Something rich and strange...

Series 2, Episode 8: "Manna from Heaven"
(last updated 5 September 1999)

written by Andrew Knight and Deb Cox
directed by Steve Jodrell

Guest cast:
Julia Blake as Tenzin Jetsunma
Brett Swain as Griff
David Wicks as Gavin Clooney

Koala's Spiel:

I fear that all the Diver Dan fans who thought that "Manna from Heaven" meant that David Wenham would be making a guest appearance will be sorely disappointed that the kerchiefed one did not appear in tonight's episode.

This was another great episode. It started out slowly (and a little strangely) but it built up and the final twenty minutes or so were absolutely delightful. I admit I was a little worried at the strangeness at the beginning of the episode and even though Tenzin was supposed to be spiritually soothing, she gave me the creeps in a big way. There is something very unsettling about her face - the pale hair, pale skin and pale eyes. The theme of this episode was somewhat spiritual, dealing with Truth and the realisation that all things pass - even the deepest of pains. There was also a rather surreal juxtaposition of Buddhism (Tenzin's beliefs), politics (Max's cynicism) and Christianity (the obvious "manna from heaven" and Karen's interpretation of Catholicism).

The episode began with Kevin having a nightmare in which he follows a spooky, grim reaper-ish type individual which tells him that he has deceived, that his solecisms written in the book of liars and that he has "failed Truth and must pay the price". The person (?) turns around and does not have a face. Poor Kevin wakes up in bed screaming and the opening credits start. Why do people who have nightmares on television always sit up? I kind of just lie there and shudder.

In the next scene, Kevin, Phrani and Trevor are sitting together (rather companionably, I note) for breakfast having a debriefing session over Kevin's latest instalment of his recurring nightmare in which a spooky, caped, hooded person (?) accuses him of untruthfulness and betrayal. Trevor thinks that it's "cool" that the vision doesn't have a face. The trio are unsure whether it is a premonition of some great misfortune or if it is merely the prosaic effects of Phrani's eggplant curry. *giggle* For those of you who believe that dreams mean something, try the Yahoo! Link for "Sleep and Dreams" which may give some guidance in relation to the interpretation of dreams.

In another storyline, Miranda is required to do "history" for a school project and intends to do a history of Pearl Bay. Laura thinks that a family history (which skips over all the bad bits of course) would be much more interesting than a history of the town.

Silence.......

And that's what it comes down to. Laura grabs at all the usual platitudes but she spends the rest of the episode trying to determine in what it is she believes. I hope you note with what difficulty I had in making sure I didn't end that sentence in a preposition.

Meanwhile, Phrani spies a lone elderly woman dressed in orange robes and using a stick making her way towards Pearl Bay. She helpfully informs her that it is 12 kilometres to Pearl Bay and 16 kilometres to Port Deakin and that she is happy to give her a lift. She also offers her the advice that if she is after a man, she's better off going to Port Deakin. The woman declines the offer and says mystically,"I'm on the path to truth - perhaps I might see you there." In a classic line (variations of which I have used on numerous ethnic occasions), Phrani says in hilarious disgust,"Path to truth. Westerners."

Her disgust soon fades as she realises the old woman is the manifestation of Kevin's dreams and she rushes to find him and informs him of what has just transpired. Kevin is anxious to know if the woman has a face and in a temporary return to practicality, Phrani demands exasperatedly,"Do you think I would be standing in front of you with the power of speech if I had just spoken to a woman with no face?" Mysticism returns however when Kevin asks her what it all means and she tells him that he must look within for the meaning but then with typical Phrani practicality tells him that he had better do it quick smart as the woman is headed into town.

In the next scene, Rupert kicks a football through a shutter and lies about it. Laura then sets herself up for a fall in front of Miranda when she says tells Rupert that he should learn to tell the truth as "It makes life so much simpler in the end". Miranda asks her if that is a belief and she says replies nobly,"Yes, it is, getting to the truth is the whole basis of my work. And I believe, my life." Rupert disconcerts her by putting this philosophy to the test by asking,"Why'd you tell Mr Colby you were thirty five then?"

