Rake

Barrister Cleaver Greene's life continues to spiral out of control - the latest blow being the beating he's just received from Mick Corella's stand-over man Col for unpaid gambling debts. As usual, Cleaver retreats to the arms of his lover/friend/confidant Missy, a high class call girl who works at a brothel also frequented by Cleaver's friend, Attorney General, Joe Sandilands. While trying to secure a room in chambers and fend off an on-going unpaid tax case against him, Cleaver is presented by best friend and solicitor Barney with a case he can't resist - the defence of Professor Graham Murray, a world renowned economist accused of cannibalism. Meanwhile, Barney's wife Scarlet - who herself has had dalliances with Cleaver - confronts him with the news that she has fallen out of love with her husband. On his next visit to the brothel, Cleaver is devastated to discover that Missy has quit her job and left no contact details, so he turns to his psychologist ex-wife Wendy for solace. Wendy commiserates, but reminds Cleaver of their son Fuzz's unpaid school fees. Fuzz, meanwhile, draws his indulgent father into a conspiracy to cover up his activities with his new girlfriend. After an accidental meeting in the city, Missy sternly rejects Cleaver, tells him that their relationship was strictly professional and she's now studying law. He is heartbroken. Meanwhile, Cleaver and Barney discover that cannibalism is not considered a crime in New South Wales, so Attorney General Sandilands has engineered a charge of murder against Professor Murray. Cleaver sees his chance - Murray might be a cannibal, but he's not a murderer! As the prosecution paints a picture of clever predator, Cleaver uses the professor's wife to elicit sympathy from the jury and to highlight her husband's insanity. Cleaver is surprised and overjoyed when Missy makes an unexpected visit to his flat and admits that she does owe him an explanation...and, she tells him her real name...Melissa.

Cleaver's gambling debts are mounting, but on the upside, and much to the chagrin of tax lawyer David Potter who's been in constant pursuit, Cleaver has managed to get the case against him adjourned once again. But trouble is brewing with Barney and Scarlet's marriage and Cleaver is the meat in the sandwich. After their recent heart to heart, Scarlet turns up at Cleaver's fl at and hints at an affair, hiding when Barney arrives a few minutes later. Meanwhile, Cleaver and Barney take on a case of jury tampering, where Lucy Marx, an attractive 40-year-old - a detail that doesn't go unnoticed by Cleaver - has made headlines by seducing a juror for information after her daughter is found guilty of murder. But Cleaver is left reeling when Missy turns up at a restaurant on the arm of his nemesis David Potter, who later makes headlines himself when he tackles a gunman, gets shot, and becomes a 'hero'. Meanwhile, Cleaver reluctantly agrees to let his son Fuzz use his flat for assignations with his girlfriend, while Fuzz's mum is kept in the dark. Barney, convinced that Lucy Marx is right about her daughter's innocence, sets off to unearth the real murderer, but doesn't quite get the result he was looking for. With a tip-off from his prosecutor wife Scarlet, Barney warns Cleaver that Lucy Marx is using him. As Cleaver tries to manipulate the court case, his relationship with Lucy Marx is revealed, and makes him, yet again, the target of investigation by the Bar Association. As he drowns his sorrows in a local bar, Cleaver looks up to see Scarlet standing outside in the rain looking at him longingly. Can life get any more complicated for Cleaver Greene?

Consumed by remorse after sleeping with his best friend's wife Scarlet (Danielle Cormack), and facing his ninth appearance before the Professional Conduct Committee of the Bar Association, Cleaver's (Richard Roxburgh) day only gets worse when he's confronted with a front-page story declaring his nemesis David Potter (Matt Day) a hero. When a dispirited Barney (Russell Dykstra) arrives at Cleaver's rooms ready to employ a private detective to find out if Scarlet's having an affair, a panicked and guilt-ridden Cleaver tries to reassure him that his marriage is safe. But he finds a welcome distraction in the brief Barney delivers involving a famous chef charged with bigamy. The chef, George Dana (Lech Mackiewicz), has two restaurants - one in the city, and one in the Blue Mountains - and a wife and family to go with both. Meanwhile, David Potter leaves hospital in a blaze of glory and asks Missy (Adrienne Pickering) to move in with him. She promises to stay at least until he's well, still avoiding his questions about her past. However, Cleaver is still dealing with his own woes - begging Scarlet not to leave Barney, and confessing his misdeed to ex-wife Wendy, who is not as understanding as he'd hoped.
When Scarlet decides to tell Barney that there's someone else, it's his best friend Cleaver he turns to and they go out to drown their sorrows. Cleaver can't believe his day could get any worse when Missy and David arrive at the same restaurant to have dinner with friends. Meanwhile, back in the courtroom, Cleaver's bigamy case is going well...that is until word reaches the court that along with George Dana's most recent restaurant in Newcastle, there is another...Mrs Dana. As Cleaver receives another late night phone call from Missy, they're both left wondering what it is they can't let go of.

