Ramsay Street
Elly is in agony on the Rebecchis' front lawn, having been bitten by The Snake™. Steph is tending to her, and encourages her to stay calm - because the more she moves, the more the venom will spread. Toadie is calling an ambulance, and they ask him what type of snake it was. Elly says it was a brown one.

The titles roll.

Erinsborough Hospital
Elly is wheeled in on a stretcher, while Karl asks her questions about the snake bite. She reveals she's been vomiting in the ambulance and has a terrible headache, as well as abdominal pain.

No 28
Ben is looking in the mirror in the corridor; he appears to have a love-bite on his neck. Susan comes in, and tells him about Elly being bitten by the snake. Ben wants to go to the hospital with her, but Susan says it's best he stays here; she'll call him if there's any news.

Erinsborough Hospital
Karl tells Elly that they'll use a venom detection kit to find out what kind of snake bit her, and that an antivenin is on the way from another hospital.

ELLY: Am I going to die?
KARL: Hey. Not on my watch.

But she's still in an awful lot of pain, and Karl looks worried.

Ramsay Street
Toadie, Sonya, Steph and Mark watch as a snake catcher, Ari Philcox, scours the front garden in search of the reptile. We learn that Nell is fine and inside the house with Charlie, watching a film. Steph feels bad for having been rude to Elly earlier; Toadie says Elly wasn't selling herself well, but adds that she did save Nell's life.

MARK: You said it was most likely a brown snake. But isn't it unusual for them to be in this area?
ARI: A bit, yeah. Sometimes they get caught under cars. Could be how it got here.

But Sonya points out that, following the graffiti on the car and the brick through Toadie's window, it's possible the snake was planted here deliberately - perhaps by Clive West or an accomplice. Toadie thinks it's a bit of a strange way to settle a score, but Sonya urges Mark not to discount the possibility.

Erinsborough Hospital
Susan arrives to see Elly, having called her mum to let her know what's happened. Karl says Elly's stable but asks to speak to her in private; Elly says she wants Susan to stay, however.

KARL: Okay. Elly, we've hit a complication. You're pregnant.
ELLY: What?!
SUSAN: You didn't know?
ELLY: No! Are you sure?
KARL: Yes. Normally that would be my focus, but the snake-bite has to be our highest priority.

Karl says they're trying to stop the bleeding to keep the pregnancy viable, but that once they give Elly the antivenin, there's no telling how her unborn baby will be affected.

KARL: The snake-bite is threatening the baby *and* your life. The antivenin is our only hope of saving either.
ELLY: Okay. Do it.

Karl goes to fetch the antivenin, while Elly asks Susan to pass her her phone. Susan offers to call somebody for Elly; Elly asks if Susan can call her ex-boyfriend Derek, the father of the baby. Susan promises to call him, and tells Elly to relax.

No 28
Piper turns up and asks Ben what the ambulance was doing outside; he explains about Elly getting bitten.

PIPER: Oh. Couldn't have happened to a nicer person (!)
BEN: Piper, this is serious. She could die.

Piper apologises, saying her head's all over the place. Ben admits he's not having a good day either, claiming that he thinks Xanthe really hates him. Meanwhile, Piper admits that she thinks Tyler and Paige might have hooked up again, but wants to know for sure. Ben says he can't see how she can prove it, but this sparks an idea in Piper, and she suddenly rushes off.

Erinsborough Hospital
In the corridor, Karl is on the phone to Sonya, who's called to see how Elly's doing. Once he's finished, he speaks to Susan, who's really worried about Elly. Susan says Elly's erratic behaviour makes more sense now they know that the relationship she's just come out of was so serious.

Susan doesn't know what she's going to say on the phone to Derek, and asks Karl what the chances are that the baby will survive. Karl says it's too early to say, but doesn't seem hopeful - saying his priority is to save Elly.

Harold's Café
Xanthe is telling Aaron about the film project she's doing at school.

XANTHE: We're thinking, like, a comedy, Western, love-story mash-up.
AARON: That's a fair bit of mashing!

But Xanthe admits that Cooper and Alison, who are also working on the project, don't really understand the concept of teamwork.

Aaron goes over to a table where Piper is sitting with a laptop. Piper's behaving very furtively, and pulls out a USB stick from the computer before putting it in her bag. When Aaron asks what's wrong, Piper claims she's worried about Elly - and tells them about the snake-bite. She adds that Ben's really upset, both about Elly, and about Xanthe laughing at his song.

