Prisoner: Season 2
The second season of Australian drama television series Prisoner (commonly known as Prisoner: Cell Block H) premiered on Network Ten on 22 January 1980. It consists of 86 episodes and concluded on 12 November 1980. This season's storylines include the escape of Roslyn Coulson, aided by terrorist Janet Dominguez and the subsequent shooting of Erica Davidson; Lizzie's exoneration; the bomb explosion which causes the d
Season 2 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Prisoner Season 1.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Season overview
The second season of Australian drama television series Prisoner (commonly known as Prisoner: Cell Block H) premiered on Network Ten on 22 January 1980. It consists of 86 episodes and concluded on 12 November 1980.
This season's storylines include the escape of Roslyn Coulson, aided by terrorist Janet Dominguez and the subsequent shooting of Erica Davidson; Lizzie's exoneration; the bomb explosion which causes the deaths of Jim Fletcher's family; Bea Smith's feud with new prisoner Kay White; Judy Bryant's planned revenge on corrupt officer Jock Stewart for the murder of her girlfriend Sharon Gilmour; the season finale tunnel escape collapse.
Episode Guide
Season 2 Progress Shield
Episode 86
Feb 12, 1980 · 47 min
Pat is distraught after David's suicide, attacking first an insensitive Chrissie and then Greg (whom she blames for his death). Beause of this, she is refused permission to attend
Episode 87
Feb 13, 1980 · 47 min
After Lizzie's intensive grilling by the cops, Bea and the girls suspect there's a cover-up going on regarding the old woman, and decide to get to the bottom of it. Chrissie uses h
Episode 88
Feb 19, 1980 · 47 min
Lizzie tries to cope with the news she spent the past twenty years in jail for a crime she did not commit and panics at the thought of being released. Bea suggests to her she might
Episode 89
Feb 20, 1980 · 47 min
Erica takes an upset Lizzie to the Halfway House in a taxi, but it turns out Doreen didn't know she was coming: Paul forgot to let them know and gets carpeted by Erica. Lizzie has
Episode 90
Feb 26, 1980 · 47 min
Caroline and Vivienne try to cover-up Brian's murder, thinking the police will never believe it was self defence, and make it look like a burglary. Vivienne is guilt-ridden, especi
Episode 91
Feb 27, 1980 · 47 min
Paul bails Tony out, who lies he knew nothing about the drugs. Sharon is unable to raise bail money and is sent to Wentworth. Vera incites trouble between Bea and Sharon; after Sha
Episode 92
Mar 4, 1980 · 47 min
Paul reels from Sharon's demands, and though Tony insists Sharon was lying, Paul soon realises Tony is the liar. Sharon tells Vera the connection between her and Paul, and Vera rep
Episode 93
Mar 5, 1980 · 47 min
Margo, Lil and Bev are sent to the pound after the attack on Chrissie and Sharon. Chrissie confirms Bea was behind it, and a disgusted Erica sends Bea to Isolation until further no
Episode 94
Mar 11, 1980 · 47 min
Paul agrees to try and get Bea out of Isolation if she encourages the craft project. She agrees, then sends the word to down tools. Vera is delighted that things have fallen throug
Episode 95
Mar 12, 1980 · 47 min
Sharon is furious to be brought back to Wentworth, and is put in to share with Chrissie Latham. They form something of a partnership, and Sharon gets Judy to smuggle drugs in for t
Episode 96
Mar 18, 1980 · 47 min
Doreen announces her engagement, but Lizzie goes to grill Kevin before deciding if she is pleased. Doreen tells Lizzie that when they get married, she is going to come and live wit
Episode 97
Mar 19, 1980 · 47 min
Chrissie's "assailant" at the hospital is Judy. Chrissie details the drug drop for her. Sharon seeks muscle from Margo's gang, who want drugs in exchange. Thinking the dope is on C
Episode 98
Mar 25, 1980 · 47 min
Bea regains control of the women, with Sharon and Chrissie helpless to resist. Judy comes to visit Sharon, and when Meg searches her she finds drugs on her: she is admitted as a pr
Episode 99
Mar 26, 1980 · 47 min
Judy does nothing to stop Pat, and Sharon is sent to Solitary when the screws find the drugs in the cell. The women are frosty with Bea, thinking she lagged. Chrissie crumbles and
Episode 100
Apr 1, 1980 · 47 min
Mrs Burns tells Doreen that if she and Kevin marry, she will disown him. Lizzie chases her down the street with a frying pan, but eventually talks Mrs Burns round. Lizzie and Doree
