Joan Ferguson (Wentworth)

Joan Ferguson is a fictional character in the Australian television series Wentworth. Joan is portrayed by actress Pamela Rabe. Joan’s notable storylines is her one-sided feuds with Will Jackson and Matthew Fletcher. Joan is also notable for her battle against Bea Smith, her manipulations of Vera Bennett and murdering Jess Warner.

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.^[1] 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…”^[2]

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.”^[3]

Backstory

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.^[4]

Storylines

Season Two

Joan is introduced at the beginning of the second season where she busts a drug smuggle in the laundry room and introduces herself as governor. Joan then releases Bea and cuts her medication to try to make Bea lucid.^[5]

Joan lets Doreen start a garden project in the prison and gets prisoners from the men’s prison to help with the development. Joan later gets Vera drunk to learn about the secrets of the prison including Fletch’s affair with former governor Meg Jackson.^[6]

Joan gives a "hotshot" to Simmo Slater when she learns that Simmo has to kill Bea Smith but makes it look like she had a bad reaction to Franky’s drugs. Joan also manipulates Liz into being her informant.^[7]

As punishment for Franky’s drug trade, Ferguson makes the inmates watch as she bulldozes the whole garden project. Upon learning the drugs what Simmo died from, Franky confronts Joan over murdering Simmo.^[8]

Joan abuses Doreen after finding out she was pregnant. Joan then tries to get Doreen to blame Will on being the father. When Doreen refuses Ferguson murders Doreen’s pet bird and tosses it into her cell.^[4]

During Bea’s escape Ferguson demands answers from Doreen, Maxine Conway, Franky and other prisoners as to information where Bea went. Joan later makes out that Bea and Will were complicit and planned the escape. When Bea returns she addresses Joan as "Freak"^[9]

Season Three

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!"^[10] After the riot, Joan sits Bea down and tries to find out what Bea wants. Bea gets what she wants from Joan including pizzas for breakfast.^[11] Franky witnesses Joan taking Jodie somewhere while in the slot.^[12]

Bea realises that Joan tortured Jodie into shivving Bea Smith in the yard ^[12]

Joan visits Fletch and when she learns that Vera has been going to see him behind her back, she calls her trust in Vera into question.^[13]

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. Without Bea at her hearing, Jodie fumbles and is sent to the psych unit ^[14]

Joan has Bea put in the psych unit when Bea's behavior in the exercise yard is mistaken as a psychotic episode. Joan forces Bea say it was a mental breakdown to get Bea out of the psych unit. After hearing from Vera of rumours of Bridget and Franky's relationship, Joan plants a recording device in Bridget's office and hears Franky admitting to killing Meg Jackson.^[15]

Joan yet again tortures Jodie, leading Jodie to stab herself in the eye to prevent Jodie's move 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 contract hepatitis C ^[16]

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 does nothing and Franky's parole is sealed. Joan then plants drugs in toys Nash Taylor came to bring Joshua in revenge for Doreen making fun of her and to further turn Bea's friends against her ^[17]

When Joan believes Vera tried using Jianna as an excuse to unsettle her, she violently slaps Vera and their friendship ends. She reveals in front of all the staff Vera's condition and forefeits her deputy governorship. She then sees Fletch witnessing a hallucination of her father and asks Nils to kill him to stop him from revealing her previous murder attempt on him.^[18]

In the third season finale, Joan finds the walls closing in on her. She plants a recording device in the secure spot where Kaz Proctor reveals to Bea the name of Joan's henchman is Nils Jesper. She then calls Nils who is waiting to murder Matthew Fletcher on Joan's command. Joan then listens in to the recording as she notices Bea turning her back on Kaz. Joan is later seen smiling as she watches a news report that Kaz Proctor due to an anonymous phone call from an inmate at Wentworth Prison. Vera comes in and reveals she's put in a complaint to the board against Joan. When Doreen’s baby Joshua is kidnapped by Jess, Joan finds Jess and strangles her before setting the prison on fire to cover it up after she learns that her henchman is now in police custody. After Bea and Will save Ferguson from the fire, Joan is arrested with all the prisoners watching.^[19]

Season Four

Joan is transferred to Wentworth's protection unit where she is awaiting trial. She tries to manipulate Vera again but fails.^[20]

Joan files a petition to be released into general population within the prison. When being assessed by Bridget, Joan tries to slander Vera and upset Bridget. Joan is later released into the general population after she blackmails Channing.^[21]

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. Later in the showers, Joan is brutally attacked by Lucy Gambaro, Bea 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.^[22]

Reception

Joan Ferguson has been described as “arguably the biggest villain within the Wentworth walls.” ^[23]

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”^[24]

Reveal Magazine billed Joan as “The dreaded Joan Ferguson” when talking about the episode Born Again.^[25]

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."^[26]

Pamela Rabe was nominated for a Logie Award in the category "Most Outstanding Actress" for her portrayal of Joan Ferguson.^[27]

References