Front of the Scarlet Bar
Bobby lies to Lyn and says he's just moving digs to a mate's place, "beats sleeping in that broom cupboard they've given me." Nice one, Potter (and no, that won't be my last Harry Potter reference of the night, this episode is just asking for them... you have been warned...). He says that his kids have given him a second chance so he needs to remain a committed dad. Lyn is almost buying this and offers to drive him to his mate's, but wouldn't you know it, he's forgotten where the bit of paper is he wrote the address down on. He says he'll just get a taxi then sways Lyn's better judgement by inviting her back into the bar for a nightcap. Mr Suave strikes again.

Hoylands'
Izzy somewhat falsely says it will be nice to see Rosie again. Max agrees and reminds her that their mum will be staying with him so their parents won't actually see much of each other. A light bulb goes off over Izzy's head and she speed talks her way out the door, yammering something about how Bobby has the perfect reason to stay now and how she has to tell him straight away. Max tries to get her to calm down but Karl goes after her saying he'll sort it out.

Karl gets her to woah horsey and promises Izzy her dad will be there tomorrow, she can talk to him then. Izzy stops her mad running spree to the Scarlet Bar but doesn't look too sure that her dad will be there in the morn.

General Store
Lou is sitting in semi-darkness at a table, tapping away at his laptop, muttering in an evil toad voice about nearly being banished to the temple of doom... muah-ha-ha-ha. His magical whimsies are shot though when a muggle walks in the door.

HAROLD: (annoyed) Security just rang me at home to say the alarm hasn't been set.

Lou scrambles for an answer and says he was staying back late to do some bookkeeping... on the computer. Harry knows Lou all too well though and can see he's got his 'getting up to something' face on. Lou believes he needs a new pair of glasses though (and he knows just the right spell too... occulus reparo). Harry spots a chunky silver ring on his mate's finger but Lou keeps up the lies and says that Lolly sent it to him (Frodo shall be ever so mad). Harry leaves him be to get on with it "whatever it is..."

Scarlet Bar
Bobby and Lyn are chatting and drinking. Lyn tries to bring the truth out of Bobby and says it's a shame he couldn't find the address for his mate's place. "Yeah... alright, so you busted me," relents Bobby. Lynnie wants to know if he's ever stuck around to work things out when the going got tough. He says he did, way back in the winter of '77. Lyn can't believe that he hasn't had a serious relationship in all that time and bets that every time there's conflict that's his cue to 'call a cab'.

BOBBY: What's the point of putting each other through all that grief?
LYN: Oh Bobby, no two people can get along famously all the time. I mean you have to put in some effort to make the relationship better.
BOBBY: What about your own marriage?
LYN: Ouch.

She adds, in a somewhat coy way, that if he stuck around he'd have a better chance at building something up with someone. Bobby smirks and leans in close. "Well, if you think I should stay I will." Lyn giggles all school girlishly and says she definitely does. Ooh, the vibe in the room is all sexy like, which leads to...

Scummins'
"Bobby, pick up if you're there..." (hehe, it's funny cause it's true!), "though knowing you you'd pick up anywhere!" (Wow, get out of my head Janelle). Ms Timmins is all restless having been stuck at home on babysitting duties and wants to have some fun. She quickly hangs up though when Bree walks in the room, claiming the call to be a wrong number.

Little Bree can't sleep because she's thinking about the newspaper article that's due out the next day. Janelle assures her everything will be fine then moves towards the counter where a nice chocolate cake is. "I know what you need. There's no room for butterflies in a tummy that's full of good stuff." Yes, Janelle. Give the spew-prone child some sweets when she's worried.

Scarlet Bar
Bobby the magician abracadabras his way through a coin trick to amuse Lyn, not letting her in on any of his secrets. "You seem to have a lot of those," muses Lyn. "I think you're pretty darn good at magic but maybe not so good at the real world." Bobby knows he has some issues to work through but at least he's admitting to them. He leans close again to draw out the missing coin from behind her ear. "Is there going to be any magic here tonight? Looks like there is." More girlish giggling ensues. From... erm... Lynnie of course.

Ramsay Street
Lou collects his morning paper, as this is one of his main storylines these days, and wouldn't you know it, he spies Bobby walking up the street with Lynnie. "Strewth! That's number three."

