Boomer returns in Wentworth: Everything you need to know before Halfway Home

Few Wentworth characters captured viewers hearts quite like Susan “Boomer” Jenkins.

Across all eight seasons of the original prison drama, Katrina Milosevic transformed Boomer from a volatile and impulsive inmate into one of the show’s most compassionate and emotionally complex figures. Her humour brought relief during the darkest stories, while her loyalty, vulnerability and repeated losses made her one of the women audiences cared about most.

Boomer will now take centre stage in Wentworth: Halfway Home, a new sequel following former inmates as they attempt to rebuild their lives outside prison.

Freshly released on parole, Boomer is trying to adjust to freedom while fighting to win custody of her young daughter. Franky Doyle and Lou Kelly will also return, but the confirmed premise places Boomer’s struggle at the heart of the new story.

She is no longer simply looking for somewhere to belong. Boomer must prove that she is ready to become the mother she always hoped she could be.

Before Wentworth: Halfway Home arrives, here is what viewers need to remember about Boomer’s remarkable journey.

Who is Boomer Jenkins?

Boomer was introduced during Wentworth’s opening season and quickly became one of Franky Doyle’s closest allies inside the prison.

Loud, impulsive and rarely afraid of confrontation, she developed a reputation for her fiery temper, colourful sense of humour and fierce devotion to the people she trusted. She was frequently drawn into conflict, but her actions were usually driven by loyalty rather than a desire to control the prison.

Unlike Franky, Bea Smith or Lou Kelly, Boomer was never truly interested in becoming Top Dog. She wanted friendship, protection and a place within the makeshift family created by the women around her.

Her toughness also concealed deep insecurity. Boomer had grown up with little encouragement and carried the effects of an abusive, damaging relationship with her mother.

Those experiences shaped the way she viewed herself. She often assumed other people were cleverer, more capable or more deserving than she was, even when her actions showed considerable courage and emotional strength.

As the series progressed, Boomer moved far beyond her original role as comic relief. Her humour remained important, but it sat alongside increasingly serious stories about abuse, grief, self worth and her longing to become a mother.

Loyalty defined Boomer’s life inside Wentworth

Boomer’s strongest quality was always her loyalty.

She stood beside Franky through some of the most dangerous periods inside the prison and repeatedly defended the women she considered family. Even when friendships became strained, Boomer found it difficult to walk away from someone she loved.

That devotion sometimes placed her in danger. She could be easily influenced by stronger personalities, particularly when she believed helping them would secure their approval or protect her place within the group.

However, Boomer also became increasingly capable of making her own choices. The longer she remained inside Wentworth, the more she learned to recognise manipulation and understand that loyalty did not require blind obedience.

Her friendships with Franky, Bea, Maxine Conway and Liz Birdsworth gave her the sense of family she had lacked outside prison. Each relationship revealed a different side of her personality, from the playful friend who enjoyed causing trouble to the deeply caring woman who remained beside people during their greatest moments of need.

The losses she endured also forced her to mature. Boomer repeatedly watched the people closest to her leave, suffer or die, but she continued searching for connection rather than allowing herself to become completely hardened.

Maxine helped Boomer recognise her own worth

Boomer’s friendship with Maxine became one of the most memorable relationships from the show’s earlier seasons.

Although they initially clashed, the pair gradually developed a deep bond. Maxine offered patience and understanding, while Boomer became fiercely protective of her friend.

Their relationship also encouraged Boomer to confront some of her own prejudices and insecurities. Through Maxine, she experienced a friendship based on honesty and mutual support rather than fear or control.

When Maxine became seriously ill, Boomer struggled with the possibility of losing another person she loved. Her concern revealed the tenderness beneath her aggressive exterior and reinforced how strongly she depended on her prison family.

Maxine’s eventual departure left another painful gap in Boomer’s life, but their friendship had already helped her become more accepting, emotionally open and confident in her ability to care for others.

Liz became the mother Boomer had always needed

Boomer’s relationship with Liz Birdsworth, played by Celia Ireland, became the emotional centre of her later story.

Liz offered the warmth, patience and reassurance Boomer had rarely experienced from her own mother. She challenged Boomer when necessary, celebrated her progress and treated her as someone worthy of love and respect.

Their bond gradually became more like that of a mother and daughter than two friends serving time together.

That made Liz’s dementia especially devastating. As her condition progressed, Boomer watched the woman who had supported her lose memories, confidence and independence. She tried to protect Liz, but she was also forced to accept that love could not stop the illness from worsening.

Liz eventually asked Boomer to help end her suffering. Boomer honoured her request, holding her as she died in one of the most painful scenes in Wentworth’s history.

The decision placed an enormous emotional burden on her. It also demonstrated how far Boomer had developed from the impulsive inmate introduced during the opening season.

