Rake

Last seen dangling from a balloon drifting across the Sydney skyline, Cleaver Greene's decent to earth lands him straight into the clutches of a one time mentor and now powerful criminal on the run, Edgar Thompson. Meanwhile Barney is adrift above the Pacific, while a drug addled Missy blows into town from LA.

Cleaver's been hiding out in the country posing as a writer, but his cover's blown when Barney appears on Australian Story, complete with images of his best friend. It isn't long before Thompson's goons arrive on the scene.

Back in the city, Cleaver's been evicted and Wendy reluctantly takes him in. Meanwhile, a nervous Cal McGregor, Premier and DPP conspire to drop most charges against Thompson because he knows too much, but knowing Cleaver still has the goods on him, Thompson plans to frame him for the drug charges. Barney is reeling from the costs of his rescue, while David and Scarlet's romance is slowly being scuttled by her children. Missy is desperate for drugs, and Cleaver's good-hearted attempt to rescue her falls on deaf ears.

Thompson has Cleaver just about stitched up on the drug charges until Wendy comes to the rescue. Meanwhile Missy's strange behaviour comes to the attention of Cleaver's' old nemesis Cal McGregor who sees a chance to bury Cleaver once and for all. David fights to keep Scarlet with devastating results, while a rejected Nicole is scrolling through her ex-husband Bevan's posts.

In the wake of Scarlet's death, everyone is affected. David is charged with her murder, a devastated Barney is trying to care for the kids, and for Wendy, it's a wakeup call to move on with her life. Missy is off snorting cocaine with her newfound friend Cal McGregor, while Nicole's renewed her relationship with Bevan.

David agrees to let Cleaver defend him, and Barney sees it as another betrayal. Meanwhile, Missy, held captive at Wendy's house to 'detox', enlists Fuzz to get her drugs and then seduces him. When Wendy has a date with an old flame, Jack, Cleaver springs into action to prove he's a changed man. When found not guilty, David announces he's standing for the Federal Labor Party in the Senate.

After David's acquittal Cleaver and Nicole worry about Barney's state of mind, but for Cleaver and David their detente is at an end. Cleaver makes the news with an off the cuff remark about judges to a journalist and ends up disbarred, and Wendy kicks him out. Cleaver's senate candidate sister Jane badmouths him on television, and he claims that he could beat her, even "standing for nothing'.

Cleaver confirms he's running as an independent Senate candidate, while David has announced he's now running as a Green. Cleaver's still determined to snatch Wendy back from Jack's clutches, but Jack is scheming to get rid of him for good. In 'do good' mode, Cleaver is also planning to get Barney and Nicole back together, while Fuzz has surprising news of his own.