Recap
- Justin telling Bridget she's off the footy team
- Paul asking Elle if he was ever in a fire
- Richard refusing to give a confession to Rebecca
- Toadie having no luck with Rebecca's only hope - Karen
- Declan volunteering his kidney for Richard
Richard's Hospital Room
Declan glowers at his dad and informs him that he's donating his kidney - but only because he wants his mum to get the justice she deserves. Richard stays silent.
DECLAN: Anyway, offer's there. Live or die, simple as that.
Number 22
Paul rushes to rescue his burnt toast but the smoke billowing from the toaster sparks another memory from the Lassiter's inferno. Paul's startled out of his vision by the smoke alarm going off, which really could have sparked another memory in itself...
Richard's Hospital Room
Richard stuns Declan by not accepting his offer, "I don't want to live without the love and respect from my sons." He shuts his eyes as a sign of closure, so Declan goes into begging mode to change his mind. King of delusions, Richards smiles and opens his eyes, "You do care about me." When Declan half-heartedly aggress, Richards gladly accepts the kidney from him. This guy is whack.
Number 26
Miranda brings skim milk home for brekkie, which depresses Steve, who then teases Riley about his early morning breakfast making concerto (imitating him banging around pots and pans and waking them up). Riley says that they won't have to put up with it for much longer because he's looking for his own place to live - a thought that concerns Miranda.
STEVE: Babe, a guy's gotta have his own swinging pad, man.
BRIDGET: Dad, what did I tell you about parents and trying to be cool?
Steve lets Riley know there's a flat going near the vet clinic. Riley says he'll check it out after he applies for his cadetship at the Erinsborough News. The kids depart and Miranda glares at Steve, unimpressed with his laissez-faire attitude towards Riley. But Steve reckons they can still keep an eye on him while also giving him his space - that's why he mentioned the nearby flat.
Zeke wanders in and introduces himself to Riley before asking where Bridget is.
RILEY: Bold move showing your face around here.
ZEKE: Why?
BRIDGET: (storming past them) Didn't you read the sign? Backstabbing traitors are no longer welcome!
RILEY: ... warned you!
Ramsay Street
While Riley stretches for his jog, Zeke asks how mad Bridget is with him. Riley reckons it goes beyond a scale of 1-10. He reminds Zeke that loyalty is everything to his sister, but she should start to cool off soon. Riley's momentarily distracted by Elle, who is checking her mail, and is almost sconed by a stray golf ball flying over from #28. Zeke apologetically explains that his parents have taken up the sport.
Riley suavely jogs up to Elle all, "We've got to stop meeting like this", but then ruins it all by screaming like a girl (or Ned Flanders) when another golf ball flies their way.
RILEY: Enough with the golf! There's people out here!
SUSAN VO: Sorrrreeeee!
Elle tries to hide her laughter.
Number 22
Elle stumbles across her dad flipping through a photo album, trying to locate the person he keeps seeing in his "visions". He walks Elle through this aforementioned vision as the flashback plays out on screen (and we get to see Gus Cleary again).
PAUL: The thing is, I don't seem scared. I just, I'm in control and I'm calm. It's almost like I'm the one that started the fire.
Horrified at the thought, Paul asks Elle if it was possible that he left the man to die in the fire. Elle looks thrown.
Number 26
Bridget isn't thrilled to see Zeke on her doorstep, but he's there to apologise for his foolishness. He also says that there are laws against anti-discrimination, and if they went and saw Coach Ken, Bridget will definitely be allowed to train. Bridget is pleased to have Zeke on her side again, but still has one concern.
BRIDGET: What about Justin?
ZEKE: Justin's greatest achievement is that he can fart and chew. I don't think we care what he thinks.
They then do that fist punch thing that all the cool kids do these days all "yo" and "word to your mama"... Sigh, I feel so old.
Number 22
Elle tells Paul that he would never have been a murderer (O RLY?), but this only frustrates Paul further. He wants to get to the bottom of this and thinks he should see a psychiatrist. Elle doesn't see the point, she believes that they'll just give him some lame symbolic assessment, but Paul is determined to speak to an expert.
Ramsay Street
Miranda worries that Steve is a little too laid back sometimes with the kids, but Steve points out that Riley isn't "an event" and that they can't plan his life for him.
STEVE: There's involved and then there's smothering.
MIRANDA: Smothering?
STEVE: Okay, we'll split the difference: overprotective.
Before Miranda can rip into him, Bridget and Zeke walk out and announce they're off to footy training. Demonstrating their different parenting approach further, Steve's all "have fun!" while Miranda's more, "Wear a mouthguard!" And then Steve totally should have said, "There's a reason there's a 'mother' in 'smother', babe," and then rounded it off with a sassy head waggle and a z-snap.
Karl rushes over to apologise on Susan's behalf after they're nearly clocked on the head with a golf ball. Annoyed with her husband, Miranda leaves him to finish his chores on his own. Steve immediately asks Karl around to help him with his IKEA project that he's just been lumped with.
General Store
Susan's delivering another golf-related apology, this time to Carmella for denting her fruit van. Susan offers to buy her a coffee but Carmella is all about the herbal tea in her 'condition'. Confused, Susan finds out that Carmella's pregnant (and I wonder by her split second wide-eyed moment if she thought it may have been Ringo's... hehe).
