# McLeod's Daughters season 8

The eighth and final season of the long-running Australian outback drama McLeod's Daughters began airing on 23 July 2008 and concluded on 31 January 2009 with a total of 22 episodes.

## Plot

After years as Australia's favourite television drama, the saga of McLeod's Daughters finally came to a close... but not before financial ruin again threatened Drover's Run. New romances come under pressure, Stevie gives birth, Ingrid disappears under mysterious circumstances and Jaz McLeod makes a surprise return to Drover's Run.

## Episodes

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Aus. viewers (millions) |
| 203 | 1 | "Aftermath" | Arnie Custo | Margaret Wilson | 23 July 2008 (2008-07-23) | 1.09 |
| Kate is obsessed with proving Riley survived the Christmas night car accident. The Drover's girls use 'olde worlde' technology to repair their windmill which broke and fell over during the recent flood. |||||||
| 204 | 2 | "The Pitfalls of Love" | Arnie Custo | Nick Stevens | 30 July 2008 (2008-07-30) | 0.88 |
| Grace and Marcus are trapped at the bottom of an abandoned mine shaft. Kate helps Father Dan by caring for a cantankerous elderly woman, who makes her life a misery. Phil goes to extreme lengths to woo back Moira. |||||||
| 205 | 3 | "Wild Ride" | Steve Mann | James Walker | 6 August 2008 (2008-08-06) | 0.93 |
| Stevie's wild-at-heart former rodeo mate Sharon visits Drover's and turns everyone's life upside down. Marcus sacrifices his chances in a major horse endurance race to save Ingrid from an abusive rider. Kate is feeling increasingly dissatisfied with life and throws herself into her new role as overseer. |||||||
| 206 | 4 | "Nowhere to Hide" | Steve Mann | Sarah Duffy | 6 December 2008 (2008-12-06) | 0.58 |
| Stevie invites danger onto Drover's Run when she puts her trust in former rodeo mate Sharon. After helping a runaway youth return to his parents, Kate accepts a job running a Church-run farm for wayward youth and leaves Drover's Run. Tayler and Patrick move in together. |||||||
| 207 | 5 | "Stand by Me" | Richard Jasek | Sam Carroll | 13 December 2008 (2008-12-13) | 0.59 |
| Tayler befriends a homeless girl and discovers some home truths of her own. Grace wonders if she can ever trust Stevie again, after learning Stevie has deceived her over a rodeo incident many years ago. Tayler and Patrick find living together is harder than they thought. |||||||
| 208 | 6 | "Close Enough to Touch" | Richard Jasek | Christopher D. Hawkshaw | 13 December 2008 (2008-12-13) | 0.59 |
| Alex finally returns from Argentina, in time for the birth of his baby, but is killed in a freak accident. Reeling from Alex's shocking death, Stevie has a premature birth. Will she be able to bond with her new baby? |||||||
| 209 | 7 | "Bringing Up Wombat" | Ian Watson | Greg Millin & Justine Gillmer | 20 December 2008 (2008-12-20) | N/A |
| Stevie struggles to adapt to life as a widow and single parent following Alex's death. Grace pretends to be Marcus's wife, in order to buy back his endurance horse. Tayler fears for the future of her relationship with Patrick. Moira discovers Phil has been dating another woman- so much for her supposed psychic abilities! |||||||
| 210 | 8 | "Three Sisters" | Ian Watson | Chris Corbett | 20 December 2008 (2008-12-20) | N/A |
| Grace's world is rocked when her sister Jaz McLeod makes a surprise return to Drover's Run. Stevie's sexy cousin Ben sets hearts racing when he visits town. Patrick is terrified Tayler wants to have a baby with him. Moira tries to sabotage Phil's relationship with his new 'lady friend'. |||||||
| 211 | 9 | "Dammed" | Arnie Custo | Peter Dick | 27 December 2008 (2008-12-27) | N/A |
| The girls mobilise the local community to prevent a massive dam being built upstream. Jaz is blackmailed by a pro-dam farmer, who threatens to reveal an explosive secret. Passions and rivalries erupt on the soccer field, during a fund-raiding sports day. |||||||
| 212 | 10 | "Mother Love" | Arnie Custo | Sally Webb | 27 December 2008 (2008-12-27) | N/A |
| Tayler discovers the painful reasons why her mother abandoned her as a child. Ingrid's relationship with Marcus starts to have negative effects on her vet business. Ben is jealous of Frank's growing relationship with Jaz. Baby Xander will smile and laugh for everybody- except his mother Stevie. |||||||
| 213 | 11 | "Bright Lights, Big Trouble" | Grant Brown | Liz Doran & Jane Allen | 3 January 2009 (2009-01-03) | N/A |
| Sparks fly when Jaz and Grace visit the city to protest against the dam that will destroy Drover's Run. Patrick is caught in the middle of a power struggle between Ben and Stevie over the management of Killarney. Moira is shocked to learn Phil has written a stage musical based on her life. |||||||
| 214 | 12 | "Love and Let Die" | Grant Brown | Nick Stevens & Alexa Wyatt | 3 January 2009 (2009-01-03) | N/A |
| Frank threatens to detonate a deadly bomb during a town meeting over the controversial dam. Jaz ends her relationship with Frank, who allows this to push him into a deadly rage. Stevie and Marcus's lives are at risk when they accompany a visiting politician on a visit of the local area. |||||||
