Recap
- Didge running away from Chris.
- Steiger telling Steve things will get serious if Steve dies and demanding to know who is lying.
- Steve replying he isn't lying.
- Elle telling Paul to deal with Lyn blackmailing him.
- Riley leaving and Nicola taking the note he left for his parents.
Okay some new titles today. First up still is Steph and Toadie's photo booth shot followed by Carmy and Marco walking along the pier. Jumping off the pier now is Ringo as Zeke, Rachel and Dan sit watching. Steph and Toadie push the bike along the path followed by the Kinski-Kennedy usual scenes. The Parkers are back to being just the 3 of them in a photo booth shot/playing wit the footy before trusty old Lou and Harold appear outside the beach hut. Ned and Mickey remain the same followed by photo booth shots of Lou and Harold then Libby. Ben and Libby share a picnic while the Number 22 residents sit round the table before the following photo booth shots - Rebecca and her sons, Carmy and Marco with Ringo and Dan and Dan by himself before the 4 photo's fall. There is a change there too - its Karl and Susan, Paul and Elle, Dan and Libby, Toadie and Steph.
Phew and on with the summary!
Number 22
We hear Riley's voice as Nicola reads his letter.
RILEY: I know this may seem like the cowards way out but I just had to get away and I know if I tried saying goodbye to you in person I wouldn't be able to do it. I know its going to hurt you the most mum but please know that I love you, all of you and I'll be in touch as soon as I know where I will be. Stay strong and look after each other. There's one last thing about Nicola. One day I'll be able to explain my side of things, right now I can't even explain it to myself but please be careful of her. I know she is family but she'll hurt you, she's bad news.
His voice ends just as the Parkers start fretting where he as gone. Steve states the obvious that Riley has gone and Miranda breaks down because she didn't get to kiss her son goodbye and Didge stares menacingly at Nicola.
Number 32
Paul is round to see if Lyn is keeping to her side of the deal but she hoped he is round to apologise to her. Sadly he isn't and asks what else she wants.
LYN: An apology would be a start.
PAUL: You blackmailed me.
LYN: For making a fool out of me and the way I live my life, for making it impossible for me to stay living here. I had to move away from my family and my friends. I lost everything Paul. What you lose?
PAUL: Oh that brain tumour wasn't too cheap.
LYN: What is it with you?
PAUL: Why do you care?
LYN: I don't get it.
PAUL: Well I can't help you. You see I honestly don't know.
This seems to take the wind out of Lyn's sails so she asks why he's getting married and he replies back that he loves Rebecca. "Nice" is all that Lyn says.
PAUL: Look, back then from what Elle tells me I needed you. Now I may have confused that with love.
LYN: But this time it's different?
PAUL: Yes.
LYN: Because... if Rebecca loves you then you'll be a better person?
Paul replies yes and Lyn scoffs at him.
LYN: And you call that love?! Okay, you're a businessman; you spend your life taking risks. Take one now - tell her the truth about Kirsten.
PAUL: I can't.
LYN: Then you'll continue to destroy everyone around you... including yourself.
Paul tells her that she doesn't get it - if he loses Rebecca then he's got nothing and realising Lyn isn't going to go quietly, informs her that she could go to prison. "That's for me to worry about," she replies.
PAUL: (begging) She's a nice person, you'd like her.
Lyn replies that she's heard that from a lot of people and she is *really* looking forward to meeting her and you can visibly see Paul starting to get worried... really worried!
Number 22
Didge comes off the phone in a foul mood after not getting any info out of the hospital about Chris and takes it out on Nicola. Nicola almost taunts Didge to tell her mum about her and Riley but adds that it would finish her off. That is then compounded when Miranda gets teary when she spots Nicola about to wash some clothes - Riley's clothes.
Ramsay Street
Nicola runs after Didge to thank her for not saying anything but Didge tersely replies that she is doing it for her mum and rejects her offer of going for a coffee (even if it looks like she is still dressed in her PJ's) is going go visit a sick friend. Nicola is onto who she is really visiting and reminds her that it will stuff her dad's case up but Didge is ready for her announcing that makes them equal - she won't tell if Nicola won't.
Declan spots her heading down the road after brushing Nicola off and offers his help but she knocks him back and storms off out of Ramsay Street.
Number 28
Zeke is doing the lovesick routine looking at pictures of himself and Taylah when Declan calls round to enlist his and Ringo's help of making things right with Chris to keep Rebecca off his back. Eventually Ringo forcibly enlists Zeke's help by pulling him by the ears!
Hospital
Didge plucks up the courage to enter Chris' room and lies that she is his cousin when the nurse asks if she is a relative. The nurse encourages Didge to talk to the unconscious Chris, telling Didge to tell him about her day as a start.
The nurse leaves the room and gets Karl wrath when he tells her exactly who Chris's visitor is. She offers to remove Didge but Karl replies that he'll call her mother instead so not to make a scene. In the end, he actually ends up talking to Steve when he answers his wife's phone.
Garage
The teens ask Ned for 4 tyres and lie as to why they are needed when he starts questioning them. Declan offers to pay him back in hard labour because he doesn't have the $200 it's going to cost for the tyres and Ned accepts the deal although he does look a bit puzzled as to why Declan needs 4 tyres.
Hospital
Didge is refusing to budge from the room and Karl leaves strict instructions with the nurse that when Steve arrives she has to get Didge out and Steve isn't allowed near the patient.
Inside the room, Didge apologises for pushing him away even if what he did to her was really wrong and that it scared her. She gets the fight of her life though when he suddenly opens his eyes and looks at her before closing his eyes again. Didge thinks he's gone back to sleep again and just about has an accident when he suddenly grabs her hand as we go into the commercial break.
