Joan Ferguson

Overview

During her time as both governor and prisoner, Joan is known for creating major conflicts within Wentworth prison. The second season follows her attempting to gain control over the prison by replacing Franky with Bea in the top dog position. She also turns Will Jackson and Matthew Fletcher against each other in revenge for a past incident with Will.

The third season shows a more psychotic side of Joan as Bea and the inmates turn against her and her vendetta against Will Jackson leads her to being arrested in the last episode. Joan returns to Wentworth as a prisoner in Season 4 and attempts to exonerate herself and end Bea Smith's rule, doing this first by befriending Kaz Proctor and convincing her to murder her star witness, Nils Jesper. When this fails, Joan uses her knowledge of Officer Jake Stewart's actions within the prison to have him kill Nils Jesper. As she walks free, Bea Smith ambushes her in revenge for Joan's attempted murder of Bea's girlfriend, Allie, and thrusts a screwdriver into herself, incriminating Joan for Bea's murder.

Season 5 follows Joan being imprisoned for Bea's murder, as she attempts to bring down Vera Bennett by becoming Top Dog. Allie Novak attempts multiple times to get her revenge on Joan, finally succeeding by having her buried alive by Will Jackson. Throughout the sixth season, Joan appears as a hallucination to Will, taunting him and having him second guess if he succeeded in burying her alive. Will, accompanied by Vera and Jake, goes to undig her grave for closure and if there's a slim chance Joan could have escaped. But they all discover her now lifeless body in the box, and she was believed to be dead until appearing in the closing seconds of the Season 7 finale episode ‘Under Siege Part 2’ confirming she is indeed alive.

Creation

FremantleMedia Director of Drama Jo Porter said “Prisoner offered up a very rich well of amazing characters to draw upon and the Wentworth writers are very excited about revisiting the character of prison officer Joan ‘The Freak’ Ferguson in our second season. It was then announced that Pamela Rabe was going to portray Joan. It was said “In reviving the role of Joan Ferguson, Rabe adds to Wentworth‘s stellar cast and will undoubtedly add new layers to an imposing character…”

Characterization

The Wentworth website states “Joan’s strength is her determination to succeed against the odds. She found a career in corrections and started as an officer. Her no-nonsense attitude won her fans in high places and she was fast-tracked to Deputy Governor of Queensland’s most troublesome prison, Blackmoore.”

Backstory

Joan was born in Korsakov, Russia, on August 24, 1964. It is unclear how and why she came to Australia. Her deceased father is Ivan Ferguson, who placed very high expectations on her and taught her that emotions would weaken her. In Ivan's eyes, Joan did not sufficiently meet these expectations and he frequently hectored and bullied her as a result. In a Joan centric episode, “The Fixer”, we see that Joan worked in a different prison, and was having a relationship with one of the inmates, Jianna. Jianna's baby was taken away from her, and Joan blamed Will Jackson, then a social worker, for Jianna's death. Joan wasn't aware that, because of their relationship, Jianna was, in fact, killed by the other prisoners.

Storylines

Season 2

Joan is introduced at the beginning of the second season when she busts a drug smuggle in the laundry room and introduces herself as governor. After Franky refuses allegiance with her, Ferguson becomes fixed on ending Franky's reign as top dog. She releases Bea and cuts her medication to make Bea lucid and urges her into taking on the top dog position.

Joan lets Doreen start a garden project in the prison and gets prisoners from the men's prison to help with the development. She uses this trust to let Doreen tell her how Bea is and to reveal what prisoner spray painted a derogatory graffiti of Ferguson (the prisoner was Sky Pierson).

Joan later gets Vera drunk to learn about the secrets of the prison, including Fletch's affair with former governor Meg Jackson. She later uses this information to inform Jackson of the affair and then has her thug, Nils Jesper, invade Fletcher's home to make it look like Will invaded his home looking for the diary then has Jackson's home invaded to make it look like Fletch was trying to get the diary back.

Joan gives a "hotshot" to Simmo Slater when she learns that Simmo has to kill Bea Smith, making it look like she had a bad reaction to Franky's drugs. Joan also manipulates Liz into being her informant.