| 215 | 13 | "A Dog's Life" | Steve Mann | Justine Gillmer | 10 January 2009 (2009-01-10) | N/A |
| Ben and Marcus work together to save an abused dog. Tayler is determined her pregnant dog Noisy will win the regional yard dog trials. Stevie joins a mother's group, but all she can talk about is her late husband Alex. |||||||
| 216 | 14 | "My Prince Will Come" | Steve Mann | Michaeley O'Brien | 10 January 2009 (2009-01-10) | N/A |
| Jaz's ex-boyfriend arrives from Italy with a plan to save her Olympic career and win her back. Moira's world is turned upside down when she discovers she is pregnant. |||||||
| 217 | 15 | "Snogging Frogs" | Richard Jasek | Christopher D. Hawkshaw | 17 January 2009 (2009-01-17) | 0.61 |
| Jaz is shattered when her Prince Charming betrays her. Patrick is jealous of Tayler's friendship with her 'study buddy'. Grace has a glamour makeover for a charity ball, and finds herself kissing Father Dan. |||||||
| 218 | 16 | "The Merry Widow" | Richard Jasek | Sarah Duffy | 17 January 2009 (2009-01-17) | 0.61 |
| Stevie gets sweet revenge on a farmer spreading cruel rumours about her relationship with Marcus. Grace struggles with her romantic feelings for Father Dan. Moira and Phil make plans for parenthood, until tragedy strikes. Tayler suspects Patrick is planning to leave the district without her. |||||||
| 219 | 17 | "Show Pony" | Arnie Custo | Chris Corbett | 17 January 2009 (2009-01-17) | 0.61 |
| Jaz attempts to retrain her show jumping horse to work on the property. Grace unwittingly befriends a visiting Detective, unaware he is Ingrid's dangerous ex-husband. Will Moira and Phil's relationship survive the trauma of her recent miscarriage? |||||||
| 220 | 18 | "Every Move You Make" | Arnie Custo | Jane Allen | 17 January 2009 (2009-01-17) | 0.61 |
| Ingrid is pushed to breaking point as her ex-husband stalks and harasses her. Marcus' life is in danger due to his relationship with Ingrid. Tayler cheats on an essay in a desperate attempt to impress Patrick. |||||||
| 221 | 19 | "Into Thin Air" | Steve Mann | Hamilton Budd & Justine Gillmer | 24 January 2009 (2009-01-24) | N/A |
| The Drover's Run girls race to prevent a tragedy when they learn Ingrid plans to kill her ex-husband. Ingrid disappears under mysterious circumstances. Grace creates a world of trouble when she admits her feelings for Marcus. Ben masterminds a bribery sting to catch a corrupt cop. |||||||
| 222 | 20 | "The Show Must Go On" | Steve Mann | John Ridley | 24 January 2009 (2009-01-24) | N/A |
| Moira's star performance in the Gungellan musical is overshadowed by personal tragedy. Marcus is dangerously obsessed with tracking down Ingrid. Grace struggles with her guilt over her role in Ingrid's disappearance. Stevie is guilt stricken when she develops feeling for the handsome new veterinarian. |||||||
| 223 | 21 | "Into the Valley of the Shadow" | Richard Jasek | Michaeley O'Brien | 31 January 2009 (2009-01-31) | 0.58 |
| Drover's Run faces its biggest crisis ever, and only a massive cattle drive will save them from financial ruin. But have they left it too late? A grain silo explodes with disastrous consequences. A massive cattle stampede puts lives in danger, and could spell disaster for Drover's Run. Ben and Jaz's new romance is threatened, when a past girlfriend arrives to win Ben back. |||||||
| 224 | 22 | "The Long Paddock" | Richard Jasek | Alexa Wyatt | 31 January 2009 (2009-01-31) | 0.58 |
| Grace sacrifices her own romantic dreams to ensure Marcus and Ingrid are finally reunited. It's a surprise reunion as family and friends return to Drover's Run for Xander's first birthday party. Moira has dark premonitions about Phil's safety. Will she warn him in time? Tayler is forced to choose between her career and her relationship with Patrick. |||||||

## Reception
### Ratings

The eighth season of Mcleod's Daughters suffered drastically in the ratings. On average, it was watched by a mere 633,000 viewers, down 547,000 viewers from the previous season, and an extreme drop compared to earlier seasons. It was the 9th most-watched Australian drama of 2008, and ranked at #29 for its eighth season.

### Awards and nominations

The eighth season of McLeod's Daughters received three nominations at the 2009 Logie Awards. It also received one win at the 2009 APRA Awards.
Win
* APRA Award for Best Music for a Television Series or Serial (Alistair Ford – Episode 224)
Nominations
* Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television (Simmone Jade Mackinnon)
* Logie Award for Most Popular Actress (Simmone Jade Mackinnon)
* Logie Award for Most Popular Australian Drama Series

## Home media

| Title | Release | Region |
| McLeod's Daughters: The Complete Eighth & Final Series | 3 November 2008 | Australia –R4 DVD |
| McLeod's Daughters: The Complete Eighth Season | 5 May 2009 | USA – R1 DVD |
| McLeod's Töchter: Die Komplette Achte Staffel | 22 March 2013 | Germany – R2 DVD |