With great power comes great responsibility - well that's at least what Fuzzy Mac is discovering in the new hit television series Grace Beside Me.
The series tells the charming story of an Indigenous girl Fuzzy Mac (played by Kyliric 'Kiki' Masella). Fuzzy just wants to be an ordinary teenager and have fun with her mates. This isn't easy given Fuzzy's ancestors have other plans for her. Oh, and not to mention she keeps seeing ghosts!
With one foot in the Indigenous realm of culture, Country, and spirits, and the other firmly planted in the world of a 21st century teenager, Fuzzy’s journey is to realise she belongs to both in her own unique way.
Episode 1: Spooky Month
It’s Fuzzy’s 13th birthday and she wakes to find a young spirit girl in her bedroom. Fuzzy chooses to ignore the spirit, hoping it will go away and in the meantime her friends, Tui and Yar, hold a surprise birthday party in Lola’s Forest. It doesn’t go to plan with Fuzzy upsetting the spirits when she steals a thunder egg. Things go from bad to worse when she opens it and tiny ancient frogs escape causing Nan to trip and fall. Fuzzy returns the egg and frogs to their home and learns she is to become a ‘seer’. It’s the last thing she needs!
Episode 2: Black Hat's Treasure
It’s the first day of high school, and Fuzzy’s new teacher, Miss Long, assigns the class an assignment to research the history of the Laurel Dale community. Fuzzy, Tui and Yar decide to find the buried loot of a local Indigenous bushranger Black Hat, with the special help of his spirit. But finding the treasure is proving harder than expected, especially when everyone at school wants to find it first. Upon finding the treasure, Fuzzy learns that it’s not riches that Black Hat buried, but a family heirloom that he held dear to his heart.
Episode 3: Yarn for Yar
Nan takes the class on the annual school excursion to teach water divining only to find their usual spot fenced off. Yar has an idea to protest the fence by yarn-bombing it but Fuzzy thinks the idea is too out there and Yar’s already being picked on for his eccentricities. Upset that his friends think he’s weird, Yar loses his colourful style and dresses normal. Fuzzy meets Bruce the boy spirit who has been watching Yar grow up and is angry that Fuzzy hasn’t been supportive of Yar’s uniqueness. He challenges Fuzzy to fix the situation before it’s too late.
Episode 4: Sorry
Fuzzy and Cat get into a heated debate about the significance of Sorry Day but it’s Fuzzy who crosses the line by calling Cat names. Things escalate when Fuzzy makes it her mission to beat Cat in the class president elections. When Miss Long gives Fuzzy a special assignment, Fuzzy investigates Nan’s past and begins to understand the true meaning of the word “sorry” with a little help of a spirit who used to be friends with Nan as a young girl. After learning the truth about Fuzzy and Cat’s family connection, Cat also tries to make amends.
Episode 5: Milka's Secret
When Aunty Min and Esther are forced to move in with Nan, Pop and Fuzzy, the house becomes a little cramped. Nan and Min are getting on each other’s nerves while Esther is struggling to cope with the big changes around her. The only thing that seems to calm her down is a haunted doll belonging to with Fuzzy’s grumpy neighbour Mr Steiner. Fuzzy investigates the doll’s history and learns about Mr Steiner’s tragic past. So when the doll goes missing, Fuzzy knows it can’t justbe replaced. She has to find it and find it fast!
Episode 6: Hangi Sleep Over
Fuzzy is run off her feet trying to look after the Elders that are visiting Nan. It has her wishing she could live a normal life with a normal family. Fuzzy escapes to Tui’s house for a change of environment. But Tui has her hands full with her own visiting family, particularly her cousin Tama who is getting on Tui’s nerves so much she has to escape to Nan and Pop’s house for some solace. Fuzzy is visited by Lola who wants her sacred stones back which Tama stole to use for the Hangi pit.
Episode 7: Grace
It’s the anniversary of Grace’s death and Fuzzy wants to know more about how her mum died and why her mum’s spirit hasn’t appeared to her yet. Distracted and disheartened, Fuzzy gets lost on a class field trip to Lola’s forest. The entire class, including new student Teddy, has to look for her. Yar tries to hone his tracker ancestor instincts much to the annoyance of Tui, while Cat and Emmy try to battle spider-webs and forest creatures. Fuzzy comes to the spot where Grace passed away and realises a big truth about her mum.
Episode 8: The Sweetest Gift
Desperate for a new bike, Fuzzy performs odd jobs to save money. Unfortunately, it’s not enough money. Yar suggests she use her gift and perform “seer” readings. Reluctantly Fuzzy sets up a tent with a crystal ball and starts charging for her psychic services – even making up lies to keep the customers coming. But when the spirits stop talking to her, Fuzzy is worried she’s lost her gift for real. She does everything to try and get it back but is only met with silence. Meanwhile Jesse suffers from stage fright auditioning for the school play.
Episode 9: Blackbird
It’s Harmony Day and everyone is looking forward to the annual cultural showcase until Fuzzy has a premonition that Tui will be humiliated during her dance. When it comes true, Fuzzy thinks she jinxed Tui. Fuzzy comes home to Pop working on a traditional carving but when she touches it, she has another premonition about Pop leaving to join his South Sea Islander relatives. Instead of telling him, Fuzzy refuses to sing with him causing a big fight. Fuzzy is suddenly very ‘over’ her gift.
Episode 10: Catch your death
It’s Halloween and Fuzzy and her gang are at the cemetery scaring each other with ghost stories. Fuzzy follows a ghost dog to Pop’s good friend Lefty’s house and discovers Lefty has passed away. Lefty wants Fuzzy to return all of his stolen booty so he can pass on with a clean slate. But when Fuzzy finds out that Lefty stole a necklace from Tui’s family, she’s torn between loyalty to Pop and her best friend. Tui feels betrayed that Fuzzy would help someone like Lefty but after spending an afternoon with Jesse, she realises you can’t judge a book by its cover.
Episode 11: Love Me, Love Me Not
Fuzzy is enjoying spending time with her Dad and after seeing a spark between Sonny and Miss Long, she casts a love spell with Aunty Min’s flowers. But the love spell goes all kinds of wrong when it accidentally hits Tui and Yar making them act all “lovey dovey” towards each other. Jesse is confused and fights Yar for Tui’s affection. On top of that, Sonny proposes to Miss Long and Fuzzy realizes she’s out of her depth. Fuzzy must find a way to break the spell before things get too out of hand but more bad news comes when Aunty Min tells herthere is no antidote.
Episode 12: The Wishing Tree
It’s the annual Wishing Tree in Laurel Dale and while collecting community gifts, Fuzzy discovers Cat has moved from her big farmhouse and is now living in a tiny apartment with her Dad, Mayor Ridgeway, after their family went bankrupt. But that's not Cat's only problem. Fuzzy discovers there’s an annoying girl spirit who is terrorising Cat in her new room. Fuzzy, Tui and Yar come up with a bright idea to make-over Cat's place so the spirit realises it's not hers anymore. The spirit, however, is not easily convinced.
Episode 13: The Battle of Lola's Forest
Fuzzy finds that the forest is dying. Something is sucking the energy out it and all of the wildlife has fled. When Fuzzy investigates further she sees a black mass following Lola, leaving her frail and old. Nan warns Fuzzy not to go back there, it’s too dangerous and stronger than anything she has faced before. But Fuzzy can’t sit back. She enlists Tui and Yar - they have to help Lola and defeat the entity. In a final stand, Fuzzy rounds up the ancestors, including her mum Grace, to stand beside her and fight. Will it be enough to expel the darkness?