As punishment for Franky's drug trade, Ferguson makes the inmates watch as she bulldozes the whole garden project. Franky confronts Joan over murdering Simmo, at which point Ferguson reveals to her that one of Franky's friends is her informer.

Joan abuses Doreen after finding out she is pregnant. Joan then tries to get Doreen to name Will as being the father. When Doreen refuses, Ferguson murders Doreen's pet bird and tosses it into her cell.

When Derek Channing initiates an investigation into Wentworth Prison in an attempt to get Ferguson removed as Governor, Ferguson finds out from Rachel Singer that Derek is recruiting parolees. She has Nils look into it and finds out he uses the young parolees as a part of his brothels. Ferguson blackmails Derek with this information, forcing him to give her a good word to the board.

Season 3

Joan puts Vera's life at risk during a riot organised by Bea Smith. Joan is later told by Bea "You don’t run this prison. I do!"

After the riot, Joan asks Bea what she wants. Bea gets most of her terms met from Joan including pizzas for breakfast.

Franky witnesses Joan taking Jodie somewhere while in the slot; She's in the slot herself and hears Jodie next door.

Bea realises that Joan tortured Jodie into shiving her in the yard

Joan visits Fletch and when she learns that Vera has been going to see him behind her back, she calls her trust of Vera into question.

Jodie makes an abuse complaint against Ferguson which blindsides her. Joan isn't happy when Derek can't quash the complaint as it had been made directly to the ombudsman. When realising that Bea had a hand in the complaint, she gets her henchman to drug Bea and drag her into the exercise yard through the tunnels, causing Bea to miss Jodie's hearing. Without Bea at her hearing, Jodie is intimidated at giving evidence and is sent to the psych unit.

Joan has Bea put in the psych unit when Bea's behavior in the exercise yard is mistaken as a psychotic episode. After Vera mentions rumours of Bridget and Franky's relationship, Joan plants a recording device in Bridget's office and hears Franky admitting to killing Meg Jackson.

Joan yet again tortures Jodie, leading Jodie to stab herself in the eye to prevent being moved into the general population. When Bridget accuses Joan of engineering the self-harm, Joan manipulates Vera into writing a statement on Bridget and Franky's relationship and has Bridget resign. Joan later has dinner with Vera, who confronts Joan about the riot incident and how it led Vera to being infected hepatitis C from a dirty syringe that was held to her neck.

Joan turns Will and Franky against each other by sending Will the recording of Franky's confession on his wife's murder. Joan watches Will attack Franky but is enraged when he doesn't kill Franky so that Franky makes parole. Joan then plants drugs in toys that Nash Taylor bring forJoshua in revenge for Doreen making fun of her and to further turn Bea's friends against her.

Season 4

Joan is transferred to Wentworth's protection unit where she is awaiting trial. She tries to manipulate Vera again but fails.

Joan files a petition to be released into general population within the prison. When being assessed by Bridget, Joan reveals Vera's euthanasia of her mother to stop the recording of Joan being used to keep her in protection. Joan is later released into the general population after she blackmails Channing.

When being moved into general population in the prison Joan is subjected to verbal abuse by the other prisoners. Joan speaks with Kaz and tells her not to listen to Bea. She also talks to Doreen and makes her believe that she saved her son, Josh, in the fire and that it was Jess who is responsible for the burning down of H Block. This leads Doreen to protect Joan while she has an airing in the exercise yard. Joan asks Bea to beat her up in the shower so as to give the women what they want. However, while she takes a shower, Joan is brutally raped and attacked by Lucy Gambaro and her gang. Bea, who was on her way to kill Joan, comes to her aid and helps her get dressed. Flashbacks in this episode shows that while in the psychiatric facility she was raped by the doctor who was looking after her. Joan used this assault to get the doctor to give her a clean bill of health.

In the next episode, Joan is shown as a member of Kaz Proctor's crew after blaming her sexual assault on Will Jackson. This leads to an attack on Jackson, where Ferguson aids by telling them where the areas are in the prison without cameras. Joan denies to Bridget and Vera that she has been attacked so she can stay in general. Joan convinces Doreen to blackmail Vera to get her conjugal approved.