Episode 101
Apr 2, 1980 · 47 min
Thanks to Lizzie, Doreen is sent back to Wentworth and faces losing her parole. Lizzie comes to visit, and asks Erica if she can come back too. Kevin finds out that she is back ins
Episode 102
Apr 8, 1980 · 47 min
Doreen and Lizzie go to court. Lizzie gets a fine, but Doreen gets more time, even after Kevin speaks in her defence. She thanks him, but she still can't marry him. Back at the Hal
Episode 103
Apr 9, 1980 · 47 min
Sharon refuses to tell the truth about what happened to Judy, despite Chrissie facing the prospect of losing Elizabeth. Chrissie is furious and rejects Sharon. Judy recovers from h
Episode 104
Apr 15, 1980 · 47 min
Aiming to get back to Wentworth, Lizzie refuses to co-operate with the cops, but her elation at getting back inside is crushed when Vera puts her in another block and won't let her
Episode 105
Apr 16, 1980 · 47 min
Jim admits to visiting Caroline, but dismisses any suggestion they have been having an affair. At home, Leila wants to send Matthew to a private school, but he doesn't have any mon
Episode 106
Apr 22, 1980 · 47 min
There's trouble for the Fletchers and Meg when Geoff Butler returns, his trial looming. He tries to force Meg into changing her testimony, and lets himself into the Fletcher house
Episode 107
Apr 23, 1980 · 47 min
Geoff and Michael embark on their plan to split up Caroline and Jim. This involves terrifying the living daylights out of Leila, by plaguing her with threatening phone calls and lu
Episode 108
Apr 29, 1980 · 47 min
A terrified Leila is convinced Geoff has been terrorizing, but he has an alibi for the brick through her window: Meg and Greg saw him in a bar at the time. In fact, it was Michael
Episode 109
Apr 30, 1980 · 47 min
Bea is furious, thinking Ken has made a fool of her, and calls a halt to the drama class. Paul desperately tries to salvage the situation, and engineers a meeting between them. Ken
Episode 110
May 6, 1980 · 47 min
A stunned Jim reels after the explosion: the boys are dead, and Leila is critically injured. Michael remains unaware that the parcel was a bomb, and Geoff demands payment from him
Episode 111
May 7, 1980 · 47 min
Geoff is interrupted in the process of preparing to shoot Jim by reporters at the door, and flees. He returns to Michael, who he has tied up in the empty house, and rants a lot. He
Episode 112
May 13, 1980 · 47 min
As the cops hunt for Geoff, Michael is arrested and carted off to a psychiatric hospital. Geoff outsmarts the police and escapes from his hideout, and Jim arrives home to find him
Episode 115
May 21, 1980 · 47 min
Kerry and the other women come to an understanding, and Bea hints to her that Sharon ruined her painting. Vera is furious with Kerry after David's comments at the exhibition that s
Episode 116
May 27, 1980 · 47 min
Vera is gutted following her suspension. Jock tells her the truth will come out eventually; next day, he threatens Kerry into withdrawing her allegations. Doreen and Kevin quickly
Episode 117
May 28, 1980 · 47 min
There's a lockdown in Wentworth following Sharon's death, and a griefstricken Judy blames Bea for killing her, but she is as much a suspect as Bea is. She threatens to have her rev
Episode 118
Jun 3, 1980 · 47 min
Prostitute Helen Smart is admitted to Wentworth and turns out to be an old friend of Kerry's. She recognizes Jock and says he's got a bad reputation. Kerry is released but she stru
Episode 119
Jun 4, 1980 · 47 min
Vera keeps quiet over Jock when he reminds her how he helped her with Kerry, but later overhears Judy accusing Jock of killing Sharon, and finally reports him. Paul tells the solic
Episode 120
Jun 10, 1980 · 47 min
Judy mulls her options to protest against Sharon's death, and they decide to stage a strike in their cells. As some of the women hoard food, the verdict from Sharon's inquest comes
Episode 121
Jun 11, 1980 · 47 min
Erica tries to talk the prisoners out of the Rec Room, and tells them Jock is finished in the prison service. Vera cuts the power, and they spend an uncomfortable night in the dark
Episode 122
Jun 17, 1980 · 47 min
Everyone at the prison is stunned by Leanne's death, bringing a sudden halt to the demo. The police go to Noeline's work to tell her the news, only to find she's been pinching mone
Episode 123
Jun 18, 1980 · 47 min
Thinking she has killed David, Kerry flees from the gallery and disappears. David is very much alive, but Paul has no luck tracking her down, and has to report her. Meanwhile, Kerr
