Rake

Last seen dangling from a balloon drifting across the Sydney skyline, Cleaver Greene’s descent to earth lands him straight into the clutches of a one-time mentor and now powerful criminal on the run, Edgar Thompson.

Cleaver’s cover as a writer is blown by a new acquaintance. David and Scarlet’s romance is blossoming, but her kids are out to sabotage the relationship. News spreads quickly about Cleaver’s real identity, and it isn’t long before Thompson’s goons arrive on the scene.

Cleaver has been forced back to the city, and Thompson’s lawyer uses an unusual tactic to silence him. Cleaver’s ex-wife Wendy reluctantly takes him in after his eviction.

With the worst charges against him dropped, Thompson uses his history with Cleaver to plant him firmly in the frame for the long-standing drug trafficking charges. David’s efforts to hold onto Scarlet have devastating results.

In the two months since Scarlet’s death, everyone is coping differently. Nicole finds Cleaver setting up business in various coffee shops around town, and decides that she wants back in.

David has agreed to let Cleaver defend him on the murder charge, and Barney is devastated to see both Cleaver and Nicole in David’s corner. Cleaver must find a way to prove David’s innocence without cross-examining his best friend.

After David’s acquittal, Nicole and Cleaver decide they need to look out for Barney who has begun to spiral. Cleaver’s good deeds stand for nothing when he makes an off-the-cuff remark to a journalist and gets himself disbarred.

Cleaver’s ‘standing for nothing’ quasi-campaign has taken on broad appeal, and he confirms on national radio he’s running for the Senate. He desperately attempts to win Wendy back and goes to great lengths to convince Wendy he’s a changed man.