Previously
- Ned and Yashvi kiss
- Yashvi declares Ned her boyfriend to an awkward Shane
- Later, Ned admits to Yashvi that he feels it's too soon for him to be called a boyfriend
- Andrea turns up on Toadie's doorstep, pretending to be Dee again; he falls for it, naturally
- Meanwhile in Byron Bay, Dee is pretending to be Andrea to fool Heather into letting her leave
- Returning to Ramsay Street with Dee, Heather's arrested by Mark for Sonya's attempted murder
- Dee shows up at Toadie's house for a battle of wits with Andrea; Toadie must decide who's who
- When Dee prevails, Andrea realises the game's up and tries to escape, but Willow tackles her
- As she's carted towards the police car, Andrea screams at Heather that she's ruined everything
- Indoors, Toadie asks Dee, 'is it really you?' She replies, 'it is'
No 30
Toadie and Dee (DEE!) are in the living room, talking.
TOADIE: What you just walked in on - you have to know that's not the first time that she's pretended to be you.
DEE: Yeah, I can tell. You've been incredibly hurt.
Toadie's lips tremble and his voice breaks.
TOADIE: Yeah. I've got my hopes up before. Thinking that there was some kind of truth that would make sense of you and us. And, uh...
She comes to sit next to him.
DEE: Toad - if you're willing to listen, I'll tell you everything you want to know.
TOADIE: Yeah, uh... I'm not sure that I am, actually. I think I'm scared to hear it.
DEE: I think I'm scared to say it. You know, I never thought I'd have the chance to be here, with you. Like this.
TOADIE: Yeah. I never thought I'd be on the couch talking to my dead wife. I just - I need a minute.
At this point, Dee notices the Ramsay Street book on the table, with the photos from their wedding day, and goes over to have a look.
DEE: I mean, this day is etched in my memory, but I've never seen this. Can we look at this together? Then we... then we might be ready to talk about it.
On the verge of tears, Toadie nonetheless gets up to join her at the table. We home in on the wedding photos and the order of service - happier times. Toadie glances at Dee, conflicted...
Erinsborough Police Station
Mark is interviewing Heather. He asks how she discovered where Dee lived, and she explains about the tip-off from Ian and her decision to go to Byron Bay.
HEATHER: I wanted to see Dee for myself, you know. Make sure she wasn't a threat.
She explains how she tracked down Riley, who then passed her details to Dee.
HEATHER: I have to see Andie. Did they take her to the hospital?
MARK: Let's just stay focused on the interview, thanks.
HEATHER: Because, I mean, you know... I knew they looked alike, but I mean... Yeah, when you see them together, it was like... just...
Heather is still clearly very muddled, and feeling guilty for causing Andrea to be caught. Mark is passed a note from a colleague, which leads him to break off the interview for now, saying they'll have to pick it up again later.
No 30
Toadie and Dee are still at the table.
DEE: I used to dream about this day. Remembered all the little details.
Except that she goes on to identify Lance and Joel among the wedding photos, neither of whom were in attendance! But it's a long shot so we can't see who she's really pointing at... She then looks at a picture of Karl and Susan, and asks if they still live next door. Toadie, however, is done with small-talk.
TOADIE: Why did you leave me?
DEE: ... I never wanted to. Something happened that day. And I didn't know it at the time... but it changed everything. It started with my sister Cecile and her boyfriend Riley.
Erinsborough Police Station
We cut to the station, where the same Riley, from Byron Bay, has turned up and is now being interviewed.
RILEY: Karen... Dee... she called me from the airport. Asked me to come straight here.
MARK: And I understand that you've recently met Heather Schilling.
RILEY: Yes. She was looking for Dee.
MARK: And what is your connection with Dee Bliss?
RILEY: We met through her sister Cecile. It was the day before Dee and Toadie's wedding.
No 30
Toadie points out to Dee that...
TOADIE: You and Cecile have never mentioned Riley before.
DEE: No. It was a new relationship; that's why we didn't invite him to the wedding. But I wanted to put a face to the name, so I insisted we go and visit him at his work.
Erinsborough Police Station
Riley tells Mark...
RILEY: I told Cecile to never go there, you know.
MARK: And where was this, exactly?
RILEY: Well, the sign said 'storage facility'. But it was really a front for the Zantucks.
MARK: You mean, the organised crime gang?
RILEY: Yeah. Cecile had no idea. Anyway, so when they showed up, I had to shuffle them out quick-smart. But then the big boss told me they needed to get rid of them.
MARK: Get rid of them, as in...?
