Blue Heelers Season 3, Episode 23: The Principle of the Thing

Once Only Withdrawal - Part 1

Bush fires are ringing the township of Mount Thomas and Maggie and Wayne are out evacuating farm houses in the path of the inferno, but this routine job suddenly turns dangerous when they are confronted by a masked man brandishing a shotgun. Maggie and Wayne overcome the offender and take him into custody. Back at the station he is quickly identified as one of three bandits who held up St. David's bank the previous day. The prisoner proves to be uncooperative. He refuses to give his name or those of his accomplices and in an unguarded moment, he swallows a handful of thumbtacks. Although Mt. Thomas Hospital is presently under renovations, there is still a skeleton staff there and the bandit is rushed into emergency surgery under the care of Dr. Zoe Hamilton. Wayne is duped into giving up his gun and uniform by one of the bandits posing as a hostage. Maggie goes to the hospital to discover someone else dressed in Wayne's clothes. She plays it cool and attempts to put a call through to t

43 min

Once Only Withdrawal - Part 2

A siege has developed at the Mt. Thomas hospital. While the armed and desperate Nerida Davidson and Jason Bennett hold Maggie and Wayne on the inside, the rest of the Heelers lay in wait on the outside of the building. Meanwhile, bushfires ring the township making outside help a forlorn hope. The bandits' objective is to get their compatriot, Matt, out of the hospital and away, but this is not made any easier by his gradually worsening medical condition. When captured, Matt swallowed a handful of map pins in order to get to the hospital, a soft target from which he could be more easily rescued. The situation is further complicated by the presence of mother-to-be Augusta Torrini and her emotional, hot-blooded husband, Sergio. When Wayne bravely tries to overcome the bandits he ends up pistol whipped and chained to a hospital bed. Maggie, Dr. Zoe Hamilton and Nurse Tracy Mitchell play a dangerous game of bluff to try to and get Augusta to safety. Adam, meanwhile, comes up with some disco

44 min

Second Innings

Cricket team rivalry, stolen meat and suspicious fingerprints. Could all this lead to the capture of a wanted criminal?

Spider Man

The prime suspect in a series of child murders is found dead under mysterious circumstances. Nick becomes a suspect when he shows little or no remorse. Nick is haunted by memories of his daughter's death when a child killer is discovered operating in the Mt. Thomas area.

Day of Reckoning

A child killer dies while in Nick's custody. At the coroner's inquest Nick learns that he is the prime suspect in the man's death.

Sex and Death

When the Heelers are called out to a nasty road accident they are shocked to discover that one fo the injured is Cooper. What exactly was he doing in a car that appeared to have been drag racing and what else is he hiding from them.

Not in My Backyard

Plans to build a prison in the area have the locals up in arms. Tensions in the community run high and the local cops are accused of colluding with the demonstrators.

All Part of the Service

Tom encourages an elderly civic-minded school crossing supervisor and is confronted with an explosive monster.

Dog Days

There's a sheep killer in the area and the Mt. Thomas cops are determined to hunt it down; meanwhile Wayne continues to bond with single mother Gabe.

An Act of Random Violence

A violant prison escapee holds Wayne hostage, throwing the station into turmoil. But it isn't the hostage crisis that will be the most tragic event of the day...

Unfinished Business

The aftermath of Wayne's death sees each of the officers coming to terms with their grief. When a stolen watch implicates Wayne in a crime, the cops struggle to clear his name, and in doing so, find ways to pour out their feelings.

Happy Families

Maggie celebrates her 25th birthday but the fallout from a drug bust threatens to tear her family apart.

Priorities

Tom is sent away for some retraining, leaving the station seriously understaffed. Things go from bad to worse when the computer system goes down, an old man goes missing, and a young mother's car is stolen with her baby asleep in the back seat.

Fair Crack of the Whip - Part 1

The replacement police officer, Jack Woodley, finally arrives in Mt. Thomas just in time to help the cops deal with an irresponsible rodeo cowboy, and Tom deals with his daughter Anna when she reaches her ninth month of pregnancy.

44 min

Fair Crack of the Whip - Part 2

PJ and Jack are at odds over how to handle the case of an elderly woman who is the victim of a vicious assault.

45 min

Under Pressure

Officers investigate a dispute between two sheep shearers, a case which sparks a series of events leading PJ to discover the truth about his new partner Jack.

Fight Dirty

Maggie is set to prosecute the Dean Crocker case but PJ has doubts about the investigation and about the accuracy of Jack's evidence.

The Art of Deception

The Mt. Thomas Festival of the Arts causes headaches for Tom and Chris while Nick attempts to break down the fence between two feuding neighbours.

45 min

Old Sins, Long Shadows

Maggie investigates a homicide on the sly, and Adam deals with a complaint from a high school principal about the circulation of pornographical material in the area.