Laura walks him down to the boat and as she sees him off, Kevin approaches Laura in a flurry, asking her whether she felt that the clouds looked like an enormous serpent. Slightly baffled by Kevin's strangeness, when a wet-suited Max approaches her she asks him if Kevin is all right and he stares at her and counters,"By what standards?"

I've been reading and chortling over Lyn's cynicism about "Another Shot of Max In A Wet Suit" observation. To be fair though - I recall having seen quite a few of Angus although they don't seem to make as much of an impression. Apart from the drool-factor, I think that the writers are really drilling it into us that Max likes to swim. In tonight's episode, he even says that it's what he believes in. From his very first episode, he has been swimming. This is fine, the only problem is, if William McInnes ever decides to do a David Wenham and leave the show, I fear that it may be a watery grave for Max Connors. As Phrani would say, the signs are all there. Is this foreshadowing on the part of the writers?

Max asks Laura for a coffee (the third time he's done it by my count) and despite her protests, propels her towards the boathouse which is filled with Pearl Bay volunteers, all keen to make a contribution to the Pearl Bay Oyster. Laura is pleased that he is becoming integrated into the community although it's clear that Max is of two minds about the benefits of such integration.

In a funny moment she flattens him when he says: "In that case, you won't mind if we shift the focus to your house because I'm trying to write a book". Her immediate (and very dismissive) rejoinder is: "Not even you believe that." I thought it was very funny how she didn't even pretend to take him seriously. It's clear that Laura has come to know him very well and the look on his face is quite priceless when he realises he can't stir Laura the way he could before. She has rather a smug, gloating expression on her face at having got one up on the glib Max Connors.

She's brought crashing back down to earth again, though when Carmen comes up with the idea that Laura should write a column about court room proceedings. Laura evades the task by claiming some sort of magisterial ethics (while Max rolls his eyes in disbelief) and Carmen suggests that Max should do it. Laura pounces on the idea. Accordingly, a reluctant Max shows up regularly in the courtroom, putting Laura on her mettle to perform in a very judicial fashion before the eagle eye of the press.

Miranda is filming Meredith for her history of Pearl Bay as Meredith has a staggering memory and the retrospective appears to have lasted a number of very long hours with Meredith recalling each day in minute detail, Suddenly, on 26 September, Meredith draws a blank - for the entire day. In the background, the "Bugger Off" man is exterminating pests......

In a very funny dialogue between Laura and Karen, the discussion of beliefs continues.

Clearly, Laura's search for an insight into beliefs and spiritual meaning has hit another brick wall.

On a hill overlooking the water, the spooky old woman in the orange cloak is staring into the waters....

Meanwhile, Heather in an attempt to bring Bob closer to her family, has asked that Bob retain Harold as his barrister in an action he is taking against "Bugger Off" the pest exterminator business which failed to eradicate "Borer" from his properties. It turns out that Bob's properties aren't the only victims of this weird strain of Borer which appears resistant to all poisons. Laura's house, the pub and the courthouse are all similarly affected.

The spooky old woman in orange turns out to be an old friend of Meredith's. Formerly, Mabel Pearson she is now Tenzin Jetsunma, a following of the teachings of the Buddha. According to Tenzin, she has spent 40 years or so away from Pearl Bay searching for enlightenment, exploring the meaning of life and discovering the value of truth. Strangely enough, Meredith vanishes when Tenzin enters the Tropical Star.

Meredith doesn't want to speak to Tenzin, a past rift between them as raw and painful to Meredith today as it was back then. Tenzin in the meanwhile, recognises the still pained Max as the son of Margaret and Len telling him that he has his mother's beautiful face. In characteristic Max-fashion, he replies flippantly,"Yep, that's me. Same eyes, same facial hair".

"Same humour" she observes.

Max's interest is piqued by Meredith's failure to remember September 26. In his words, "Five years for Meredith is like five minutes for us mere mortals". Kevin enters the Tropical Star and stares at Tenzin - horrified. Kevin is so cute in this episode - he spends most of the time looking appalled or scared out of his wits.

