Stars In Their Eyes


Original Air Date (Australia) 29th April 1998

This episode started with the Heelers in the pub. Suddenly an advertisment with Keith comes onto the TV that’s on in there. The Heelers can’t believe it. Nick is talking to someone about the film that everyone’s talking about. They discuss who would make a good Starvation O’Flynn. All the actors mentioned are already dead. Chris introduces the Vaughns (Rick and Jake) to tom who in turn introduces PJ and tell them the rest can introduce themselves. Jake asks if he can see the parlour again while Rick goes up to Maggie. He makes a comment about her eyes and asks if she has ever done any acting. PJ interjects and says “Only in court”. Maggie smiles and tells Rick, “No.” Maggie decides to show Rick around just to annoy PJ, leaving PJ alone at the bar. PJ complains that no-one will sell him a beer.

*****Cut to opening title sequence

The next day, Maggie runs to catch up to PJ who is walking towards the station to work. They see Keith on a bulldozer and walk over to see what is happening. Keith explains to them that he’s about to shoot a new commercial with Big Rodney (the bulldozer) and that his director (Don) is applying for a traffic permit so he can use the bulldozer in the street.
Maggie and PJ walk into the station to find that Don is indeed arguing with Nick about the traffic permit and Dash and Adam mucking around, talking about the new film that’s going to be made. Tom comes out of his office to tell PJ that someone has stolen Mrs Burrell candlesticks. Dash tells Maggie about the story of Starvation O’Flynn and turns it into a romance story.
Mrs Burrell comes in to make a statement. Maggie and Dash are conducting the interview and she asks for a male police officer. Maggie tells her, “Sorry”. It turns out that the candlesticks were part of the set that Satrvation O’Flynn stole. She tells them that the Vaughns were out at her place the day before last. And that there were strange holes dug around her place. She just assumed that to be the work of kids.
Mrs Bell rings in to say that her figurine has been stolen. PJ sends Dash and Maggie to pick up the Vaughns. They find them at the pub. Rick is talking photos of Dash and Maggie - mainly Maggie - so Dash decides to find Jake, who is wooing Chris. They take them down to the station. It turns out that they are pretty close to Falcon “Rusty” Price and Tom tells PJ to go easy on them.
Jake and Rick are interviewed together in relation to the recent thefts. They claim that were out there to do a location survey. They leave and PJ says that he rckons that there’s something suss about them. Falcon Price want them to feel as welcomed as possible and suggests a police escort. Tom decides on Maggie but PJ isn’t happy about it and pushes Dash into it because of her background knowledge of the story of Starvation O’Flynn. Before she leaves, PJ tells her to report on everything, leaving Maggie to stare at PJ with her hands on her hips.
Dash heads out with the Vaughns to a location survey. They talk about the story when they se Keith with Big Rodney on a property (it is Keith’s property). They shop. Dash explains that he’s shooting a new commercial for Dam building. Don gets angry and they leave.
At the pub, don gets angry because the Vaughns get special treatment. Chris is going on a date with Jake. PJ warns her to watch out because of the recent thefts that have been going on. Chris tells him that is she wanted his advice she would have asked for it and she leaves.
The next day, Keith comes in to report that his bulldozer has been stolen. PJ and Maggie check out the crime scene. It seems that Keith is very distraught about the theft of Big Rodney.
Don comes into the station wanting to know if they’re going to “interrogate” the Vaughns. Dash comes in late to work because she has been given the day off from the Vaughns. Tom gets angry because she works for him not them.
Nick is out at Keith’s propertywhen he sees that Vaughns walking out the the property with a shovel. They claim that they are just going to the toilet and Nick takes them into the station.
Chris reports the theft of a painting. Chris confesses that she spent the night with Jake.
Dash and PJ go to speak to Glenn Cumming (the Vaughns runner/driver) and find the stolen property at his house (that he shared with Rowan). They take his fingerprints at the station. He tells PJ that Rowan wanted the job with the Vaughns. Dash matches Glenn’s fingerprints with the figurine that turns up on Benny Danders doorstep earlier.