RILEY: Yeah. Apparently Dee was on a list of people the Zantucks wanted dead. I tried to find out why, but he wouldn't tell me. I just figured she probably witnessed something she shouldn't have.
No 30
Dee continues the story...
DEE: I never found out what they thought I saw, or when. But they sent someone to our wedding. To tamper with our car.
TOADIE: The limo?
DEE: And Stu's car.
TOADIE: Sorry, no. The police checked it out - there was nothing wrong with it. It was my fault.
DEE: No, Toadie. No, no, no, no. They were clever, okay? They were determined to kill me, and... in many ways, they succeeded.
Erinsborough Police Station
Riley picks up the tale...
RILEY: I was worried, you know? So I followed Dee and Toadie after the wedding. I saw the crash, and I was the first one in the water to fish her out.
No 30
Continues Dee...
DEE: I was in a bad way. It was days before I knew what was going on; we were halfway up the coast by then. Cecile was there; she'd been filled in on what was happening.
TOADIE: But surely you knew that I would've been searching for you?
DEE: I thought you were dead. And they never corrected me.
TOADIE: They let you think that I died?
Dee nods.
Erinsborough Police Station
Mark asks Riley why he didn't go to the police with any of this.
RILEY: Cos it wasn't safe. Look, the Zantucks, they had eyes everywhere back then.
MARK: Yeah, it took us years to catch them all. Even longer to get them in prison.
No 30
Toadie continues to object to Dee.
TOADIE: I get that you had to hide from this gang, but... surely at some stage you worked out that I was actually alive?
DEE: I did.
TOADIE: Right. So, you didn't contact me?
DEE: By then, things had changed.
TOADIE: What changed?
DEE: Riley and I... we fell in love.
Toadie looks peeved. Shortly afterwards...
DEE: You need to understand the environment we were in. Cecile was gone by then; she'd gotten sick of living half a life. She thought she'd take her chances on the Zantucks. It was just Riley and I. We were so isolated. We never saw anyone, and... it just happened. So many times, I wanted to leave Riley and make a statement. But something always got in the way. You know Cecile died?
TOADIE: Car accident.
Dee gets tearful.
DEE: The Zantucks found her in Hobart. My baby sister. We went to the funeral. We watched it from afar.
TOADIE: Yeah, I mean... but this gang has been locked up for years.
DEE: Mm, since 2012. Riley played a part in, umm, having them put away. He decided when Cecile died that he would do anything to help the police.
TOADIE: You still never came forward.
Dee smiles warmly, hinting that she knew about Sonya.
DEE: You'd moved on by then. I couldn't interfere with that.
Mark turns up, and tells Dee it's time for her to make her statement. He explains that he's just taken one from Riley, who has cooperated fully. Dee explains to Toadie that she asked Riley to fly down. Her wrist is hurting from the cliff fall, so Mark suggests he take her to the hospital and take her statement while they're there.
MARK: (to Toadie) Would you like to come along?
TOADIE: ... No. I need time to process this.
Dee looks worried.
Harold's Café
A shaken Willow is hanging out with Shane, Dipi and Kirsha, and wondering what's going on back at the house. Dipi asks if she's alright; Willow says that Toadie's the one they need to worry about. Dipi suggests Shane give Toadie a call, but he's too busy staring at Yashvi and Ned who are hanging out at a table nearby, looking cosy!
DIPI: Puff, you're staring!
SHANE: Umm, yeah sorry. It's just been a big day. I'm just finding it a bit hard to, umm, to focus with the new romance going on.
But he goes to call Toadie. Ned decides to go, saying Yashvi should spend some time with her family. They kiss, and Ned leaves, while Yashvi walks over to the counter.
KIRSHA: It's so weird.
YASHVI: Back from the dead?
KIRSHA: No, you and Ned!
YASHVI: Oh. Well, you'd better get used to it, because he's not going anywhere.
Shane reports back; Toadie's not doing great but 'at least he knows he's not alone'.
No 30
Susan has come round to see how Toadie's doing. She reports that Bea is looking after Nell and Hugo.
SUSAN: How are you?
TOADIE :(laughs): I dunno. I dunno. I feel bad that I didn't go to the hospital.
SUSAN: No, Mark texted me. It's all under control. But you do know there's... someone else at the hospital?
Erinsborough Hospital
It's montage time; and first, we join Andrea, who's sitting on a bed at the hospital, apparently trying to remove a plastic tag from her arm. She pulls aggressive faces at the police officer who's guarding her door, and starts to laugh manically - or is she crying?
Erinsborough Police Station
Heather, muddled and terrified, her face streaked with running mascara, signs her police statement.