Jules is also working on her school project and unsettles Heather with questions concerning the family tree. Heather is also further distressed by Bob's animosity towards Harold and his refusal to acknowledge and come to terms with her relationship to Meredith and Harold. It is further evidence of Bob's insensitivity and lack of consideration for the feelings and emotions of his wife. Clearly the "Sensitive New Age" Bob wore off with the opiated crab.

Miranda invites Tenzin home for dinner and Laura feels increasingly spiritually inadequate by comparison as Miranda develops something akin to hero worship for the old woman. While Laura is still grappling with meaning and spiritualism, Rupert blurts out his little truths which were actually quite amusing for once. Sorry Lyn, I know you've got a soft spot for the little pest. *grin* I thought it was a little cruel of Miranda to make Laura feel like a "spiritual lightweight". Laura's a fruitloop, but she's a sweet fruitlook and she does try.

Poor Kevin is still being haunted by bad dreams of Tenzin in which she tells him that he has been treacherous and deceitful. In fighting with their own truths, Meredith and Harold are grappling with their painful memories of a troubled past. Eventually, Meredith and Tenzin have a frank discussion about Meredith's decision all those years ago to give up her daughter. It turns out that Tenzin was judgmental of Meredith's decision to give up her daughter because she, too was in love with Harold.

In another "Max in a wetsuit" scene, Max delves a little deeper into the mystery that is September 26. It is clear that there was more to that day than Pearl Bay's amazing win over Port Deakin....Carmen's investigations have revealed that a container ship from the Philippines went down in a squall and the ship was carrying food, farm machinery and timber.

The pest exterminator from "Bugger Off" is hilarious during cross-examination. This borer has a "third eye, more legs than an ant, pretty little yellow dots down his back, and tiny hairs that wave when you touch him". It makes you wonder whether he's been inhaling his poisons instead of spraying them. What comes out in his testimony is that this is a peculiar strain of Borer which does not respond to the ordinary poisons used by the exterminator.

Laura who has been under the misapprehension that Max was deeply interested in the proceedings is then outraged to discover that Max is using the courtroom as a substitute office to do his tax returns. I think he was unnecessarily cruel to Laura in this scene:

Kevin's guilty conscience is getting the better of him and he tries to talk about it with Angus. Angus doesn't want to talk about it and we learn that they did "something" on the beach that wasn't legal. Something which could land them all into prison. Kevin is convinced that the Day of Judgment is nigh and they will all be held accountable. He tracks down Tenzin and the two of them talk about truth, lies and karma.

Max feels bad (and so he should!) and in the midst of evidence given by a Borer expert, he comes into the courtroom to give Laura a note set out as a front page of The Pearl Bay Oyster which reads: "BRILLIANT MAGISTRATE SMASHES BUG RING. COURT JOURNALIST EATS HIS WORDS. Lunch sometime. Max". How sweet.

The evidence of the expert is very interesting for all, particularly Max who is intrigued when he discovers that the Borer strain discussed by the expert is normally only found in the Philippines. We then discover that the town is hiding a guilty secret from the past. Apparently, rather than reporting the wreck, they used the goods found from the Philippines container. The whole town was in on it - Meredith, Harold, Angus, Karen, Kevin, Griff (except Bob).A pact to keep the incident a secret was made but the evidence which is being heard in the court proceedings will reveal the truths of the past if it is not stopped. Kevin is hilarious as he goes around town muttering words of imminent doom, karma and Judgment Day. One ordinarily doesn't picture Kevin as a prophet of Doom.

Laura stops by the boatshed to discover a surprisingly empty boatshed, occupied only by a meditative Max (with shirt on). She tells him that she accepts his apology and tells him that he's right and then in a ranting monologue that's both hilarious and poignant by turns, she questions how one discovers what it is that gives one's life meaning. Max's expression is quite funny as well, turning from sympathetic, to faintly amused, to warning as he indicates to Laura that Tenzin is standing in the doorway just as she is asking: "How does someone like Tenzin know that it's a great idea to rush off to the Himalayas and stare at your navel for 8 years. How does she know that?"

