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WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Season 7 of Wentworth…
Wentworth fans will be sad to hear the iconic prison drama is coming to an end, with filming for the final 20 episodes set to commence soon. Foxtel Executive Director of TV Brian Walsh confirmed the upcoming episodes will be the show’s final batch, in a recent interview with TV Tonight.
However, the show won’t be wrapping up in a hurry. Those episodes will be spread over two seasons, expected to conclude in 2021. The additional episodes, which will make up season eight and nine, will officially cement Wentworth’s status as Australia’s longest-running one hour drama series.
“Foxtel is proud and delighted to confirm a further 20 episodes of Wentworth. The renewal of this much loved drama is testament to Foxtel’s unwavering commitment to Australian story-telling,” Brian told TV WEEK earlier this year when the series was renenwed.
“Wentworth has captivated audiences in Australia and all over the world with its gritty nailbiting storylines, remarkable performances by an extensive ensemble cast and high production values. The commissioning of these additional episodes will see it reach an extraordinary 100 episodes”.
Wentworth returns for two more seasons!
The announcement follows on from a jaw-dropping finale to the seventh season, which ended with a number of bombshells. First and foremost, Joan “The Freak” Ferguson was revealed to be ALIVE.
The final episode picked up with Sean Brody (Rick Donald) and prisoner Marie Winter (Susie Porter) keeping several inmates, along with pregnant Governor Vera Bennett (Kate Atkinson), hostage. In the siege, Brody killed Vicky Kosta (Artemis Ioannides) and Boomer’s mum May Jenkins (Anni Finsterer).
We also found out it was Brody who killed the prison’s top dog Kaz Proctor (Tammy MacIntosh), after he discovered she knew about the blackmail file Marie had on the Attorney General Michael Heston (David Downer).
As this played out, the corrupt Attorney General arrived to make sure his operation to get Marie to safety was going according to plan. He “agreed to Brody’s demands” and ordered a chopper to the prison.
Boomer boldly stood up to Brody and Marie.
It might have worked if Rita Connors (Leah Purcell) hadn’t escaped and alerted Acting Governor Will Jackson (Robbie Magasiva) to the fact she’s actually an undercover cop, investigating Marie and her links to high-profile figures in the police and government. They confronted Michael, but Brody and Marie were nowhere to be found on the roof!
As it turned out, the chopper was a diversion, and the duo were sneaking out of the prison when they ran in to Ruby (Rarriwuy Hick). Marie made one last attempt at killing Ruby, but was thwarted when Rita intervened.
Then, Allie Novak (Kate Jenkinson) stepped in and shot Marie, also killing Brody.
Marie was informed she would be taken in to protection for good, while Rita found out she was being moved into protective custody as the investigation into police corruption begins.
As Rita drove away from Wentworth Prison, she passed by The Freak on the side of the road.
The Freak sat by a fire pit, staring ominously at the flames.
Also playing out amid the messy hostage drama, was the birth of Vera and Jake’s (Bernard Curry) baby!
The stress of the siege sent Vera into labour, with Boomer (Katrina Milosevic) escorting her to safety in the Plant Room. The beautiful baby was delivered safely by Liz Birdsworth (Celia Ireland), with dad Jake arriving moments later.
Of course, later, Liz got “Locked In Syndrome” after suffering a stroke. Boomer fulfilled her heartbreaking promise to Liz, to end her suffering by smothering her. Now, Boomer, who was eligible for parole, will be charged with manslaughter.
What will happen next? We’ll have to wait and see when Wentworth returns to Showcase on Foxtel next year.
READ ALSO: Wentworth Executive Producer Jo Porter explains the Season 7 finale