She acted not because she wanted revenge or approval, but because she loved Liz enough to carry out a final request that would stay with her forever.

Liz had spent years helping Boomer believe she could become a better person. Her death left Boomer grieving, but the lessons and unconditional affection she provided continued to influence the woman Boomer was becoming.

Boomer never gave up on becoming a mother

For much of Wentworth, Boomer believed motherhood might always remain beyond her reach.

Despite spending years behind bars, she never let go of the hope that she could one day have a child of her own. That dream became one of the clearest signs of how much she had changed, with Boomer beginning to imagine a future built around love, responsibility and family rather than simply surviving life inside prison.

During the final season, she met Gavin Thompson through a prison call programme. The pair formed an unlikely connection and agreed to try to fulfil Boomer’s long held dream of becoming a mother. Although their relationship began in unusual circumstances, they gradually grew closer as the story unfolded.

After later sharing a conjugal visit, Boomer eventually discovered she was pregnant with Gavin’s child.

The news gave her something she had wanted for years. After so much loss, rejection and disappointment, Boomer finally had reason to believe that the family life she had always dreamed about might become possible.

Boomer’s Wentworth story ended with hope

The original series concluded with Boomer still inside Wentworth, but for the first time she could see a brighter future ahead.

Her pregnancy provided one of the show’s most uplifting endings. While many of the women were left facing uncertainty, loss or difficult new beginnings, Boomer was preparing to become a mother.

By the final episode, she was no longer simply surviving prison. She was looking forward to building the family she had always wanted.

Although Gavin was arrested over the camera smuggling operation, he promised to support Boomer and their unborn child after learning she was pregnant. What happened after that was left unexplored, leaving Halfway Home to continue the next chapter of their story.

Why Boomer is central to Halfway Home

The official synopsis for Wentworth: Halfway Home confirms that Boomer has now been released on parole and is trying to win custody of her young daughter.

Boomer is no longer fighting for survival inside prison walls. Instead, she must prove she can build a stable life, earn the trust of those around her and provide the loving home she never had herself.

Boomer always dreamed of becoming a mother. Now she has that opportunity, but winning custody of her daughter may become the biggest challenge she has ever faced.

Franky and Lou return alongside Boomer

Katrina Milosevic will be joined once again by Nicole da Silva as Franky Doyle and Kate Box as Lou Kelly.

Each woman begins Halfway Home from a very different place.

Franky has very likely successfully rebuilt her life after prison, while Lou’s future remained uncertain at the end of the original series. Boomer now finds herself somewhere between those two journeys, beginning life outside Wentworth while fighting for the chance to build a future with her daughter.

Franky’s experience of rebuilding her life could make her an important source of support, while Lou’s return raises fresh questions about how the former inmates become connected once again.

Their contrasting experiences should allow Halfway Home to explore several different paths after prison, with Boomer’s custody battle providing the emotional core of the story.

What we still don’t know

Although the official synopsis reveals the broad outline of Boomer’s new life, many important details remain under wraps.

Who currently has custody of her daughter?

Has Gavin remained involved in their lives following Boomer’s release?

What challenges will Boomer face as she adjusts to life outside prison after spending so many years behind bars?

There are also unanswered questions surrounding Franky and Lou’s involvement, including how the three women reconnect and what draws them together once again.

Boomer’s original story ended with hope.

Halfway Home will reveal whether that hope can survive the realities of freedom, motherhood and starting over.

FAQs

1.Who plays Boomer in Wentworth?

Katrina Milosevic has played Susan “Boomer” Jenkins since the first season of Wentworth and returns in Wentworth: Halfway Home.

2.Does Boomer become pregnant in Wentworth?

Yes. Boomer discovers she is pregnant during the final season of the original series.

3.Who is the father of Boomer’s baby?

Gavin Thompson is the father of Boomer’s child after the pair agree to try to fulfil Boomer’s dream of becoming a mother.

4.Was Boomer still in prison when Wentworth ended?

Yes. The original series ended with Boomer still inside Wentworth and expecting her first child.

5.What happened to Gavin Thompson?

Gavin was arrested over the camera smuggling operation, but after learning Boomer was pregnant he promised to support both her and their unborn child.

6.What is Boomer’s story in Wentworth: Halfway Home?

The official synopsis confirms that Boomer has been released on parole and is trying to win custody of her young daughter.

7.Are Franky and Lou returning alongside Boomer?

Yes. Nicole da Silva and Kate Box are both returning alongside Katrina Milosevic in Wentworth: Halfway Home.

Wentworth: Halfway Home is currently in production and is expected to premiere later in 2026.

Images: Fremantle Australia, used for editorial purposes only.

For all the latest Wentworth news, features and television updates, keep checking SoapLandTV.co.uk.