Break over and Didge is telling him to let her go and when he doesn't, she starts screaming at the top of her lungs and to her rescue is Steve. He forcibly removes Chris' hand and menacingly tells him to let go of her.
STEVE: And if anyone asks it was me that pushed you, understand. Not her. You say anything different and I'll dig up so much dirt I'll bury you. You understand?!
Karl rushes into the room and tells them to go, refusing Didge's offer to say what happened.
The General Store
Susan asks Miranda how Chris is going and she replies that he is stable and hopes it stays that way or it will be terrible for Steve. She starts to get teary telling Susan about Riley upping and going to the Middle East breaking down when she wonders if and when she'll ever see her son again. Susan does her reassuring arm rubbing and reminds Miranda that the Parkers are the strongest people she knows after what they went through following Didge's accident. Miranda asks if Susan ever though about lying over what happened and she replies no because it still wouldn't have changed the facts - she was the one responsible for the accident and ultimately had to live with that fact.
Number 26
Nicola is trying to prevent Miranda from running off to tell the police the truth and when she fails to stop her, dials Steve's number and when getting voicemail asks him to call her back urgently. Trying another number, she gets Sam's voicemail asking too to call her back because they've "got a really big problem".
Hospital
Didge tells Steve to stop the lies but he is insistent that he is taking the blame because he's already lost one child.
Karl exit's Chris' room to tell them to leave but they aren't budging although eventually they do.
Charlie's
Rebecca is back and Paul looks very relived although that changes soon enough when he stops listening to Rebecca talking weddings to look at Lyn who has just entered the bar. Elle eventually spots what he's been looking at and suggests they leave but Rebecca is having none of it, they haven't finished their coffees yet. Steph tries to intercept her mum but fails.
LYN: Well aren't you going to introduce me to your latest fiancée?!
During the break Paul has obviously failed in hoping that the ground would open up and swallow him and done some basics ie. Lyn is Steph's mum.
REBECCA: Ah right, now I know why you turned green.
LYN: Really?
REBECCA: Well you're his ex.
LYN: That's right.
REBECCA: ...So what do we do? Do we shake hands or spit at each other?
Lyn extends her hand which Rebecca accepts and is invited to join them for coffees, and despite Steph trying to get her mum away on some sort of excuse, Lyn wants to join then.
Rebecca tries to break the ice by asking if Lyn has any other kids and she replies 4 and wonders why Paul hasn't told her.
PAUL: No, funnily enough we haven't discussed your offspring.
REBECCA: Ah Paul. I didn't even know that you lived around here.
LYN: I don't. You really don't know about me at all do you?
ELLE: Lyn, dad was sick. He's lost a lot of his memory.
LYN: Well lucky dad.
PAUL: Oh come on Lyn, bitterness was never your look.
STEPH: (trying to diffuse the situation) I'm sure Paul could dredge up a few stories of his own if he wanted to.
LYN: Well I'm sure he could. So, what about Paul... how well do you know him?
REBECCA: (puzzled) Well enough.
LYN: He loves surprises doesn't he, trips away... jewellery. Do you know it was actually Paul who taught me to be very, very careful with surprises but you'll find that out too once you're the next Mrs Robinson?
REBECCA: What's this about Lyn?
LYN: Just that (pause) you think you know someone.
Steph interrupts to diffuse the situation and following an embarrassed silence, Rebecca asks if someone will let her in on the joke.
Lyn bottles out of what she was going to say, instead saying that she really wanted to meet her but adds that she should look out for herself. "Why" asks Rebecca and again it looks like Lyn chickens out of what she really wants to say, telling her that weddings can be very stressful and to everyone's relief Steph finally manages to get her away from them on the pretence of taking Charlie out.
REBECCA: Oh my goodness. Are all our ex-wives that crazy?
Paul is unable to find a suitable answer so half-laughs it off.
Number 26
Nicola is relieved to see Didge and Steve home and she tells them that Miranda is at the police station to tell the truth. While Steve isn't happy but Didge is because the lies are making everything worse and orders Didge to stay home while he goes after Miranda.
Police station
Miranda sits patiently waiting to see Detective Skinner and eventually he appears and takes Miranda through into the station from the reception area.
Hospital
The nurse calls Karl in to check on Chris because his BP has gone thought the roof and is still rising. Karl orders another scan urgently.
Police station
Skinner gets ready to interview Miranda after she rejects the offer of a cuppa.
Hospital
Karl calls the nurse to say that they need to get Chris back to theatre because he's started bleeding.
Police station
Skinner starts the interview by doing the preliminaries for the tape but before Miranda can give her statement she clams up, becomes teary and tells him that she can't and asks for the cuppa she knocked back, so Skinner stops the tape.
Hospital
Its action stations as Chris arrests and Karl says they'll resuscitate on the way to theatre.
Police station
An officer delivers Miranda a cuppa and Skinner apologises for taking a call on his mobile. Ooh I wonder who called.
Out in the main reception area, Steve bursts into the station asking the desk officer for his wife and when he replies back that she is talking to Skinner, asks that he speaks to her urgently and isn't taking no for an answer. The officer goes to call someone and again Steve insists that he talks to his wife *now*.
Final break over and Miranda comes out to see Steve but before he can speak, she tells him to get a lawyer because Chris is dead. Steve goes to leave to be the one to tell Didge but before he can go anywhere, Skinner appears informing him that he can't leave.
SKINNER: Steven James Parker I'm arresting you for the murder of Christopher Wayne Knight.
Sidenote - In the credits there is a change too, Neal Kingston is listed under Peter Dodds as director and Susan Bower's name is above Riccardo Pellizzeri.