Throng

McLeod's Daughters
Thursday 31 January, 8.30pm

After a season full of dramatic highs and lows, tonight’s two-hour McLeod’s Daughters final brings tensions between the Drovers girls and Ashleigh (Sam Healy) to a head as cattle thieves are hotly pursued by Grace (Abi Tucker) and Stevie (Simmone Jade McKinnon).

Thieves threaten the future of Drovers Run tonight, but Grace and Stevie are not about to sit back and watch it happen. When the women spring two masked men stealing cattle, they give chase. One man is in a truck and Stevie' horse cannot keep up; the other is on horseback but even skilled rider Grace is no match and he soon breaks away. The cattle are a vital part of the girls' survival plan for the property - without the calves that are due to be born any time now, the farm will not have enough working capital to continue operating.
They put together a search of the abattoirs and sale yards, then think they might have got somewhere when a guy is seen at the pub who fits Grace's description of the man she chased and lost sight of. He says there is no way he could have ridden from Drovers to the pub in that time. So, Grace recreates his ride and proves that if you're an extraordinary horseperson it can be done - just.

Grace's next option is to beg Ashleigh, who she's sure is ultimately responsible for the theft, to give her a break. Ashleigh clearly has a personal agenda against Grace, so Grace and Stevie come up with a daring plan to force the truth out. But nothing could have prepared them for the violent encounter they are to have with Ashleigh this time.

While the others are caught up in the cattle debacle, Kate (Michala Banas) is at the pub having one too many. When Riley (Dustin Clare) confiscates her keys she defiantly swipes his, and takes off in the ute. She is sensible enough to pull over and go to sleep, however when she wakes up she is horrified to see blood on the ute and a smashed headlight. Could she have hurt someone? It soon becomes apparent that no one has been in contact with Ashleigh, and Kate becomes convinced she has killed her.

Bryce (John Stanton) meanwhile is in a precarious condition in hospital, with Marcus (Matthew Passmore) by his side. Marcus suggests that they give orders not to resuscitate if Bryce has another stroke, but Ashleigh furiously disagrees - she wants Bryce kept alive at all costs. She is determined to impress Bryce with her business prowess before he dies, which may be what has pushed her into accelerating her plan to snatch Drovers from Grace and the girls.

Despite the drama with Ashleigh, the personal lives of the Drovers women still don't seem to be taking a back seat. Grace has reached crisis point with Heath (Sandy Winton), after she loses her engagement ring and several differences between the pair come to light. They discover they may not know each other as well as they thought, and now have a very important decision to make about their future. Meanwhile, part of Stevie's future also becomes incredibly clear as she reveals some happy news to the other girls.

Don't miss the emotional, two-hour conclusion of this season of McLeod's Daughters; Thursday 31 January at 8.30pm. A new season will be back on TV2 later in 2008.