A Place to Call Home: Season 2 opens with a 93-year-old Sarah (Marta Dusseldorp) being interviewed by a young woman about the events of her life and she is flashing back to some of the disturbing cliffhangers that closed the previous season, such as the apparent murder of Bert, the local bully. Meanwhile, back in the 1950's, Sarah and Anna (Abby Earl) are both experiencing a bit of culture shock as each of them has agreed to live in the home of their intended, to get a taste of what their new lives will entail. Naturally, Elizabeth Bligh (Noni Hazelhurst) couldn't be more thrilled at the chance to see Sarah out of her element and to show her son George (Brett Climo) that she is not fit to be his wife. Meanwhile, young socialite-in-love Anna is thriving at the home of the Poletti family, acting as Gino's (Also Mignone) farmhouse wife in matters all but the intimate ones. However, Elizabeth is determined to see Sarah as a fish out of water and she conspires with her socialite friend Prudence, who is also the mother of Andrew (Matt Levett), the handsome, wealthy bachelor who has been patently spurned by Anna. Andrew has plans all his own and he sets his sites on vulnerable mother-to-be Olivia (Arianwen Parkes-Lockwood) who is desperately in need of a friend while her husband James (David Berry) is in psychological treatment for his homosexuality. As Livvy suffers silently with only Andrew to turn to, James undergoes brutal "therapy" including electroshock and aversion therapy, but his doctors suggest something far worse for a permanent "cure."
Despite Elizabeth's best efforts to humiliate Sarah in social events, Sarah can quite hold her own and the town of Inverness enjoys a happy occasion when George and Sarah host their engagement bash, even while George asks Anna to keep her relationship with Gino a secret. George will soon see the hypocrisy of what he is forcing his daughter to do and wedding bells won't be far behind.
George's sister Carolyn (Sara Wiseman) is back in town and having dropped the bombshell on Dr. Jack Duncan (Craig Hall) last season that they have a daughter, Jack is desperate to connect with the girl, whoever she is. Carolyn resists telling him about Anna because she doesn't want to cause George distress, especially with his wedding plans, plus the stress over James and his treatment. Meanwhile, Regina (Jenni Baird) has been off in Europe digging up the dirt on Sarah and boy does she come home with a whopper! Soon Elizabeth finds herself the most hated member of the family, as she is blamed for sending Regina on her hunt, even as Regina is threatening to topple Elizabeth as the lady of the manor. She has always wanted George and will stop at nothing to get him. The end of the season finds everyone in very interesting and unexpected places in their lives. I must admit I was horrified to the the words "The End" roll as the final episode played and I rushed to the internet to have my fears soothed. Although appearing on a new station, Seasons 3 and 4 have thankfully been commissioned and are being filmed now. Whew.
Unlike last season's DVD release, there are special features on A Place to Call Home: Season 2 and I thoroughly enjoyed them. In addition to some enlightening cast interviews (several show couples are married in real life!), there are also clips about the show's characters and an interesting featurette on what it took to transform the gorgeous Marta Dusseldorp into a old woman. It's all good stuff.
A Place to Call Home is my favorite drama right now and I marathon it in a matter of days when I get it in my hot little hands. The acting and writing are phenomenal and the show is completely addictive. I love the gorgeous costuming and attention to detail and this season, especially, was so much fun because we got glimpses into not only Sarah's horrific past, but also Elizabeth's youth and her special relationship with Jack. As long as Bevan Lee continues to create compelling storylines for the townsfolk of Inverness and specifically, Sarah and the Bligh family, I will be glued to my television watching. If you haven't yet checked out this show, do yourself a favor and watch one of the finest dramas around.
