Watch Love Child

Love Child was an acclaimed Australian drama series that aired on HBO from 2014 to 2017, produced by Playmaker Media in association with HBO Asia. Set in the 1960s and 1970s in the city of Sydney, the show revolves around the lives of the staff and residents of the Kings Cross Hospital, a maternity institution that catered to unwed mothers. The series explores the controversial social issue of forced adoptions that occurred during that time in Australia, where thousands of infants were taken away from their biological mothers and placed for adoption without their consent.

The show stars Jessica Marais as Joan Millar, a young midwife who works at the hospital and becomes emotionally involved with her patients and their babies. Joan feels a personal connection to the mothers who come to the hospital, having suffered a similar experience herself years earlier. Despite her professionalism, Joan often clashes with the patriarchal and judgmental male staff who run the hospital, including the head of obstetrics, Dr. Patrick McNaughton (Jonathan LaPaglia), and the senior nurse, Matron Frances Bolton (Mandy McElhinney), who both have their own agendas and biases towards the unwed mothers. Joan also has a complicated relationship with her lover and colleague, Greg Masters (Gracie Otto), a talented young doctor who is battling his own demons.

Meanwhile, one of the most important characters in the show is McElhinney's character of Matron Frances Bolton, who is a fiercely intimidating force within the Kings Cross Hospital. Matron Bolton is initially portrayed as very cruel and staunch towards the women under her care, and holds archaic and judgmental views towards single mothers. However, as the show goes on, we see more of her backstory and the complex reasons behind her beliefs. She is a nursing veteran who has worked her way up through the ranks and takes her responsibilities very seriously, often at the expense of her own happiness. Bolton struggles with the status quo at the hospital and ultimately reveals her complicity in forcing women to surrender their children for adoption.

Another vital character in the show is Miranda Tapsell's Martha Tennant, one of the young women who comes to the hospital to give birth. Martha is an indigenous woman who is forcibly removed from her community and sent to live in a remote government housing unit, where she is subjected to racism and neglect. Despite the hardships she endures, Martha is a resilient and resourceful young woman who forms close bonds with her fellow pregnant women and Joan, who supports her through a difficult childbirth. Martha's storyline highlights the cultural crassness that existed in Australia during the post-WWII era.

The show addresses many difficult themes such as sexual harassment, infidelity, adoption, sexual abuse, and child neglect. It portrays the emotional struggles and trauma that the unwed mothers and their children have to go through, as well as the societal and cultural pressures that forced them to make tough choices. Love Child's engaging and compelling storytelling, top-notch acting, slick production values, and relatable characters have gained it a massive audience following both in Australia and overseas. The show is an ode to the resilience of women, the power of female friendship and the sacrifices of the brave single mothers who weren't given the respect and dignity they deserved.

Overall, Love Child is a landmark series that explores the social and cultural issues of a bygone era with sensitivity and emotional depth, creating a nuanced portrait of an Australia in transition. The show is definitely worth a watch to anyone interested in boundary-breaking dramas capturing women empowerment and real-life events with an amazing performance by the actors.