No 30
Susan is making Toadie a cup of tea, as Shane and Dipi come in. Toadie hugs Dipi emotionally.
Erinsborough Hospital
Dee is giving Mark her statement.
DEE: I remember waking up, and there were... trees. I think we were in New South Wales by then.
Erinsborough Police Station
Heather, still tearful and shaking, sees Riley through the glass, being interviewed further by another police officer.
Erinsborough Hospital
Andrea's definitely crying now.
No 30
Toadie's at the table with Shane, Dipi and Susan. Suddenly, he gets up and walks out of the front door.
Erinsborough Hospital
Toadie arrives, and asks Mark if Dee is okay. He confirms it's just a sprained wrist and some bruising from the fall.
TOADIE: I just wanted to check that she's safe, considering who else is here.
MARK: Andrea won't be allowed near her. Are you alright, mate?
Toadie isn't alright.
MARK: Hey, hey - I'm on this, okay? I'm gonna make sure this whole story hangs together.
Mark tells Toadie to call if he needs him, then heads off. Toadie peeks around the door of Dee's room, and sees she's sleeping. He looks conflicted.
No 24
Time for a second montage - specifically, a 'Mark cracks the case' montage, as he scours various papers relating to Dee's case. He makes a phone call.
MARK: Could you send me everything you have on the Zantucks? Especially the hit they ordered on Dee Bliss? I'm... kind of stuck, and I can't get much further without it... No, no - whenever's fine, it's gonna be a late one for me...
No 30
The next morning, Toadie is lying on the couch. Dee's voice is in his head.
DEE (voice): How could she look so much like me? ... They were clever, okay? They were determined to kill me, and... in many ways, they succeeded... I never found out what they thought I saw, or when...
Mark drops by, to check up on him.
TOADIE: I'm tired. Can't sleep, just thinking about this whole mess. Oh, man - there's got to be more to this, doesn't there?
Mark nods.
TOADIE: So, Dee's on a hit list, because she supposedly sees something that she shouldn't have (...) but she spends all this time trying to work it out, and she can't. And she also doesn't know that there is someone who looks exactly like her. So, what if Andrea is actually the witness?
MARK: I was about to say the same thing. I made some calls this morning. I'm being sent mugshots of anyone that had anything to do with the Zantucks nationwide.
TOADIE: It makes sense, doesn't it - Andrea actually knowing one of these thugs?
MARK: Yes, but let's not get ahead of ourselves, alright? I'm about to go and speak to Andrea now, see what she has to say. Would you like to come with me?
Toadie considers for a moment, then gets up.
Erinsborough Hospital
Mark is showing Andrea mugshots of the Zantucks and their associates, asking if she encountered any of them in Perth. She's uncooperative at first, but reacts to one of the photos, and admits she knew him.
ANDREA: I dated him for a hot minute.
MARK: What else do you remember?
ANDREA: I dunno, he was a loser. Don't even remember his name... It was Rog, as in Roger.
MARK: Do you remember what he did for work? This is very important.
ANDREA: I don't remember what he did for work, okay? He didn't tell me, and I didn't ask. Why? Why's it so important?
But Mark doesn't explain - simply says that his colleague will come and ask more questions soon.
ANDREA: Oi, Mark! You can't just leave me hanging!
But Mark walks out. In reception, he explains to Toadie that Andrea has identified Roger Zantuck, who ran one of the gang's operations in Perth. Toadie seethes.
TOADIE: Does she know that he was involved in organised crime?
MARK: She was pretty casual about it. My gut says no. Look, the Zantucks must've thought that Andrea had information and needed to be disposed of.
TOADIE: Dee lost everything because of her! Oh, my god. Here I was thinking Andrea ruined just the last two years of my life, when in fact, she's the reason this whole thing started in the first place!
MARK: Look, I'm gonna have to update Dee. Would you like to be present when I do?
TOADIE: No, I can't see her right now anyway.
MARK: Fair enough. Listen, we're getting the answers. We may not like them, but at least we're starting to know what happened, and that's something.
Toadie nods, looking thoroughly unconvinced!
No 30
Toadie updates Susan on the sofa.
SUSAN: So this whole thing started off as a case of mistaken identity?
TOADIE: Yeah. It's sick, isn't it? And then, Andrea turning up in this house, pretending to be Dee. When all along, Dee was targeted by some crime gang, thinking that it was Andrea.
Susan says she doesn't envy Mark having to explain all this to Dee!
Erinsborough Hospital
Mark explains to a shocked Dee that Andrea was in a brief relationship with Roger Zantuck. Once he's broken the news, he leaves her to process it - she looks genuinely astounded.
