Ep 16. Playing Games

Playing Games is the sixteenth episode of the fifth season of the popular Australian police drama, Blue Heelers. It originally aired on March 3, 1998, and was directed by Chris Langman. The episode has a runtime of 45 minutes and features the regular cast of John Wood as Senior Sergeant Tom Croydon, Lisa McCune as Senior Constable Maggie Doyle, Martin Sacks as Detective Senior Sergeant Patrick "PJ" Hasham, and Jane Allsop as Constable Jo Parrish.

The episode begins with Maggie Doyle getting pulled into a case that seems to revolve around a group of teenagers who are playing a dangerous and potentially deadly game of chicken. The game involves standing in the middle of the road, waiting for a car to approach, and then rushing out of the way at the last second. The teenagers seem to be playing the game as a form of rebellion against authority and as a way to prove their bravery and toughness to each other.

Maggie becomes concerned when one of the teenagers, a girl named Lisa, is seriously injured while playing the game. Lisa is rushed to the hospital with a head injury and is in a coma. Maggie and the other officers begin to investigate the other teenagers involved in the game and discover that they are all connected in some way to an older boy named Nick.

Nick is a charismatic and somewhat volatile teenager who seems to be the ringleader of the group. He has a troubled past, having been expelled from several schools and gotten into trouble with the law in the past. Maggie believes that Nick is behind the dangerous game of chicken and wants to arrest him before anyone else is hurt.

At the same time, Tom Croydon is dealing with his own personal issues. His wife is still recovering from a stroke, and he is struggling to balance his work duties with his responsibilities at home. He confesses to Maggie that he is feeling guilty for not being there for his wife when she needed him the most.

As the investigation into Nick and the dangerous game intensifies, the officers start to uncover some disturbing information about Nick's past. They discover that he was once involved in a car accident that resulted in the death of another teenager. Nick was never charged with any crime because there was not enough evidence to prove that he was the one driving the car at the time of the accident. However, Maggie believes that Nick has been playing a dangerous game of chicken ever since, trying to prove that he is not afraid to die.

The episode reaches its climax when the officers finally catch up with Nick and his friends. A tense standoff ensues, with Nick refusing to back down and the officers trying to talk him out of his reckless behavior. In the end, Nick is arrested and charged with reckless endangerment and other serious crimes. Lisa eventually wakes up from her coma but is left with permanent brain damage as a result of her injuries.

Playing Games is a gripping episode of Blue Heelers that explores the dangerous consequences of teenage rebellion and the weight of personal responsibility. The episode is well-written and features strong performances by the cast. It is a must-watch for fans of the series and for anyone interested in gritty police dramas that tackle tough issues.