprets and lets slip about the job offer in California. Audrey's adamant they cannot move overseas. Escaping to the pool, Audrey happens to find Ambrose in the change rooms, and the two sit down to chat. The nurse-in's in full swing - a handful of protesters chanting outside a busy and unaffected cafe. Bolstered by her chat with Ambrose, Audrey arrives armed with a news crew and the mood suddenly lifts.