No 30
Toadie and Susan continue their chat.
TOADIE: I know this makes her a victim in all of this. But I can't move past all the years - all the times that she could've come forward.
SUSAN: Sounds like this Riley person played a big part in the whole thing.
TOADIE: Yeah, he has.
SUSAN: So, I guess we just wait - until we know a bit more.
Erinsborough Hospital
We cut back to Dee at the hospital, looking emotionally exhausted.
Erinsborough Police Station
Mark tells a still-shaken Heather that her bail hearing is set for Thursday; in the meantime she'll be held in custody.
HEATHER: When can I see Andie?
MARK: That's not gonna happen.
HEATHER: Well, I have a right to see my daughter, because we need -
MARK: You have a right to a fair trial. After that, I hope you rot in jail.
HEATHER: Excuse me?
MARK: Sonya Rebecchi was my friend. Why you get to live and she doesn't, I will never understand.
Toadie walks into the station, and comes face-to-face with Riley.
TOADIE: Hey! You may have saved her life, but you stole it, too.
RILEY: Okay, look, I know that you're upset, alright -
TOADIE: Upset?! You kept Dee captive for the best part of sixteen years, mate!
RILEY: That is not how it happened.
Mark appears, and tells them to take it down a notch. But Toadie's voice only rises in volume.
TOADIE: Why does he get to go home? He was part of that gang!
MARK: He was given immunity for helping put the Zantucks away.
TOADIE: Years after the fact! You lied to her just so that she would stay with you!
RILEY: No, that is not how it was!
TOADIE: Oh yeah? Why don't you tell me how it was, then?!
RILEY: Okay, look - I know that you must hate that she and I were together. But at the end of the day, mate, it has always been you. You need to sort this out between the two of you; I'm going home. I wish you the best of luck, I really do.
Riley walks out, leaving Toadie shaking.
Erinsborough Hospital
Toadie and Susan are on their way to see Dee. Andrea spots them through a set of doors and makes a dash past her police guard to try and talk to Toadie, but is quickly restrained by the guard, who tries to pull her back through the doors. She keeps struggling.
ANDREA: Toadie, I'm sorry, okay? ... Get off me!... I'm sorry, okay? Could you just tell me, why is Mark asking me all these questions? Please, Toad... Get off me! Could you help me out, please? Think about our son! Think about Hugo!
The guard succeeds in pulling her away again, and Susan encourages Toadie towards Dee's room. Dee is sitting on the bed when they arrive; she can hear Andrea's screams from down the corridor.
TOADIE: She's under heavy guard. You don't have to worry.
Dee is overwhelmed with surprise to see Susan standing there.
DEE: Susan!
SUSAN: Dee? It's... it's just incredible to see you!
They hug.
SUSAN: Oh, it's more than incredible - it's a miracle!
Toadie looks uncomfortable. Susan asks how Dee is, after learning about Andrea's connection to the Zantucks.
DEE: Well, Andrea insists that we're not related - but everyone sees the resemblance. There was a stranger out there all this time who looked just like me. Anyway, I want to stay and sort some things out - so is Lassiter's still around?
SUSAN: Yeah, it's still there.
DEE: It's a bit embarrassing, but - is it expensive?
SUSAN: Well, you can stay at our place.
DEE: With you and Karl?
SUSAN: Yes, of course! My nieces are there with us at the mo - you know one of them, Elly!
DEE: Elly, oh! Is she here?
SUSAN: Of course. Yes, we'd all be close, there'd be plenty of time to reconnect.
DEE: I'd love that.
She turns to an emotional Toadie.
DEE: Is that okay with you?
TOADIE: ... No. No, it's not. I know that you're a victim in this. But like I said last night, I've already been here, thinking that you're alive. And thinking that everything's gonna be okay...
DEE: Toadie...
TOADIE: But it's not. It's... oh. Okay, uh, I've got two small kids. They have to be my focus. I want to leave the past in the past.
Toadie walks out. Dee and Susan look upset.
Coming up on Neighbours
- Roxy thinks she has stumbled upon a 'saucy secret' involving David and Aaron
- Aaron asks David if he's sure he still wants to do this; David confirms he is, but Roxy is listening
- Chloe tells Pierce that she likes him, a lot
- Gary tells Sheila that whatever happens from hereon, 'it's all me'. Paul is watching from nearby
- Bea suggests to Finn and Ned that they and Yashvi have dinner together
- In one of their sessions, Finn admits to David that he's worried by feelings of jealousy