When Kaz' dad dies, Joan plants drugs in Allie Novak's cell to get her slotted and give Joan more opportunity to become closer with Kaz. Joan then relays her experiences with her father to get Kaz' trust. Joan then talks to Boomer and tells her she and Maxine would be good at being top dog together. She talks to Lucy Gambaro and her crew to convince them to go after new prisoner, Tasha, in an attempt to steer Lucy's attention off Joan. Joan leads Tasha to the shower, where Tasha pushes the panic button to stop her from being raped. Joan convinces Kaz to stop Maxine from punishing Tasha but Maxine lets Tasha off.

Season 5

Joan is put in the isolation unit of Wentworth following Bea's death. She is then released into the general population at the same time as Allie comes back from the hospital following her overdose. In the exercise yard, Allie and a number of different inmates attack Joan. Joan fights back and proves victorious, taking on all her attackers, snapping an inmates arm and strangling Allie just as she had done to Jess, scaring the other inmates. She believes that Vera was trying to help Bea kill her and conveys this to her lawyer, Jake and Vera herself. Since this is true, Vera makes it appear that Bea had used another officer's card to escape and kill Joan, infuriating her.

When Franky Doyle returns to Wentworth, she meets with Joan and believes that Ferguson framed her for Mike Penisi's murder, since the gun Shane was going to use on Nils Jesper was the one that Mike was shot with. This causes a confrontation in the cafeteria as well as Franky asking Vera to find out who killed Nils Jesper. Joan puts on the teal uniform again in this episode and makes it her goal to have Vera brought down in her job and in her emotional life.

Joan lets Top Dog Kaz Proctor know of the drug conduit Tina is using. When Kaz shuts down the drug trade, Joan gains partnership with her crew as well as 'the Boys' when she promises to find a new drug conduit. With Jake Stewart on her side, the women are supplied with more and more drugs, putting a strain on Kaz Proctor's leadership.

Joan focuses on becoming Top Dog and using the position to take down Vera. She has Jake become closer to Vera, moving in with him and throwing her a birthday party, and also makes him have sex with the prison nurse, Mrs Radcliffe. She uses this incident to blackmail the nurse into sabotaging Lucy Gambaro's dentist appointment. As she puts new prisoner Iman into Lucy's orbit and manipulates Lucy into attempting to rape Iman, Kaz Proctor loses support as she refuses to use violence to punish Lucy. Joan cuts out Lucy Gambaro's tongue and has Jake put it in a gift box to give it to Vera as her birthday present. This new move gains the support and fear of the prison inmates, who elect her as the new top dog.

Joan starts her reign by supplying drugs to the women, including Bea's girlfriend Allie, who is actually attempting to use the drugs to hotshot Joan and get her revenge. Joan has Allie burn Bea's old drawing book and the photos left in it in exchange for the drugs. While in the shower, Allie appears to have overdosed and Joan taunts her, stating "If only Bea could see us now." Allie attempts to kill Joan by sticking a syringe filled with drugs in her neck. However, the plan backfires as Joan overpowers Allie and holds the syringe above her neck. Joan instead spares her and states that Bea "died for nothing."

Season 6

Wentworth Season 6 general trailers show that Joan Ferguson is haunting Will Jackson for what he did, since he is unsure if Ferguson will stay dead.

Officer Jake Stewart reassures Allie Novak that the Freak is dead, although he has no material proof of it. Ferguson's prisoner photo shot is shown on newspapers posters around the city together with Franky's one in order to warn people of fugitive prisoners.

Vera begins to receive anonymous phone calls and disturbances at her home in which muddy footprints are seen outside her house, a dead bird appears on her doorstep, a brick being thrown through her window, and finally, a pair of black leather gloves on her pillow. At first she becomes convinced that it is Jake, but then realizes it must be Joan as Jake has proof of his whereabouts. Later the pips of her uniform reappear following what she thought was a mix-up at the dry cleaners, which prompts her to remember something that Joan had said in the past, that she was "coming for that shiny little crown" − a reference to the design of a crown on her pips.

