Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
Episode 6.21 (232)
Wednesday, June 30, 1999
Written by David Allen
Directed by Declan Eames
Tom's day brightens when he learns his favourite actress is in town visiting relatives. A woman to be reckoned with, Audrey Roper wastes no time in introducing herself to Mt. Thomas' most senior police member. Tom is chuffed to make Audrey's acquaintance as she demands he reprimand and punish her 17-year-old granddaughter for buying cigarettes. The Heelers are policing a crackdown on under-age smoking in conjunction with the council. Dissatisfied with their progress, the militant Audrey intends to supervise their operation personally.
Maggie learns that Audrey is on a crusade to save her granddaughter — and all who come in contact with her — from the ills of smoking. Tom and Maggie wonder whether her end justifies her means. The law presents no boundaries to this woman whose protests keep the Heelers and cigarette retailers of Mt. Thomas on their toes.
Maggie takes a liking to the feisty older woman and offers counsel to Audrey's granddaughter. In spite of Maggie's attempts at discussion, Jack catches the girl buying cigarettes again, this time from the pub's cigarette machine. The offending retail dispenser comes to Audrey's attention and Chris cops a serve for her duplicity. How can Chris reconcile her role as councillor, promoting an anti-smoking campaign, with her role as a publican, selling cigarettes from an unsupervised machine? Chris finds herself stuck for an answer. Audrey is right.
Maggie's interest in Audrey's granddaughter appears to have little effect on the girl. When a carload of cigarettes goes missing and cartoons surface at the local high school, Maggie suspects only one crusader behind it and Audrey confesses. The schoolchildren found the dumped vehicle, raided it, and turned their stash into a lucrative street trade.
Reluctantly, the Heelers charge Audrey but she gives them the slip to stage one last stunt. Audrey drives her car to the edge of a cliff. With Maggie beside her, Audrey threatens to plunge into the raving below unless Mt. Thomas rids itself of all cigarette machines. Maggie tries to talk them to safety but knows Audrey has nothing to lose: she has lung cancer. Audrey's only focus is to save others from her pain — a martyr to the cause.
Guest Starring: Nancye Hayes as Audrey Roper, Rebekah Jay as Tiffany Lewis, Lisa Crittenden as Julie Lewis, Marty Fields as Steve Talmen, Vince D'Amico as Joseph Malouf, Marcus McGlashan as Daryl Gillespie, Marilyn O'Donnell as Mrs Gillespie, Jeremy Kewley as Tony Timms, Carole Patullo as Teresa Boland, David Armstrong as TV reporter, Reg James as Frank Goodie
(encoded with Handbrake - Blue Heelers - from Complete Seventh Season DVD - the early years)
Duration: approximately 45 minutes
Aspect ratio: 4:3 standard
Audio: linear hi-fi/stereo
Size: 466MB
Video format: MPEG-4 (MP4)
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