Tenko: Series 3
The final season of Tenko takes place two years after the previous season, as the war draws to a close and the women are returned to their normal lives. The narrative follows these individuals as they attempt to resume their lives, though living normally is described as difficult to achieve after experiencing imprisonment. The series as a whole follows a group of women who were formerly comfortably well-off ex-pats l
Season 3 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- British, Australian, and Dutch women were captured after the Fall of Singapore in February 1942.
- The women were formerly comfortably well-off ex-pats living in Singapore before being captured by the Japanese during World War II.
- The series follows the gripping story of these women as prisoners of the Japanese.
- The drama is based on real-life experiences of women imprisoned during the war.
Season overview
The final season of Tenko takes place two years after the previous season, as the war draws to a close and the women are returned to their normal lives. The narrative follows these individuals as they attempt to resume their lives, though living normally is described as difficult to achieve after experiencing imprisonment. The series as a whole follows a group of women who were formerly comfortably well-off ex-pats living in Singapore, and who were captured by the Japanese during World War II. The drama deals with the experiences of British, Australian, and Dutch women who were captured after the Fall of Singapore in February 1942. Based on real-life experiences, Tenko is co-produced by the BBC and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and is remembered as one of the most fondly remembered and acclaimed BBC dramas of the early 1980s, telling the gripping story of women prisoners of the Japanese.
Episode Guide
Season 3 Progress Shield
Go Down Fighting
Oct 7, 1984
1 JULY 1945: Two years have passed and the women are in another camp, this one in the site of a former prison. Times have been hard and many have died - including Blanche, Verna, D
Wealth of Stores
Oct 14, 1984
20 AUGUST 1945: Marion stops Maggie and her mob from attacking Sato and stops Kate taking down the Japanese flag. She explains to the women how things will work now. Yamauchi revea
Acclimatization
Oct 21, 1984
The women are met in Singapore by RAPWI officer Phyllis Bristow, who take their details, She wants to transfer Kate and Mrs Van Meyer to other groups, but they refuse and are left
Marion is Wanted
Oct 28, 1984
Still looking for Clifford, Marion is asked to give evidence against Yamauchi. Joss meets up with Stephen Wentworth, an old friend of Monica's (the women she spent most of the seri
Scars
Nov 5, 1984
Marion is reunited with Clifford, who is at the hotel waiting for her, and tells her Ben is okay. Clifford reveals he is in charge of leading the hunt for war criminals, and intend
Diary
Nov 12, 1984
Sister Ulrica catches up with the other women and counsels Dorothy, who finds out her mother is dead and leaves to go back to England. Clifford and Marion have drifted apart badly:
Evidence
Nov 19, 1984
The women start being questioned by the military to give evidence against Yamauchi and co for war crimes: Bea flips out, Mrs Van Meyer tells lots of lies and Maggie gives emotional
The Visit
Nov 26, 1984
Kate is distraught when Tom dies and seeks comfort from Sister Ulrica, who comes to the funeral even though Tom was a protestant. Kate also decides she definitely wants to become a
On the Rocks
Dec 3, 1984
The women all prepare to go home, and say goodbye to Alice as she sets sail for England. The Jeffersons' marriage is clearly in trouble as Clifford sees how much Marion has changed
Sayonara
Dec 10, 1984
The women all prepare to leave Singapore to go back home, agreeing to have a reunion at Raffles in 1950, exactly five years after they separate. Joss dies in hospital. Bea agrees t