Vera, Jake, and a guilty-conscious Will return to the burial site where they dig up the grave. As Will pulls back the wood, a decomposing body is discovered.

Season 7

With the fate of Ferguson still left up in the air, she is currently presumed dead, although the outcome of the police investigation DNA results have not been mentioned, nor is it known if they have been confirmed.

In the season finale, Rita Connors is being transferred from Wentworth into protective custody following the siege. Her transport vehicle travels under a bridge where homeless people are keeping warm as a hooded figure amongst them is revealed to be Joan Ferguson, who is alive after all.

Season 8

Part 1

Joan is revealed to be living rough, having somehow escaped her burial and now living under the pseudonym Kath Maxwell. She has been tracking Vera for some time, with the intention of abducting her three-month-old daughter, Grace, and starting a new life in Rio. Her plan ultimately fails, however, when a homeless vagrant is curious to know why she shares the same name as his recently missing friend, Kath Maxwell. The man attacks Joan and leaves her for dead.

Two weeks pass, and Joan remains in the hospital in a coma as she suffers from nightmares regarding her burial, when she was governor of Wentworth and her time in the psychiatric hospital. It is later announced that Joan is alive, much to everyone's surprise, especially Vera, Will, Jake, and Allie. Vera goes to identify Joan in the hospital, while it is uncovered that the police knew all along that Joan was alive following the DNA results of the deceased woman in the box, which turned out to be the real Kath Maxwell and they did not announce it to the public as a means of easily recapturing Joan when she least expected it.

In a flashback, it was revealed shortly before Joan was buried alive and made her escape after she was informed by Jake of Franky and Allie's intentions to escape in boxes back in season 5, Joan used a secret phone to contact former officer, Brenda Murphy to follow the van transporting the boxes with Joan and Franky inside, so Murphy could break Joan out. Instead of the original plan of breaking her out of the box, Murphy ended up following Will's truck and from there witnessed Will burying Joan alive. Shortly after Will leaves, Murphy digs up Joan's grave and pulled her to safety. Joan's fingerprints were also found in Murphy's home shortly after Murphy was murdered by Derek Channing.

In order to protect Vera and Grace from Joan, Jake decides to kill her at the hospital. As she continues to dream, Joan's mind battles between the evil Joan Ferguson personality and the vulnerable, weak side of Joan which now takes on the separate Kath Maxwell identity, ultimately burying Ferguson and putting her away for good. As she suddenly awakes, Jake is startled and runs off. Fearing that they will be charged with attempted murder, Vera, Will, and Jake are called to the hospital to find Joan, having no memory of them, believing now that she is, in fact, Kath Maxwell.

Reception

Critical reception

Joan Ferguson has been described as “arguably the biggest villain within the Wentworth walls.”. Gay Times described Ferguson as a “formidable governor”, they also said “Straight edged, hair back and a stern face, Joan Ferguson is a force to be reckoned with”

Reveal Magazine billed Joan as “The dreaded Joan Ferguson” when talking about the episode Born Again.

Metro said, "Joan 'The Freak' Ferguson isn't just the most terrifying character in all prison dramas - she's the baddest and most sinister baddie ever to grace TV."

Graeme Blundell of the Australian wrote "So much awe surrounds Ferguson that she seems to possess supernatural powers, a Hannibal Lecter-like superhuman cunning and lack of empathy, though Rabe, a performer of unerring grace and authenticity, is such an accomplished actress she avoids the melodrama, turning Ferguson into one of the most believable villains we’ve seen on the local screen."

Accolades

Pamela Rabe has received several award nominations for her portrayal of Joan Ferguson.

She won the AACTA Award for her performance in Season 3 of Wentworth in 2015, followed by nominations in both 2016 and 2017.

In 2015, she received an Astra Award nomination for her portrayal in the series.

In 2016, she was nominated for a Logie Award in the category "Most Outstanding Actress" for her portrayal of Joan Ferguson., before winning the award in 2018, for her performance in the fifth season.