Cleaver takes on a case defending Denny Lorton - known as Pica - a once famous but now homeless artist who is accused of murdering a 15-year-old male prostitute in a city back lane. Still struggling with his Scarlet-related demons, and nervous about working with Barney on the case, Cleaver arrives drunk to an art gallery event, making a spectacle of himself in front of Missy and David. But Missy has her own problems as she continues the charade about her past in her new life with David. When David introduces her to Attorney General Joe Sandilands - a client from her Club Jules days - her heart skips a beat. But Joe keeps schtum. With Joe encouraging David to run for office, Missy finds herself at a parliamentary garden party and out of her depth, and once again turns to Cleaver for support. Meanwhile, the atmosphere between Scarlet and Cleaver is less sexual and more combative, while at home Barney gives Scarlet the cold shoulder. At a school visit to discuss their son's lack of progress, Cleaver and Wendy find one ray of hope when Fuzz's English teacher sings his praises. But they are soon to discover the attractive Fiona is teaching Fuzz much more than English. Meanwhile, Cleaver, believing in his client Lorton's innocence, manages to win the court case by shifting suspicion to the prosecution's key witness Stanley Shrimpton. Soon after however, he is given information about Lorton's past, and shaken to the core, decides to exact his own punishment on Lorton. But his day gets even worse and he loses his temper as Fuzz arrives with Fiona, expecting his father to be his usual indulgent self. Meanwhile at Barney's insistence, Scarlet relents and gives him the name of the man she slept with...except it's a name that implicates his best friend Cleaver.

The seemingly perfect life of obstetrician Dr. Bruce Chandler (Sam Neill) is turned upside down when his briefcase is stolen, and a very incriminating DVD finds its way to the local police. Meanwhile, Cleaver (Richard Roxburgh) is miserable when Barney (Russell Dykstra) won't talk to him after his lapse of judgement with Scarlet, and he runs once again to ex- wife Wendy (Caroline Brazier) for solace. But the reception is cool - not only from Wendy, who thinks it's his fault that Fuzz (Keegan Joyce) started an affair with his English teacher, Fiona - but from Fuzz himself, who thinks it's Cleaver's fault that the affair is over. So Cleaver finds a distraction at a boxing match where he takes cocaine and recklessly doubles his bet. And once again Mick Corella's standover man Col (Steve Le Marquand) is there to remind him of his growing debt. Cleaver wakes up battered and bloodied to find Scarlet (Danielle Cormack) on the doorstep declaring that she's homeless. Later that day the Chandler case lands on Cleaver's desk. He can't believe his eyes - the man who delivered his son and godchildren, accused of a "three way with the family dog". With Scarlet's presence compounding his guilt, he tries to get her to leave, but then Melissa (Missy) (Adrienne Pickering) turns up, railing at the realities of partner David's (Matt Day) new political life. As Scarlet advises Melissa to stick with him because a good man is hard to find - it slowly dawns on her that Melissa is Cleaver's 'Missy'. When Wendy arrives looking for Fuzz, Cleaver can't quite believe the circumstances that have all his women under his roof at once. Meanwhile Cleaver is using more and more cocaine. Taking advantage of Missy being close by, he enlists her help on the Chandler case and she comes up with a smart strategy that serves them well. But a call from Joe Sandilands (Geoff Morrell) has Missy scurrying back to dependable David, while Cleaver seeks solace in another line of coke.

Radio shock jock Eddie Langhorn (Rachel Griffiths) is charged with inciting racial hatred, and turns to old flame Cleaver Greene (Richard Roxburgh) to defend her. Meanwhile, Cleaver needs some defending himself when his tax case goes off the rails and he's placed on remand. Feeling lost without good mate and colleague Barney (Russell Dykstra) by his side, a visit from Missy (Adrienne Pickering), in prison brings him to the realisation that he has hit rock bottom. As he tries recover his position with Missy, she is experiencing the 'joys' of political life with David (Matt Day) as they sit through a session of Ukrainian folk dancing at a local council hall. Cleaver arrives at work to find Eddie Langhorn waiting for him, and knows immediately that he's in for trouble as he's never been able to resist her charms. As they share a caustic but predictably sexually charged lunch, Cleaver discovers he has a willing participant in his revisited coke habit. Cleaver then learns his father has had a stroke, and hoping to repair their relationship, takes Fuzz (Keegan Joyce) to the country to visit his ailing father. It doesn't go well. There is a family fight, Fuzz will not forgive him, and the car he borrowed from ex-wife Wendy is side-swiped. As prosecutor on the Langhorn case, Scarlet (Danielle Cormack) is relishing the thought of seeing Eddie - a woman she dislikes intensely - locked up, but her confidence is shattered when she is surrounded by a gang of hoods in a park. As Scarlet flounders in court, Barney gives her some information that could change the nature of the case, and he also confesses that the woman Scarlet saw at their home was a nanny. While David, enjoying his embryonic political career and ever more intimate relationship with Missy, proposes. Cleaver manages to win the case but is disheartened to learn that Eddie Langhorn has conned him once again. And then Missy arrives to tell him that she and David are getting married. Alone, and flicking though an old photo album, Cleaver ponders whether his fractious relationship with his family is probably all his fault.

