Recap
- Toadie telling David and Lil about the job in Sydney
- Lou reassuring Trixie about Valda
- Jamie getting angry at Stu about Life Mechanics
Caravan Park Shower Block
Stu's just had a shower and sees Jamie washing clothes in the sink. He offers to let him hang his clothes in his van in case it rains, but Jamie doesn't want a bar of him. Stu says he could really use a mate, I can promise you I am not the bad guy the papers have made me out to be. I may be stupid, but I'm not evil. Stu walks off when Jamie responds snidely, but Jamie might actually care after all.
Bishops
Lil is in a cooking frenzy and is a little testy at Harold when he asks about all the meat she has there for Christmas, I didn't know there were so many edible animals in the world... It turns out that Lil's upset that David will be away for Christmas, but Harold promises they'll ring him lots during the day. He also says they'll celebrate her Serbian Christmas in January. Lil feels a little better.
Kennedys
Susan is cleaning the wooden furniture with...that...stuff...that cleans wooden furniture. We used to use it when we had wooden furniture... Anyhoo, after cleaning the coffee table she moves over to the cabinet that Karl ran to in the previous episode, and of course temptation gets the better of her and she opens the cupboard and finds le present. There's a card on it that says...
To my dearest Susan,
I give you this gift from my heart, with all my love and hope for the future.
Karl
She then goes to put the gift back, but again, she's tempted and instead she opens it to find, yes... The present that has been driving me insane... A watch! A very expensive watch too! Well it looks bloody expensive and as we already know, she's not happy about it.
The Coffee Shop
Lou has just filled Harold in on his extravagant wedding plans for Trixie. He makes him promise to keep it a secret because it's a surprise. (We also find out that Connor gets to be bridesmaid, hehe!). Trixie walks in and Harold does a pretty woeful job of shutting up, but she's none the wiser. (There's also a guy in that background that made me do a double-take - He was wearing a green shirt & I thought Steve had escaped the confines of the Pub!).
Caravan Park
Stu opens the door to a sheepish looking Jamie. Clarkey says he needs a mate, too. Stu says he wishes he had his old mates around as well, he really stuffed up his life. Stu suggests Jamie go and see his dad to patch things up. Jamie wonders how he'll magically get to Adelaide and find him, but Stu says he knows someone that could help.
Bishops
Lil is looking at some cups. Susan then knocks on the fly gate thingyme and Lil lets her in. Susan gives her a present and says that she and Karl are leaving for Adelaide the following morning, so she wanted to give Harold's present now. Just as she's about to leave, Lil asks her to come and see what David sent her. On the table is a dinner set, and Susan immediately assumes that's what he sent her, understandably she wasn't that sure why Lil was excited about it. I know I wasn't. Alas, that was not the reason Lil was so excited, apparently two of the cups from the set had broken when they moved to Melbourne, and David somehow managed to find exact replicas of them. She then tells Susan about David's presents before, when he had started the business. Apparently he used to give her expensive presents all the time, and Lil now knows it was out of guilt (which doesn't make sense to me, because he didn't know he'd been cheated till he got to Erinsborough, but anyhoo) and this obviously grabs Susan's attentions thanks to the watch!
The Coffee Shop
Toadie sees Stu and Jamie come in to see Harold. Stu apologizes to Harry for being an idiot due to the Life Mechanics, and Harold apologizes for getting angry at him when he tried to put the fliers up in the shop that time. Stu asks a favour and wonders if Harold's Salvation Army contacts could help Jamie find his dad. Harold is pleasantly surprised that the favour is in aide of helping someone else. He tells Jamie he's sure he can help him. Toadie continues to to eavesdrop.
Pub Office
Lou's on the phone making more wedding plans, and Trixie just happens to overhear this; You see my problem is love, I want the brightness and the fun we had before. She spies that souvenir Valda sent him of the boomerang and her picture and looks suss. Lou hangs up in a hurry when he sees Trixie, and when she asks who was on the phone, he says it was a rep from a wine company.
Bishops
Lil answers the door to Santa and promptly shuts the door in his face saying, I told you yesterday, we do not want cable TV. She answers the second knock and is surprised and elated to see that Santa is actually David. He managed to get all the work done early in Sydney and hopped on the first plane home. This is going to be the best Christmas ever! exclaims Lil.