At the counter, Oliver tells Toadie that he needs to talk to Karen again, but Toadie feels like he's pushed her as hard as he can. Oliver is adamant, however, that someone else has a go at persuading her. And by someone, he obviously means his good self.
Number 26
Steve and Karl are struggling to put together a coffee table. Karl wonders if Steve's still in the doghouse with Miranda, but Steve doesn't think so.
Steve is quite possibly sharing Richard's delusional pills because Miranda is still royally ticked off. She's with Susan in the kitchen, taking out her anger on some poor unsuspecting food with a big knife.
SUSAN: (amazed with her quick chopping skills) Were you a ninja in a previous life or something?
Takes one to know one, ninja Suse. Miranda just wishes that Steve would understand that children need guidance.
Meanwhile, Steve and Karl are still trying to work out the coffee table.
STEVE: I'm not saying we should let them run riot.
KARL: Of course not.
STEVE: But there comes a time when...
KARL: ... they need to spread their wings, don't they?
STEVE: Well yeah...
KARL: Leave the nest.
STEVE: Okay...
KARL: Follow their dreams.
STEVE: Yeah I get it, mate.
Steve is sure that Miranda will see things his way after a chat.
Cut to Miranda in the kitchen defiantly telling Susan that she will never see things Steve's way.
SUSAN: That's the thing with men. They're like lava lamps - they're fun to look at, but they're not very bright.
Steve and Karl have finished their masterpiece - but still somehow have a spare piece of wood. Karl quickly shoves it down the back of his trousers (!) before the women can see. Miranda's quite impressed with their efforts but Susan (teaching Miranda a thing or two about ninja-dom), smells a rat and sternly holds out her hand to Karl, who sheepishly gives her the missing plank. And no, I don't mean Ned...
Dr. Levi's Office
Dr. Levi tells Paul and Elle that the only way they're going to solve this is to look deeper into Paul's past. He suggests hypnotherapy, which greatly concerns Elle, but Paul's all for it. Dr. Levi gives them a moment alone to discuss things. Elle is extremely worried that the hypnosis will ignite all of Paul's memories and change him back, but Paul is desperate to know the truth.
ELLE: (worried) This doesn't just affect you, dad. You are dragging us all along with you.
Paul looks conflicted.
Footy Oval
Justin's outraged to see Bridget back on the field and goes to whine to Coach Ken about it. But Coach Ken tells him to pull his head in and says that Bridget could teach Justin a thing or two about the game. Eavesdropping, Bridget smiles smugly to herself. Zeke welcomes her back with another one of their cool kid fist punches. Word.
Charlie's
I can hear change rattling together - Riley must be in the building. Elle walks in and makes a beeline for her drinking buddy.
RILEY: You look like you could do with a drink.
ELLE: You look like someone who owes me a drink.
Elle's up for a chat but takes family dramas off the agenda. Riley discovers that he's only carrying enough to buy, like, a thimble of French champagne, so Elle ends up footing the bill once again.
Footy Oval
The Dingoes are going through their paces, running around and handballing and other footy related stuff. Steve and Karl have come down to watch, along with Ringo and Rachel (who seem to have dropped off the face of the planet recently). Texting away, Rachel tells Ringo that Bree says hi and Ringo says to say hi back. Wow, riveting stuff for the two actors to sink their teeth into.
Miranda has also joined them, bringing down some oranges for half time. Steve wraps her in a hug, a truce seemingly formed between them for now. Riley has wandered down to cheer Bridget on too after putting in his application at the newspaper. He finds out his fate with them next week. He also checked out the flat Steve mentioned and didn't think it was too bad. I'm guessing it's the only flat in the village (the one that every non-Ramsay Street person seems to live in).
Rotunda - or "Torunda" if you're Steph McIntosh
Oliver has met up with Karen and is telling her how Rebecca and Declan have been on the run from Richard their whole lives. Poor little Declan even had to flee on Christmas Eve one year and leave his pressies under the tree. Aww. Oliver knows that Karen is scared but so is his mum, and if Karen agrees to be a witness then they'll never have to be frightened of Richard again.
Number 22
Oliver's pleas must have worked a treat, because Oliver, Toadie and Paul bound in to tell Rebecca that Karen will take to the stand if it all goes to trial. Rebecca's grateful but grimly informs them that Richard could be dead before it gets to court. Just then, Declan walks in and confidently states that Richard won't be dying - he's donating his kidney so that the sonofagun will live to confess to his crimes. Rebecca is appalled and says that there's no way in hell she'll consent to that!
TOADIE: So what do you want me to do? Do you want me to file the papers?
REBECCA: I really don't think there's any point.
OLIVER: I do. Go ahead, we'll figure something else out.
General Store
Oliver tries to make small talk with Carmella but she can tell he's got something heavy on his mind.
OLIVER: I think I'm going to donate a kidney.
CARMELLA: (confused) I beg your pardon?
OLIVER: For Richard.
CARMELLA: Why are you telling me this? You want my permission, right?
OLIVER: Yeah, sort of.
CARMELLA: The father of my child comes to me and says he wants to donate a kidney, and I'm supposed to just sit back and let it happen?
Oliver's face is like, "... well, yeah!"