Episode 124
Jun 24, 1980 · 47 min
Helen finds Kerry out cold but alive, and calls Paul to get help. Paul recommends Kerry go to a sanitorium for treatment, rather than back to jail. Meanwhile David, thinking she is
Episode 125
Jun 25, 1980 · 47 min
The women embark on a ridiculous attempt to cover up Noeline's absence until they can unlock her from the store room in the morning. This also includes a fake food poisoning bout a
Episode 126
Jul 1, 1980 · 47 min
The work release is to go ahead, to the women's delight. The party of women who are to go initially includes Bea, Doreen and Judy but not, to her annoyance, Lizzie. Judy suspects M
Episode 127
Jul 2, 1980 · 47 min
The work release programme gets underway, with Erica warning dire consequences for anyone who screws it up. The women meet sleazy foreman Vince Talbot, and cool-as-a-cucumber accou
Episode 128
Jul 8, 1980 · 47 min
There's trouble at the factory involving the delivery drivers, and Doreen is keen to get Kevin the delivery contract when she hears it's up for tender. She needs to find out the lo
Episode 129
Jul 9, 1980 · 47 min
Doreen struggles to cope after being raped by Vince, and desperately tries to get taken off the work release scheme, but Erica twigs something's going on and refuses to let her, ev
Episode 130
Jul 15, 1980 · 47 min
At the factory, Noeline complains that her machine doesn't work, but Vince is more interested in Doreen. Meg is suprised to see letters in the mail for both Judy and Bea. Judy volu
Episode 131
Jul 16, 1980 · 47 min
Erica tells Meg and Vera that the doctors think Judy's heart condition was brought on by electrical interference from the driers. Meg passes on the information in Judy's letter abo
Episode 132
Jul 22, 1980 · 47 min
Kay promises to keep Vera occupied to give Noeline time to get the bolt of cloth out of the tea room window . Andrew follows Kay's tip-off and is waiting outside to catch Noeline's
Episode 133
Jul 23, 1980 · 47 min
Judy is brought back to Wentworth (and claims sarcastically to Jim that she's Doris Day) charged with escaping, assault on a policewoman, stealing police property (the uniform, whi
Episode 134
Jul 29, 1980 · 47 min
Erica phones Andrew to let him know she won't let him take advantage of her or the women, though she does not cancel the project entirely. Doreen wonders why Lizzie has sweets inst
Episode 135
Jul 30, 1980 · 47 min
Andrew accuses Kay of stealing and fiddling the books. When she offers to pay him back with her gambling winnings, he declines and asks her what would have happened if she had lost
Episode 136
Aug 5, 1980 · 47 min
Jim and Vera catch Kay trying to force Margo to taste her food. Margo vows she'll get back at Kay. Erica admits to Meg that she had been lying about her relationship with Andrew, b
Episode 137
Aug 6, 1980 · 47 min
Erica tells the women they will all lose seven day's remission as punishment for the attack on Vince. Bea agrees with Margo that it must have been Kay who lagged on them. Judy sugg
Episode 138
Aug 12, 1980 · 47 min
Kevin thinks he is the father of Doreen's baby and is delighted with the news. Meanwhile Bea is advising Doreen to go to Erica if Agnes won't help her arrange the abortion. Erica a
Episode 139
Aug 13, 1980 · 47 min
Kevin realises that Doreen intended to let him think the baby was his, and he is equally appalled at the thought that she let someone else have sex with her to try to get him a job
Episode 140
Aug 19, 1980 · 47 min
Bea blames herself for not noticing anything wrong with Doreen. Meg tells Lizzie that her visit to see Josie has been arranged, but Bea is suspicious that something must be wrong a
Episode 141
Aug 20, 1980 · 47 min
Vera takes Kay to her cell and gives her five minutes to make her bed. Doreen and Lizzie compare the size of their bank balances. Margo holds onto Linda's "commission", as she's ob
Episode 142
Aug 26, 1980 · 47 min
Bea barricades Kay's cell door to ensure that they can have a "private chat". When Kay denies having any drugs, Bea punches her on the nose, followed by an extended grapple on the
Episode 143
Aug 27, 1980 · 47 min
Vera tells Tracey that covering up for her friend isn't going to do her any good, and drops dark hints about what Bea might do to her, but Tracey continues to protest her innocence
Episode 144
Sep 2, 1980 · 47 min
