While the Men are Away

Synopsis

While the men are away fighting in WWII, two Women’s Land Army recruits join an Italian immigrant, her Indigenous domestic, and their draft-dodging farmhand to run the family farm – but can the improbable freedom and kinship they find survive beyond the war?

First Air Date: 2023-09-27

Last Air Date: 2023-10-18

Number of Seasons: 1

Number of Episodes: 8

Networks: SBS

View Technical Specifications on IMDb

Top Cast

Michela De Rossi as Francesca
Phoebe Grainer as Kathleen
Max McKenna as Gwen
Jana Zvedeniuk as Esther
Matt Testro as Robert
Benedict Hardie as Des
Shaka Cook as Murray
Sarah Woods as Mrs. Arnott
Benjamin Wang as Reg Pow Guard

Seasons

Season 1 (2023)

No overview available for this season.

Episodes:

Ep. 1: Get Behind The Girl He Left Behind! (2023-09-27)

In 1940s Australia, the men are off fighting in WWII and Frankie finds herself in charge of her farm. She decides to enlist the help of two city dwellers to keep it running.
Ep. 2: Furrowing the Führer's Brow (2023-09-27)

All hands are needed as an insect infestation threatens the apple crop; Frankie tries to secure pesticide, but runs into a series of obstacles.
Ep. 3: God Speed the Plough and the Woman Who Drives It! (2023-10-04)

The group discovers that their internal baggage is as powerful as the patriarchy at blocking the road to their true selves.
Ep. 4: She Talked! This Happened! (2023-10-04)

The gang are faced with a profound moral issue that clashes with their attitudes, and realise they will have to let go of the things that no longer serve them to be able to survive.
Ep. 5: Come And Join The Victory Harvest! (2023-10-11)

Outside forces threaten the group's new-found bond, testing their strength and threatening to split them apart.
Ep. 6: Catch Him With His Panzers Down! (2023-10-11)

The group gains insight into a classic coercive tool of the patriarchy and uses it, only to discover that the repercussions for using are brutal.
Ep. 7: We've Always Despised Them, Now We Must Smash Them! (2023-10-18)

The group experiences life without friction, getting a taste of what life could be like and, when it comes under threat, realizing that it's worth fighting for.
Ep. 8: We Took the Hill, Come and Help Us Keep It! (2023-10-18)

As the war creeps closer, the group struggles to hold onto their collective dream. They're all forever changed by their time together and the knowledge that they're not alone.