Max who had risen when Laura entered the room, sits back down in his chair and lounges almost insultingly as his eyes rake over Tenzin's robes.

Laura takes flight at this point, demonstrating that perhaps she may be something of a spiritual lightweight, a little overwhelmed by the clash of ideology which is taking place before her eyes. She is clearly out of her depth in this midst of this esoteric argument.

I initially thought that Max's baiting of Tenzin was designed to make Laura feel better - ie to show her that it was not necessary for her to feel spiritually deficient in comparison to Tenzin. Then I saw that it was a rather contrived device to make Max's pride go before a fall. The writers would have us believe that ultimately, Max only says what he says out of pain and that Tenzin is the one speaking truth. I would question this. Although Max is a cynical and twisted bastard, he is an analytical and clear-thinking one. Even though the writers try to portray Tenzin as being some serene, enlightened being, to me she still seemed like the girl who left Pearl Bay 40 years earlier who thought that she was somehow superior to her peers and in a position to judge. Nonetheless, the discussion between her and Max brought out more about Max - and I'm always partial to an insight into Max's soul. I can hear Lyn groaning somewhere in the distance. *grin* Anyway, for a very brief discussion of the context of Max's comments about Tibet, China and monks in golden robes, visit the Allusions Page.

I was a little disapproving of Meredith's attempts to manipulate her relationship with Heather by asking Heather to intervene with Bob to make him drop the case against "Bugger Off". Meredith has done this before - she has tried to use her influence over Laura in matters before Laura in the court, and now she's doing it with Heather. I think that it's wrong. She also tries to rationalise what is basically theft. "more like salvage, good luck, manna from heaven". I admire Heather's integrity and ultimately I think that Meredith did, too. Perhaps it's the first time she had admired one of her frivolous daughter's traits. For a discussion about "manna from heaven", go to the allusions page.

Meanwhile, Max is sitting in the boatshed with the enlightened Tenzin staring at him disconcertingly and it is clear that he is unnerved by her pale-eyed stare. While you're probably screaming at me for being a cynic, I can't help but be slightly sceptical of the rapturous embracing of Eastern religions as if they are somehow a panacea to all woes. In many cases, when people find that Christianity doesn't offer them what they want, they turn to the Eastern religions, constantly searching for meaning as if it can be granted by a source external to themselves.

Max tries to be flippant as Tenzin tries to probe. He is very interested when he discovers that it was her ship from the Philippines that sank that night. Then, in what I found to be a perplexing non sequitur, she tells him "Everything passes, even great pain" and we get a close-up of anguished Max. While the close-up of an anguished Max was all well and good, I really couldn't see what was so spiritually wonderful about what she had said!

Harold and Meredith try to convince Bob to drop the case. Heather intervenes in an astonishing display of quick-thinking and diplomacy and I was very impressed by her peace-making abilities. Bob decides to drop the case. In a council meeting, Max comes with a newspaper clipping ready to blow the lid on a story. He reveals that Tenzin lost a shipload of holy wood. Kevin mutters: "It's karma". Bob is outraged that the town all knew about the "salvage" but he didn't. Max does an aboutface belief-wise and blackmails them all into attending Tenzin's talk on truth - either they attend and make a donation, or he will publish the story.

In a rather sweet moment, Max seeks out Laura who is sitting by the waters contemplating her life. He tells her that swimming gives his life meaning. Laura replies a little disconsolately that she isn't a great swimmer and Max tries one of his smart, predictable comebacks: "Well possibly Laura your life has no meaning whatsoever". He realises immediately that it was a stupid and pointless thing to say so when Laura tells him she likes walking, he says: "Walking. Walking is good". The two of them then go for a walk. Very sweet. =)