As Barney (Russell Dykstra) starts to rebound from his recent marriage woes, Joe Sandilands (Geoff Morrell) is publicly outed as one of the MPs who patronise brothel Club Jules. Meanwhile, seeking relief for a hang-over, Cleaver (Richard Roxburgh) gets hit over the head during a botched robbery at a local pharmacy. So too does one of the hapless robbers when his accomplice takes a wild swing at a CCTV camera and misses, badly injuring his mate. Feeling sorry for himself Cleaver calls Barney to the hospital, hoping Barney will see his injuries as punishment for his betrayal. But Barney sees this as just as another of Cleaver's manipulations To add insult to injury, a small piece about the attack on Cleaver in the newspaper is overshadowed by a story of an assault on a woman in Glebe. So Cleaver is delighted when he's presented with handling the defence of the woman's assailant, Travis Tanner - a case which came to him via Missy (Adrienne Pickering) , who says she saw the accused elsewhere at the time of the assault. When the injured robber dies, his mate is charged with manslaughter, and Cleaver is asked to defend him. Meanwhile, Joe Sandilands, having lost everything - including his wife and children, looks to Missy for solace but realises it's Cleaver who has her heart. Barney and Scarlet (Danielle Cormack) visit a marriage counsellor, where Barney makes it clear that their marriage is over - leaving Scarlet reeling. When Joe commits suicide, everyone is devastated: after the funeral Barney uncharacteristically visits a pole-dancing club; a maudlin Cleaver, yearning for the good old days, kisses ex-wife Wendy (Caroline Brazier); and Missy, the last to see Joe alive, turns to Cleaver, only later having to confront an angry David (Matt Day) who wants to know why she's always going missing. A family dinner for Fuzz's (Keegan Joyce) birthday turns ugly when Fiona tells Fuzz she's leaving him for a younger boy. Meanwhile Missy arrives at the Tanner trial to give evidence for the defence, but is instead confronted with something from her past that could change her relationship with Cleaver forever.

At one of their regular swingers' parties, Mick Corella's (Richard Carter) wife Kirsty (Robyn Malcolm) runs into an old school friend Nigel (Paul Gleeson), and they exchange numbers. When police dig up Nigel's body in a car park Mick becomes their chief suspect. Meanwhile Cleaver (Richard Roxburgh) enlists Fuzz (Keegan Joyce) and Nicole (Kate Box) to help him forge receipts for his tax case. When Wendy (Caroline Brazier) arrives to collect Fuzz, Cleaver suggests that raising a second mortgage on 'their' house would solve his back taxes problem, and a furious Wendy reminds him that the house is 'hers'. Meanwhile, David (Matt Day) wins his seat in parliament, but the government is ousted, so he has given up a promising career to waste his life on the back benches. As Missy (Adrienne Pickering) commiserates, her disappointment for him and the weight of her guilt over the lies about her past get the better of her, and she blurts out the truth about who she is. As David slowly digests her news, it dawns on him that not only was Joe Sandilands (Geoff Morrell) one of her clients, but so was Cleaver Greene! So as his tax case against Cleaver resumes, David is openly hostile and determined to put him away.
Meanwhile, Mick Corella insists that Cleaver defend him, and he and Barney (Russell Dykstra) are forced to work together again. When Missy tells Cleaver it's over with David, she is taken aback by his reluctance to commit. And, although happy to see Cleaver and Barney working together again, Scarlet is having second thoughts about ending their marriage. In the meantime Cleaver has decided Missy is the girl for him - but has he left it too late. Hating the fact that they are defending such a vile man, Cleaver and Barney hatch a plan that could blow Mick's defence right out of the water. But if Cleaver thought getting Mick Corella locked up for life would solve his debt problems, he has another thing coming. But Barney has forgiven him and the world seems to be back in balance ...well, as balanced as Cleaver Greene's world could ever be.