Judy finds Tracey crying in her cell and tries to comfort her. Tracey asks her to talk to Bea and explain that she was set up. She also tells Judy about the threats sent in via Kat
Episode 145
Sep 3, 1980 · 47 min
Judy explains to the women that they might be able to pull off a similar trick to the one in "The Sting" by fixing the newspapers and betting on a race which has already been run,
Episode 146
Sep 9, 1980 · 47 min
Lizzie tells Meg she thinks Kay must be dead, and gives a very unconvincing version of her "self-defence" alibi. Meg is not convinced and tells Jim she thinks it is completely out
Episode 147
Sep 10, 1980 · 47 min
Tracey delivers a well-aimed knee to the groin area of one of the men, and gets away from them, though she runs straight into a gun battle between two thugs and the men who are cha
Episode 149
Sep 17, 1980 · 47 min
After hearing the gunfire, the prisoner discuss who may have been shot. Jim tries to call Vera back to work, but she claims the doctor has given her something to relax her, though
Episode 150
Sep 23, 1980 · 47 min
Erica warns Doreen that if her story is true, she could be charged herself along with Lizzie, Bea and others with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Doreen is taken to an
Episode 151
Sep 24, 1980 · 47 min
Lizzie is welcomed back to Wentworth by Vera with her usual compassion: Vera tells her she'll die a criminal, and Lizzie retorts that she won't have long to wait to see that for he
Episode 152
Sep 30, 1980 · 47 min
Tracey asks Judy for advice about Vera's spiteful comments. Vera blames Jim's rosters for her being a physical wreck, but Jim hints that there could be other reasons for that. Bob
Episode 153
Oct 1, 1980 · 47 min
Sarah leaves Jim's flat in a hurry. Jim finds his wardrobe open and realises why Sarah has fled. Judy tells Tracey to go to Erica about the threatening note, but Bea is also told,
Episode 154
Oct 7, 1980 · 47 min
The police car is driven through the back streets, but eventually runs into a police ambush: the driver from McNally's gang and the policewoman in the back of the car are both shot
Episode 155
Oct 8, 1980 · 47 min
Chrissie is put into street clothes for her visit to Elizabeth, and Vera tells Jim they are supposed to ignore Doreen if they see her at the hospital. Erica wants to know why Jim t
Episode 156
Oct 14, 1980 · 47 min
Vera comes back from work in tears. Doreen's absence from the hospital is noticed, but the nurses assume that Elizabeth has been moved to another ward. Jim lies to Erica and preten
Episode 157
Oct 15, 1980 · 47 min
Officer Barry takes Chrissie to the hospital to see her baby, who is ill in intensive care. Chrissie is assured by hospital staff the baby is going to be alright even though she is
Episode 158
Oct 21, 1980 · 47 min
The police question Vera about the robbery but say they're unlikely to be able to help her. Tracey apologises to Meg and congratulates her on the wedding. Vera returns to work but
Episode 159
Oct 22, 1980 · 47 min
Bea tells the women to keep quiet about Jacki's relationship with Jim or risk having her transferred to Barnhurst. Erica promises Julian to speak to Myra and the PRG, but gives no
Episode 160
Oct 28, 1980 · 47 min
Erica tells Jim to organise a special work programme to give the inspector less opportunity to find fault, but Vera thinks putting up a good front amounts to defrauding the Departm
Episode 161
Oct 29, 1980 · 47 min
Judy finds Bea lying unconscious and calls for help. When Vera goes to report the incident to Erica, she tries to pretend in front of Gillespie that it is only a routine matter, bu
Episode 162
Nov 4, 1980 · 47 min
Judy claims the money was planted in her cell. Bea is prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt, but doesn't rate her chances of getting the other women to believe her, even wh
Episode 163
Nov 5, 1980 · 47 min
Vera catches up with the policewoman just as she is leaving to tell her the truth about Anne's letter. Bea finds Anne packing her bags, confident that Megan will clear her. Anne is
Episode 164
Nov 11, 1980 · 47 min
The story Anne tells Jim and Vera is very confused, and she eventually agrees she made the whole thing up. She is returned to the laundry where she starts to talk again about her f
Episode 165
Nov 12, 1980 · 47 min
On the day of the panto and escape attempt, Gillespie is suspicious and snooping around backstage. The panto is a roaring success with the kids present, and under cover of costume,