In Unity Is Strength

Adam is upset after he and Nick discover the body of a teenager who has died from alcohol abuse, while Chris' summary dismissal of her cellarman results in a strike at the pub.

45 min

The Kremin Factor

The new probationary Constable, Dash McKinley, arrives in Mount Thomas much to Tom's annoyance and Adam's delight. Meanwhile, a young woman turns up to confront a wealthy family with the news that she is a long-lost daughter, returned from the dead.

Shelter from the Storm

Tom faces a dilemma when the attempted suicide of Clancy's mother puts her intellectually disabled son in jeopardy

Mind Games

PJ & Maggie have to examine the evnts of the past when a woman unleashes some powerful memories from her childhood.

Duty of Care

Dash & Nick are called out to an old farmhouse where they discover a vandalised room, a terrified child and swinging from a light fitting, a dead lamb.

Other People's Lives

PJ and Maggie investigate the death of a young ballet dancer, but PJ is upset by Maggies pas de deux with her varsity tutor.

60 min

A Gift from God

A paraplegic farmer is found battered and bruised and Tom suspects a travelling water diviner. Little does he know, however, that the stranger is the father of Anna's baby.

Waiting to Happen

Nick is surprised by Dash's unprofessional behaviour at the scene of a fatal accident, until he learns that both the victims were friends of hers. She insists she can cope with the trauma, but Nick feels there is more to it. PJ investigates Roman and discovers he's married.

Bewitched

PJ spills the beans about Roman but an investigation into the death of a clergyman's daughter leads Maggie to wonder how much he really knows. Meanwhile, Nick and Dash attempt to look after a hairdresser and sometime witch when she is pursued by bigots.

Mud Sticks

Tom accepts the possibility that his daughter is gone for good; the team investigate baby bashing at a local creche; and Dash is very taken with PJ's replacement - Detective Johnny Kowalski.

The Angels' Share

Dash gets a humiliating rejection when she realises Johnny is interested in Maggie, a stock of premium wine goes missing and Tom hears some bad news about his missing daughter.

Something for Nothing

The Heelers investigate a domestic burgularly and Dash wins on Chris' gaming machines then gets carried away by her winning streak.

Winner Takes All

A horse endurance race presents problems for the Heelers with both a sabateur and a thief on the loose. Dash and Maggie can't escape Johnny Kowalski's womanising and the team face PJ's return with mixed feelings.

I Spy

When PJ answers the phone at the station, he is surprised to find a toddler named Kanga calling to say his mummy won't wake up and his baby sister is crying. While the Heelers search for the location of Kanga's house, PJ is mortified to realise that Kanga's stepdad is playing a role in this and is trying to get into the house...

Reality Bytes

Dash and Adam wreck the hard drive of the Leap linked computer at the station while playing Doom. They have the system repaired locally and are anzious that Tom doesn't find out, but glitches soon appear, which seems to be connected to burglaries Maggie and PJ are investigating.

In the Gun - Part 1

The return of a young criminal to Mt. Thomas stirs up painful memories for Dash. Nick and Adam are sent to a domestic in which PJ becomes the target of a family's rage against the police.

45 min

In the Gun - Part 2

When a young mother of two is killed, a videotape of the incident appears to show that PJ cold-bloodedly shot her in the back. PJ faces tough questioning but the worst attention is that of tabloid TV journalist, Paul Carson. Maggie can see that PJ is having a harder time than he lets on, so she decides to help clear his name in the media. To do this she must prove that video pictures can lie and that Carson is a fraud. But even if she succeeds, PJ still has the Coronial Inquest ahead of him.

45 min

Buck Naked

It's Halloween in Mt. Thomas, and when Dash and Adam are sent out to apprehend what they assume is a seasonal prank—a naked man. Dash is astonished to discover it is her brother Ian, the victim of his bucks party the night before. Ian's wedding is only two days away, and Dash is horrified to discover his fiance in bed with a German tourist. But Ian is prepared to overlook her indiscretion and ignore warnings from Dash. Can Dash change her brother's fate in time?

Friendly Fire

Nick is delighted when his old friend Gordy Muir turns up in Mt. Thomas to run a ""war games"" course for corporate clients, and thrilled when Gordy offers him a partnership in the new venture. But things quickly go sour when the observing senior partner of a law firm is injured during a mock ambush on the paint splat course, and the Heelers are called in to investigate.

Half a Second

PJ's career hangs in the balance when the coroners inquest into Raelene Darcy's death begins. PJ suffers a crisis of confidence and only Maggie stands between him and professional ruin.

Miss Mt. Thomas

The favourite in the Miss Mount Thomas contest tells the Heelers she is being stalked, then mysteriously disappears.

45 min

Dead and Alive

Dash's family problems reach crisis point when her mother is admitted to a Melbourne hospital. She is in desperate need of a donor kidney to save her from certain death. But when advised of a possible donor Dash's joy is short-lived—the donor is her brother Ian who has been in a motor bike accident and is not expected to live.

60 min