The Coffee Shop
Harold tells Jamie he knew Des and Daphne, and how Daphne used to own the Coffee Shop when it was called 'Daphne's Place'. Harold's also been on the phone to his contact Dory, and says that she found Des and he's excited to hear that Jamie's coming to see him. Jamie and Stu thank Harold, and Jamie thanks Stu for being a mate. Stu says he'll look after Audrey Scruff, and Harold takes Jamie to Dory. Stu goes to say something to Toadie but chickens out. Toadie looks contemplative.
Kennedys
Next scene, we are the Kennedys Susan is sitting/leaning on the back of the sofa looking worriedly at the watch just as Karl comes in all sweaty from his run. He complains about the heat, but quickly notices the gift in Susan's hands. He asks her how she found it, and she told him she saw him hide it the other day and was worried it was grog. Karl does his cute forlorn look and says he doesn't blame her and says she could've just put it back and pretend to be happy tomorrow. Instead she asks him why he got her the watch and he tells her, from his understanding it was a tradition in western society to give one another presents at Christmas (ha, such a funny smart ass!) Susan prods him again and he tells her he wanted to get her something special and hugs her. I'm thinking he might have had a bit of a bad schtunk or Susan was still unhappy about the gift, cos she didn't hug him back. Actually, she did kind of turn her head away a bit.
Number 30
Toadie and Bob sort through the mail. Toadie looks at one of the envelopes addressed to Stu and comes to a decision.
Caravan ParkToadie leaves Stu's mail and a 6-pack of beer on his caravan steps and walks away. Audrey Scruff lets Stu know someone is there, and Stu spots Toadie. He wonders if Toadie wants to help him with the beer, and he says okay. The boys are on their way back to being mates again, aww!
Lou's/Trixie's
Trixie springs Lou in the middle of another suspicious phone call. She tells him outright that she won't put up with another man two-timing her. He reassures her that he loves her only, and says she's just suffering from pre-wedding jitters.
Pub
Stu and Toadie play darts and joke around.
A bit later they're sitting down having a chat. Stu tells Toadie that he's not seeing his family over Christmas - He can't face them just yet. Toadie says he's going up to Colac for a crazy Rebecchi Christmas, and invites Stu to join them. You can't cook a chook in that caravan stove! Stu gratefully accepts.
Outside the Bishops
David is giving Lil a sneak peek at his special Christmas light display. Lil cracks up when he switches it on though - the reindeer seem to be mounting each other. Sky and Boyd strike again! No wonder Rudolph's nose is so red! giggles Lil. David eventually sees the funny side of it too.
Kennedys
Karl is yapping about a restaurant he went to get their dinner from, and how it was so busy. Meanwhile, while he is talking and serving up their dinner, Susan is sitting at the table looking thoughtful. Btw, Karl's voice is kind of drowned out, so it emphasises Susan's I'm here, but not here state. When he comes back to the table, and places the plates down, he notices that she's not said much and also picks up that she looks worried. This is about the watch isn't it? He asks her and Susan says...actually she doesn't say anything. Karl continues, I don't understand. What is exactly is your worry with the present? Is it the money? Now Susan talks, she says that the money is one reason, and goes onto say that she's been doing a bit of spending of her own. She tells him that she bought tickets for Bill, Anne, Mal and Cath to be in Adelaide with them for Christmas. Karl is grinning and is obviously looking forward to Adelaide and tells her it's a wonderful gift, but Susan doesn't agree...
(ominous silence)
SUSAN: No it isn't. It isn't. It's a sham. It's a cover-up. I want to see the boys again, of course I do, but that's not why I did it. I'm trying to buy you back. Buy back your attention, buy back your commitment. But it's just the same as your gift to me, it's just a hollow gesture. We're just throwing money at the problem, hoping it'll go away but it won't...
KARL: You keep saying problem, but what do you see as the problem?
SUSAN: You're pulling away from me Karl. I don't know how to reach you anymore. I've been hanging on the idea that your drinking has caused the problem but...
KARL (interrupts): Now, I haven't had a drink for well...days.
SUSAN: I know, I know. You're not drinking and there's still this gulf between us that grows wider every day. What's happened to our marriage?
Karl just looks at her.