At Tenzin's talk, Angus is still trying to prevent Kevin from spilling out the "truth" which is dying to be unfurled. As Tenzin starts talking about the nature of truth, she recounts that as a girl she saw herself as more virtuous than the people around her, but later after looking deep inside, she saw that she was arrogant and selfish and had hurt people who deserved more. She spoke of the joy of living without deception and how the "truth will always set us free". This could easily have become somewhat banal and maudlin, but her words trigger off a series of rather droll confessions from townsfolk - including Griff who confesses that Angus' legendary goal was not really a goal after all! Kevin bounds to his feet, determined to tell the truth, appalling everyone present. Angus leaps in hastily, confessing that it wasn't his groin that kept him out of the football. Kevin is determined to confess but Heather pips him at the post and leaps to her feet to blurt out her true parentage. She drops into a dead faint amidst the joyous sounds of Tiddas singing "You & Me Running". This is an infectiously happy song. I burst out laughing when I heard it start up at the same time as Heather's revelation.

In a farewell between Tenzin and Meredith, Tenzin gives Meredith a remedy for the Philippine Borer, revealing that she knew all about the "Secret" of 26 September. Meredith watches on in silent joy as Craig and Harold fish together.

Laura, while banishing borer from her cupboards, finally tells Miranda what she believes in.

I thought it was a sweet ending. All in all, I thought it was a good episode - and not just because it didn't have Jack in it. As mentioned above it started out slow but by the end it was very insightful and funny. I didn't like Tenzin's character at all, partly because she was so creepy looking, but partly because she was such a contrived character. Kudos to the writers though for creating such a realistic character - I've encountered heaps and heaps of people like Tenzin and they've always annoyed me. I wish that being enlightened was as simple as going out and buying clothing from Community Aid Abroad, wearing tranquillity beads and shaving my head. Phrani is a far more genuine attempt at the mix of East and West. She comes across as being much more genuine and "truthful".

Miscellaneous observations:

What was Angus doing with the ruler and his nose?

Did anyone laugh at Karen's quick downward glance when Angus mentioned his groin?

Did anyone spot the weird continuity error? In the scene outside the courthouse when Max and Laura are arguing, the right side of his lower lip is kind of spotty. I don't know whether it was a scab, it was cut or whether it was chocolate stains. In the next few scenes his lips are clear again. Then, in the scene where they're sitting on the grass side by side discussing how he believes in swimming, the spots are back on his lower lip. I found it very distracting. Now I can only see those spots when I see those scenes. *Grin*

Lyn's Spiel:

Koala has made me feel very predictable, as I had all the anticipated reactions (ie: Wow! Max kept his shirt on in this scene . . . etc). I also thought this was a great episode, as once again, the guest actors were excellent, and their characters intriguing.

If this episode suffered from anything, it was - once again - the symbolism with a sledge-hammer. I watched this episode with Beth, who (I noticed) was counting the number of times someone said the word 'truth'. By the end of the episode, she wished she'd switched to 'believe', as apparently that turned out to be more frequent. I grudgingly have to admit that she has a point: as there's no use having a thematic or symbolic link between plots if it's done so strongly that it's irritating and obvious.

Despite this, I don't think I could ever dislike a SeaChange episode, almost on principle. I'd read a shopping list written by Deb Cox. And there was a lot to like in this episode. I thought the real hero was the Bugger Off pest exterminator. His monologue on the immortal breed of borer was hilarious, as was the manic glint in his eyes, as he swayed in the podium. I liked how the way he described the borer became a metaphor for how a secret eats at the conscience: it eats away at the wood, quiet, unseen, insidious, nothing can stop it, etc. And this became peculiarly appropriate because the borer was itself the clue to the town's dark secret, as became apparent that the borer from the Philippines was probably from the timber from the Philippines, which had been illegally salvaged.

As for Koala's curiosity about what was Angus doing with the ruler - all I can offer is that this isn't the first time Angus has done weird things with stationary items in court. In 'My Own True Sweetheart', he spends time idly affixing post-it notes to his upper lip for no apparent reason. Funny, I'm currently writing a take-home exam: can't remember the section of the Constitution I'm after, but can remember that. I think I need my head examined . . .

© 1999 Lyn

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