Reckoning: Chapter 32: Kath and Kim and Sharon Summary & Analysis

The day the Twin Towers are bombed, Magda goes to work as usual, filming the new show Kath and Kim. While Jane Turner and Gina wrote the show, Magda was busy filming The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, whose main characters teach Magda about love as well as adventure. When Magda returns, Kath and Kim—which reminds viewers of the failed Big Girl’s Blouse—is not doing well, and ABC threatens to pull the show. However, the head of ABC’s drama department believes in the show and decides to produce it. Being a depiction of suburbia, Kath and Kim attracts a suburban viewership; by the end of season one, the show is a hit. The network renews it, and it becomes the most successful comedy in Australian television history.

When asked how she created the character of Sharon, Magda reflects that Sharon is the most vulnerable part of herself; if only her young, lonely self had known how Sharon would speak to thousands! During this time, Magda starts therapy, unpacking long-buried feelings and her guilt over Peter’s dark legacy; although she has nightmares of children half-buried in dirt and an old man saying something that she can’t hear, therapy helps Magda (and Sharon) explore emotions she’s never been able to confront. Sharon simultaneously “vibrate[s] with pain and loss” and overflows with optimism and joy. Also, being in her longest relationship ever with Kristen, Magda feels loved. In 2002, Kath and Kim wins three Australian film awards; Magda wins Best Supporting Actress.