XANTHE: He's with Alison now. He doesn't care what I do.
PIPER: Xanthe, don't be stupid. He couldn't like anyone as much as he likes you. I know what it feels like to be betrayed by someone you thought you could trust, believe me. But Ben - he's got real feelings for you. I think you should go over there and talk to him - sort all of this out.

Erinsborough Hospital
Karl is giving a very unwell Elly the antivenin, while Susan stands by for support. Outside in the waiting area, Ben is shaking with worry. Xanthe arrives.

XANTHE: I heard about Miss Conway. Is she gonna be okay?
BEN: They don't know if she'll recover. I went in before and it looked really bad.
XANTHE: I'm sure she'll be okay.

As she puts an arm on Ben to comfort him, Xanthe notices the love-bite on his neck, and thinks he's been bitten by the snake too! But Ben pulls his shirt around the bite and insists it's nothing. Xanthe realises what it is, and is upset.

XANTHE: So you're with Alison now?
BEN: I'm with people who don't bag my songs. Besides, you're with Cooper now anyway, aren't you?
XANTHE: Yeah. He's really hot. And he doesn't need payment to be with me.

An alarm bleeps in Elly's room, and Ben gets up to see what's wrong. Karl stops the antivenin infusion and ushers Susan out of the room. Karl tries to reassure Elly who's now having difficulty breathing, and calls for nurses to assist.

The Waterhole
Mark finds Clive West in The Waterhole, who claims he's been away fishing. Mark asks Clive to come to the station to answer questions about the attacks on Sonya. Clive claims to know nothing about them, but Mark points out that Clive lives in an area known for brown snakes - and explains what's happened to Elly.

CLIVE: Only snakes I deal with are you lot.
MARK: What were your movements in the last 24 hours.
CLIVE: I'm not gonna tell you that. Bloody authorities - think you can poke your nose into everyone's business.
MARK: Here we go (!)
CLIVE: I have a constitutional right to fish, to drink beer, and to protest road hazards without having to justify it.
MARK: Not when you're injuring people. Now, you can come willingly, or I'll arrest you. It's up to you.
CLIVE: Alright, fine. Fine, I'll answer your questions. But I want it on record that you're badgering an innocent man.

Mark leads Clive out of the pub.

Erinsborough Hospital
Elly is now stable, and asleep. Karl explains to Susan that Elly's adverse reaction to the antivenin was caused by an allergy to horses, which are used in the production of the serum. This has put her body under enormous pressure, and has meant they've had to also administer adrenalin.

KARL: I think the baby's chances of survival are very low.

Susan goes to try calling Derek again.

Ramsay Street
Mark explains to Toadie and Sonya that he's questioned Clive, but didn't have enough on him, so had to let him go; Clive has denied all responsibility. Steph turns up and tells them about Elly's allergic reaction to the antivenin. Meanwhile, Ari the snake catcher is packing up his van to leave. He says he's been unable to find the snake, but to call if they see it again.

TOADIE: So the snake's still out there?

We cut to the snake slithering in some bushes.

Erinsborough Hospital
Elly wakes up, to find Susan and Karl by her bedside. Karl says that her body's now responding to the antivenin - but that unfortunately her unborn baby has died. Elly sobs.

Harold's Café
Xanthe and Aaron worry about Elly. Xanthe says she left when things got heated at the hospital; she didn't fancy making more small-talk with Ben.

AARON: Hey, how about that snake?

Ben comes in.

XANTHE: Yeah, I know, right? Why would he come in here? He knows exactly where I work.
AARON: Oi! I'm talking about the *snake* snake!

Aaron's worried that the snake could be in his backyard, or even in the pool! Xanthe then gets a social media notification; Alison has posted a picture of her and Ben together, and tagged half of the class in it. Aaron thinks it looks like a platonic pose, but Xanthe says it's a moving-on pose - it's the exact same pose she uses with Cooper!

Meanwhile, Ben joins Piper at another table, and asks where she ran off to before. She says she just had to find some photos for the slideshow for Brad and Terese's divorce party.

PIPER: You won't be able to wipe the smile off my face for weeks with what I'm planning.

Ben admits he's struggling to keep it together with Elly in hospital. Piper says Ben can help her find family photos in order to distract himself. Piper then gets the same notification as Xanthe, and shows Ben the picture of him with Alison. Ben claims that he misses Xanthe, and he only hooked up with Alison because he thought it would help him get over it. But it hasn't worked, he adds.

BEN: So I'm officially staying away from Alison.
PIPER: Actually, you're officially in a relationship with her.
BEN: What?
PIPER: Yeah, look - she just changed her status.

