'Wentworth' season 5 spoilers: Character deaths to escalate?

Australia's hit prison drama series "Wentworth" is back for the fifth installment of the show, after having killed off the show's lead star Bea Smith (Danielle Cormack). Only two episodes in season 5, and the show has managed to kill off another character, Maxine (Socratis Otto).

Season 5 of "Wentworth" is the first without Bea Smith (Danielle Cormack).Facebook/WentworthTV

Fans have once again been taken by surprise, and the deaths might pile up this season. Recently, Otto, with a heavy heart, bade fans good-bye during a Facebook Live Q&A.

Otto shared, "It's a roller-coaster ride but I wish the success of the show to continue, and I have no doubt it will. I only hope it keeps pushing stereotypes and representing real people and real issues."

Another shocking revelation was the return of Franky (Nicole da Silva) to prison. The character initially seemed to be having a swell time outside prison. She was even doing great in her job at social services. But as revealed in the premiere episode of the season, her hard work went crumbling down as soon as she crossed paths with Mike (Felix Williamson). Due to their past history of not getting along, she is now a leading suspect in his murder.

Rumor has it that Karen "Kaz" Proctor (Tammy Macintosh) will be taking over Bea's position as prison leader.

The shift in power still comes as a surprise to fans of "Wentworth," given that Macintosh previously made it clear that Proctor is not the kind of character who believes in a single leader.

Speaking to Foxtel, she once said, " There should not be any one woman, one man running women's lives."

"Wentworth" is hailed as one of Australia's best shows, given that it tries to portray the lives of the characters as truthfully as it can. Not to mention, it does not favor the lead stars.

"Wentworth" season 5 airs Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. AEST on Showcase.