Full name Rachel Marie Goldstein Occupation Police Detective First appearance 1x01 – Dead In The Water | Gender Female Portrayed by Catherine McClements | |
Title Detective Senior Constable Spouse(s) Jonathon Goldstein (ex-husband) Children 1, David Goldstein (born c.1989) Last appearance 5x34 – Bye Bye Charlie (as a vision) People also search for Frank Holloway, Jack Christey | ||
Detective Senior Constable Rachel Goldstein (née Friedman) was a fictional character in the Australian police drama Water Rats. She and partner Frank Holloway (Colin Friels) were both the original main detectives at the Sydney Water Police. Rachel was portrayed by Catherine McClements.
Character biography
Rachel was the daughter of Felix Friedman, and according to the book Goldie's Story, her mother's name was Rebecca but she died. She joined the police service when she was 19, and was once married to a lawyer, Jonathon Goldstein. Out of that relationship, they had a son named David. After the divorce though, David lived with his father as the courts decided that he would be better off with a lawyer in a safer area of Sydney than in seedy Kings Cross with a tough cop who works all hours. Rachel was Jewish, and during season one, wore a Star of David necklace. However, in an episode of season three, she told a lady that as a police officer, she's seen a dark side of the world and started to wonder about religion and faith.
In season one, Rachel had a one-night stand with Frank's younger brother Kevin (Jeremy Callaghan). Later, she had a relationship with John Harrison (Peter Mochrie), who was a detective with Homicide. It was revealed he was in fact corrupt, and during a standoff with Rachel at Waverley Cemetery, she shot and killed him, before he had the chance to shoot her.
In season two, Rachel had a relationship with Michael Jeffries (John Adam), who owned the fictional Michael Jeffries Department Store. Rachel initially told him that she was a wine taster, because she wanted him to get to know her before judging her on her actual job. In the final episode of season two, Michael asked Rachel to marry him, but she didn't think she could get married again.
In season three, when Frank was away, Rachel met Jack Christey (Steve Bisley), a detective who worked with the Balmain police squad. Jack instantly liked Rachel, and in the episode Heads or Tales they slept together.
In season four, Rachel and Frank were partnered with Michael Reilly (Aaron Pedersen), due to the Water Police looking for a third detective for extra security during the 2000 Olympic Games. However, not long after that, Frank left the Water Police. When Jack came back to replace Frank, he and Rachel later began their relationship again until Rachel was stabbed and died in season four's A Day At The Office, an episode in which most of their colleagues found out about their secret. Jack told Rachel that he loved her when she was dying, and it was later revealed that Rachel was also in love with Jack.
After Rachel was killed off, ratings for the series began to decline until it was finally cancelled two years later.