Safe Home (TV series)

Safe Home is a 2023 Australian drama miniseries which premiered on SBS Television and SBS on Demand on 11 May 2023. Safe Home aired on Hulu on 9 January 2024.

Plot
Safe Home follows the story of Phoebe Rook, a young communications specialist, who leaves her job at a prominent law firm in Melbourne to work at a community legal centre specialising in family violence that is being threatened with the withdrawal of funding.

The story begins with Phoebe (Aisha Dee) leaving her job and starting a new one at a Family Violence Legal Centre (FLVS) where she is welcomed by numerous people who think she is a client, and by staff who thinks she is a lawyer. Phoebe meets Jenny (Mabel Li) at the courthouse, where Phoebe makes a mistake that threatens the life of one of the clients when she lets someone else into the secure room with the client Cherry (Katlyn Wong) who is frightened at what is happening. Jenny tells Eve (Virginia Gay) that Phoebe shouldn't be working with them as she let someone into the secure room. Jenny, annoyed, leaves the room. At the same time, Phoebe is giving evidence to a detective (Ian Bliss) about an investigation. The investigation is later revealed to be a murder investigation.

Meanwhile in a small town in country Victoria, hardworking grandmother Diana (Janet Andrewartha) struggles to adjust to life after her controlling husband Jon (Mark Mitchinson) retires from his job. Diana struggles to live with him as he controls every aspect of her life. He embarrasses Diana by cutting off her money while she is at the shops and he comes down to pay for everything and he tells her work that she will no longer be coming in anymore. Diana's last straw is being locked out of the house and walking through town to the police station during a rain storm. When Diana returns home she decides she needs to leave and fast so during a visit from their grandchild Diana steals ketamine and poisons Jon's beloved horse. When Jon rushes his horse to the vet Diana leaves Jon and goes to the city to seek refuge with her sister, where he calls her numerous times.

While Phoebe discusses with Detective O'Connor how she knew the victim, she explains her relationship with the victim, where it is revealed by flashback she started her relationship with Julian when he was having trouble with his wife Grace she says that the two grew a close bond, but she didn't realise just how dangerous he really was.

Phoebe gets media coverage for FVLS after speaking with her journalist friend Layla who tells her that her editor is sick of reporting on domestic violence and wants a bigger story. Phoebe tells FVLS staff that the profile being used is to bring attention to the upcoming funding cuts to the service and staff. Awkwardly, this includes her ex-lover Julian and his wife, and her former boss, Grace. But it is a run in with the sleazy senior partner Priestly that leaves Phoebe nervous about what strings he can pull. Meanwhile, Diana runs to the city and she stays with her sister Lottie (Andrea Swifte), and we meet young Ry (Tegan Stimson) who's starting a new job and looking for somewhere to sleep as she has run away from home and from her mother Nicole (Jacquie Brennan). As Ry struggles with homelessness, she is taken in by Xander (Nicholas Burton) after he notices that she has been sleeping in the work supply room. Ry begins a relationship with Xander but she leaves when he controls when she works and humiliates her at work by playing an inappropriate video. With nowhere left to go, Ry leaves and calls her mother, but to no avail.

We then meet Cherry, a mother of two who is struggling to navigate the confusing and complicated legal system and the school calling her to inform her that her kids have missed too many days of school. Cherry has limited English language and she struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from an attempt by her husband Kelvin (Yuchen Wang) to drown her in the bath. He tells the police that she tried to attack him..

While the minister (Carolyn Bock) and David (Arka Das) tell Phoebe the FVLS funding will not be cut, Phoebe is congratulated by David and the minister. Eve is happy about the centre being saved but Jenny realises something is up with Phoebe after the visit to court with David she feels that she is unable to cope..

Phoebe reveals in an interview with the police that she learned of an interim violence order (IVO) being placed on Grace (Antonia Prebble) by Julian (Thomas Cocquerel), and is rocked by the revelations that there is video proof of Julian attacking Grace while the two were at work. Grace has asked Eve to help her out of the country and get back to New Zealand as it is no longer safe. Phoebe rushes to court to find out what is going on. But when the IVO hearing doesn't go as planned and Eve learns that Grace had been set up by Julian as the IVO was granted against Grace, things suddenly become dangerous for Phoebe and the staff at the Family Violence Legal Service when Julian runs Grace over in a murder-suicide as Phoebe runs to see what is happening after leaving court. The staff are watching on as a News Reporter (Narelda Jacobs) reports what happened, the centre is in shock by what occurred outside.

As Phoebe sits at home Layla comes around with the front page, Phoebe blames Layla for what happened saying that all Layla wanted was her big story and Phoebe had given it to her with the Family Violence centre, Layla says that wasn't it and so much more happen between what went to print and what was going on behind the scenes.

Ry speaks with her boss who she pays the money she owes him for sleeping in the shop, he tells her that he has fired Xander. Luke sees the marks on Ry's arm and asks if Xander attacked her and Ry denies it saying that it was actually her mother because she has 'her issues'. Luke offers to help her.

As Phoebe overlooks the city she sees Eve from the balcony of the building and the two catch up. Eve reveals that she is leaving FVSL after what happened as she decides to carry on Grace's memory by taking over the role she has left vacant. Eve says to Phoebe she wants Jenny to take over her main role and Phoebe to come back and support her. Phoebe ultimately agrees, as later the FVSL Centre hold a candlelight vigil by the water.

As Diana, Ry, and Cherry all intersect at the centre, Phoebe is telling a journalist the true meaning of what victims of Family Violence face and how the centre and places like that are helping victims out of a situation.

Cast

 * Aisha Dee as Phoebe Rook
 * Mabel Li as Jenny Lee
 * Virginia Gay as Eve
 * Thomas Cocquerel as Julian MacDonald
 * Antonia Prebble as Grace MacDonald
 * Hal Cumpston as Max Kerr
 * Chenoa Deemal as Layla
 * David Roberts as Gerard Priestly
 * Tegan Stimson as Ry
 * Ian Bliss as Detective O'Connor
 * Janet Andrewartha as Diana Thompson
 * Jacquie Brennan as Nicole
 * Oli Pizzey-Stratford as Logan
 * Mark Mitchinson as Jon Thompson
 * Arka Das as David
 * Carolyn Bock as The Minister for Women
 * Katlyn Wong as Cherry Yeo
 * Yuchen Wang as Kelvin Yeo
 * Sian Ewers as Sara
 * Nicholas Burton as Xander
 * Emily Havea as Jemima
 * Peta Brady as Hila
 * Queenie van de Zandt as Magistrate Matthews
 * Janine Lum as Ms Waters
 * Jatin Marhawa as Mr Patel
 * Sachin Joab as Luke
 * Yvonne Rigby as FVSL Lawyer
 * Simone Robi as FVSL Lawyer

Production
The four-part miniseries was produced by Imogen Banks, directed by Stevie Cruz-Martin and created by playwright Anna Barnes, inspired by her time working at a family legal centre in Melbourne. During production people involved in the sector were involved in the research of the show including lawyers and psychologists working alongside cast and crew.

Ratings & Reception
During media pre-screenings of Safe Home David Knox of TV Tonight called the series "One of SBS's best dramas in years" and praised the show for dealing with the topic.