Ben looks worried, as Xanthe gives him the evils from across the room.

Erinsborough Hospital
Susan is sitting with Elly, explaining how she once lost a baby she was carrying as a surrogate for her daughter Libby. Elly apologises for not calling Susan at the time, but Susan says she's only mentioning it to Elly to show that she knows how she's feeling. Elly's feeling stupid for not knowing that she was pregnant, and guilty for having been heavily drinking.

ELLY: The baby never had a chance.
SUSAN: Oh, no, Elly - this was nothing that you did.
ELLY (tearful): I have been out of control, though.
SUSAN: You've been going through a serious break-up. You didn't say anything. Why didn't you tell us what was going on?
ELLY: Because I wanted to ignore it. So I decided to act like a contestant on The Bachelor instead. It's no surprise Derek broke up with me; I'm a train wreck, Susan.
SUSAN: No. No, don't you put yourself down like that.
ELLY: It's true. When things got weird with Derek, I handled it so badly. I never would've left if I knew I was pregnant. Derek wouldn't have let me go. I know he would have supported me.

Susan tells Elly that she hasn't been able to get through to Derek; she's just left messages. Elly asks Susan to try again, and to tell Derek everything - he'll take it better from Susan.

The Waterhole
Clive is playing darts when Sonya comes in to confront him, demanding to know if he released the snake on Ramsay Street. Clive just tells her to leave him alone - it has nothing to do with him. Sonya asks him to consider what the consequences could have been if three-year-old Nell had been bitten.

CLIVE: Well, from what you're saying, she didn't get bitten. So why don't you take your accusations and shove 'em?
SONYA: Excuse me?
CLIVE: I know what this is. You're trying to play mind games with me, so I'll stop protesting against the bike lanes.

Clive tells Sonya it's not going to work; he's not giving up. She storms out.

Erinsborough Hospital
Karl comes into Elly's room. Her blood tests are all clear, he says - and there's no suggestion her future fertility has been affected. He reassures her that her 'partying' last night did nothing to cause the miscarriage; it was purely down to the snake-bite and resulting complications. Karl leaves Elly with Susan, and a text comes through on Elly's phone. It's from Derek.

ELLY: What's he said?
SUSAN: ... Why don't we look at it later?
ELLY: Tell me.
SUSAN (reading): 'Hope you're okay. I've transferred money to your account.'

Elly's upset that this is Derek's only response; but Susan tells her he's probably just in shock. Elly is not convinced.

ELLY: That's that. He's washed his hands of me.

A while later, Susan is in the waiting room. She tells Karl about a call she's just had from Mark, warning her to be vigilant as the snake may still be in Ramsay Street. Susan also tells Karl that the snake may have been deliberately let loose, possibly by Clive West as a means of threatening Sonya over the bike lanes. Karl is sceptical, and says in any case that he won't be scared into defeat.

KARL: I'm not gonna let some Steve Irwin wannabe destroy my mission to create these bike lanes.
SUSAN: I don't think it's about you.
KARL: No, no - I mean it, Susan. I'm not going to be threatened.
SUSAN: Oh, just give it a rest, would you?
KARL: Excuse me?
SUSAN: If you hadn't started this whole thing as a way to soothe your ego because you had to close the bar, maybe none of this would have happened.
KARL: You were the one who suggested I take up this cause.
SUSAN: I didn't think you'd get so carried away! You've taken it on like some kind of personal crusade without any thought to the rest of the community. It's been a disaster!
KARL: Really?!
SUSAN: First of all, you took money from the school - money that could have been used to make a real difference. And now it's almost cost Elly her life!
KARL: You hang on there. That's not fair!
SUSAN: No, you hang on, Karl. Just put your ego aside for one minute, and think about the consequences of your actions. It's not always about you! And if you can't see that, then we've got nothing to talk about!

Karl looks upset.

Harold's Café
Xanthe gives Ben dirty looks from a distance. He looks upset.

Erinsborough Hospital
Susan leaves Elly's room. Elly still looks very upset.

Harold's Café
Ben looks sad, while Piper works on her laptop next to him. In the kitchen, Xanthe looks sadly at the photo of Ben and Alison. They give each other sad eyes.

Erinsborough Hospital
Elly looks at the text from Derek, and cries.

Ramsay Street
The Snake™ slithers across the road, hissing...

Promo
- Piper ensures that Paige and Tyler will both be coming to the divorce party
- Brad and Terese cut their divorce cake
- Toadie announces the screening of Piper's presentation to commemorate her family...
- ... But everyone looks shocked at what they've seen