Heartache for Mick & Frankie
THEY BOND OVER DRIVING LESSONS, BUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP SOON HITS THE SKIDS…
Frankie and Mick have some father-daughter time this week, as he agrees to teach her to drive. But before too long, she worries that Mick will never accept her as his daughter.
While Frankie’s busy working at the pub, she starts getting grief from some old school mates. However, when Mick stands up for her, she’s left devastated as he fails to tell people that he’s her dad…
“At that moment, Frankie feels embarrassed and very exposed,” reveals Rose AylingEllis, who plays her. “Mick not telling people who she is adds to her feelings of loneliness and shame. She feels as if Mick is embarrassed by her, and there is a big part of Frankie that feels she will never truly be part of the family because of the shame she brings.”
It’s a terribly sad situation, as the week starts with the pair in a good place, when they bond over a scrape with a local traffic warden during their driving lesson.
“They’ve missed out on traditional father-and-daughter things, such as being taught to ride a bike, or to read and write,” points out Rose. “So it is nice that Mick has taken on that role now.”
After Frankie’s quick thinking helps her dad to talk his way out of a parking ticket, she feels that she and Mick might be getting somewhere. But the spectre of Katy is always hanging over them – and when Mick receives a call from independent sexual violence advisor Tom, things turn sour…
“Mick makes an upsetting comment while he’s on the phone,” says Rose. “It almost confirms Frankie’s feelings. She’s embarrassed by her mother – she can’t excuse Katy’s actions, or forgive her. It’s too much. It’s a lonely and confusing time for Frankie.”
Things only get worse once Frankie is confronted by the bullies, and Mick fails to tell them that he’s her father. However, it’s clear that Mick is also having a tough time, as he later meets up with Tom, and hears that other victims of Katy’s abuse have come forward.
So as both Mick and Frankie struggle to put Katy’s heinous actions behind them, can they find a way through it together, as a family?