Nick and Maggie check out every place in Mt Thomas that a bulldozer could be taken to and find nothing.
Nick and Tom find Don at the pub, holding a cue almost attacking the Vaughns because Rowan works for them now. They split up the group and send Don home.
The next day, Keith comes in to tell them that the marching girls and the band for his new commercial have turned up at his property and don isn’t there. He says that Don rang him last night and said everything was to go ahead for the filming but that he isn’t there. He adds that Don’s wife says he hasn’t been home all night.
Nick goes to talk to Chris about Don. PJ talks to the Vaughns. Dash bumps into Jake Vaughn and drops the evidence (painting, candlesticks and figurine). She picks up the painting first and Jake stares at it, obviously interested. They talk about the film and them Jake leaves, leaving Dash more than a little confused.
The heelers get a call saying that someone’s been sounding something out in morse code for most of the night. It turns out that Nick told Maggie not to check there for a bulldozer. Maggie and PJ check it out and find Don bound and gagged in the bulldozer, spelling out SOS on the horn. Don tells them that Rowan did it. Adam goes over to pick Rowan up but he tries to make a run for it. Adam tips him over and takes him to the station.
Maggie and PJ interview Rowan who denies it. They convince him to cooperate. He says that he was using his initiative. Rick was annoyed that they had to go back to Melbourne that day and they wanted to survey Keith’s property and that Don’s ad stuffed them up. They say the bulldozer and went “feral”. So he “tapped” Don. He set up his mate Glenn because he took his job. He smeared the figurine with Glenn’s fingerprints before leaving it on Benny Danders’ doorstep.
The bulldozer turns out to be Keith’s. Tom gives the dozer back to Keith and Don, who leave immediately to catch the marching girls.
PJ is still convinced that the Vaughns are giulty of something, like there’s a missing link. Dash says it’s Starvation O’Flynn. All the properties that they visited were visited by Starvation O’Flynn. The Vaughns followed a map of Starvation O’Flynn. The Bell and Burrell properties each had holes in them and they wanted to dig at Keith’s property but Nick caught them o ut. PJ decides to go out to the Pervis property to check it out. Dash connected it with the painting stolen from Chris’. She describes it and it shows tham the way to the treasure.
Maggie and PJ get out to the property and Keith’s there with the marching girls, shotting his new ad. Rick approaches Keith while Jake starts digging, in search for the treasure. Maggie and PJ arrive and run onto the scene. Don attacks Rick and Maggie and PJ try to split them up. Keith sees Jake digging up his land and goes after him on the bulldozer. The girls continue marching until they realise what is happening and run off in all directions. But still Jake doesn’t move. PJ yells first at Keith and then at Jake to get out of the way. He doesn’t and finally PJ jumps in and pushes Jake out of the way. Keith keeps on going and runs over Don’s camera in the process.
Tom can’t believe that the Vaughns expected to find treasure. It turns out they’ve been trying to make the epic for years but no-one bought their script because it was so bad. They though that if they found the treasure it would generate publicity and investment interest for the film.
Jake confesses that they stole the bulldozer but intended to put it back after they found the treasure. He couldn’t let them build a dam on the most likely spot could he?
Tom wants to charge them for the theft of the dozer and the unauthorised driving of the low-loader but offers them a way out, that is, for them to show some remorse.
It turns out they took the second option - they make Keith’s ad for him, replaced Don’s camera and got a solicitor for Rowan.
Nick is still talking about who could play Starvation O’Flynn. All actors mentioned are, like before, dead, or Australian.
PJ and Maggie are at a table eating chips and talking about Mount Thomas not becoming the Hollywood of the Southern Hemisphere. PJ is still harping on about his antennae when Maggie tries the “eyes” line on him. Dash and Tom join them. Tom doesn’t want to hear anymore about the stupid film. Then Keith comes onto the TV with his new ad.

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