Bobby is doing his usual Bobby/lady friend banter about the night before, sweet-talking Lynnie like the charmer he is. She wants to know if he's going to stick around now or 'call a cab' but Bobby doesn't want to leave, he's spent most of the night trying to impress her. He gives her a peck on the lips, startling her. "I'm sorry, I've overstepped." That doesn't seem to be the case though as Lyn draws him in for a longer smooch. Lynette! (does the 'you go girl' dance)

Scummins'
Lyn practically floats inside after her Hoyland pash and sits on the couch with Harvey and the morning paper. Janelle struts in wanting to know where "Lynnie-Lou" has been all night. Lyn replies in a stuttering manner that she kicked on at the Scarlet Bar to celebrate Steph's appeal and thanks her for babysitting. Janelle says he was an angel, "... so, what's his name?" Erm, that would be Oscar, Janelle. Oh, you mean Lynnie's new playmate that she has unsubtly tried to cover up. Her smirk reveals all but before Lyn can dish any dirt, Janelle spies the paper and grabs it off her. "Bree! It's here! Get up you superstar you!" She dashes off down the hall and Lyn is relieved for the distraction.

Scarlet Bar/Hoylands'
Bobby is packing his things into a suitcase as Max leaves a message on the answering machine. He tells his dad that Rosie's plans have changed and she's not coming home after all. Bobby praises the Lord and picks up the phone just before Max hangs up despondently, believing his dad has upped and left. He lies and says he was just having a shave, saying it's a shame he and Rosie won't be able to catch up. Max laughs and laughs in a goat-like fashion. "I saw your face last night when I said she was coming, you looked like a startled goat!" (Hee! I wonder if Stephen did the bleating laugh to fit in with the goat line?). Bobby says he didn't run though because he promised Izzy.

BOBBY: Once upon a time I would have bolted but, there comes a time where you have to face up to the realities of life. (Thank you school of Wise Lynnie Thoughts).
MAX: (somewhat happily) Okay dad. Look I've got to go mate, but I'll see you later?
BOBBY: Yeah, you will.

Max hangs up and smiles. His daddy is staying put!

Scummins'
Lyn and Oscar look on as Bree reads the newspaper article to her mum. She's articulating it ever so carefully so you just know that she's making half of it up to make her mum sound good. Janelle snatches it off her and we get to see the lovely picture accompanying it - Bree is about to blow some cookies while Janelle has her gob wide open, looking like she's catching flies. She finds out that the reporter had only bad things to say about her saying that she was "overbearing" and "self-deluded" among others. She's a scary beauty pageant stage mum in a spelling bee environment! Janelle gets all rageaholic, complaining that the reporter is a dimwit. Bree and Lyn share a knowing look.

Scarlet Bar
Izzy emerges from the office area sadly telling Karl that all her dad's clothes have gone. They hug just as Bobby saunters in through the front door with the paper. "You two ought to get a room!" Izzy can't believe he's still there and that her eyes are not looking at a Bobby-mirage. He explains that he took all his clothes to the Laundromat in his suitcase because that's all he had to carry them in. Karl sees right through him like a sheet of glass but Izzy's too happy to care about flimsy stories right now. (Listen to the way Alan says "All of your clothes? And in a suitcase?" He's all UK-accenty! You can tell where he spent his holidays before filming resumed). Anyhoo, Izzy apologises for doubting him and envelopes him in a hug. Karl gives Bobby the squinty-eyed stare of disbelief he usually reserves for Paul.

General Store
Summer, Steph and Max are chowing down some food chatting about baby related things. They all say they can't wait and Max and Steph share a smooch. Harold brings over some juice and asks if they've heard about the toxins in the wetlands. Steph wonders if it's as bad as they're making out and Harold says he wouldn't want to go near it after seeing what it did to Dylan. He excuses himself from their table when he spots Lou and some guy over the other side of the room making strange twinkle twinkle little star hand gestures at one another.

The music of mystery plays in the background. Lou tries to act nonchalant when Harold walks over to them and says he was just ordering the rolls for tomorrow (from the baker dude who's an undercover hobgoblin... dude). They walk towards the door and share some weird complicated handshake thing - think Mr Burns trying to make hand signals to his baseball team. Harold asks Lou to look him in the eye and honestly tell him he's not up to something that he would refer to as a scam. Lou is able to do this because he is not king of the scams at the moment, he is king of the Grom Dobby Goblin-dooveys.

Summer has just read the not-so-nice article on Janelle to Max and Steph. Max thinks it's a little harsh but Summer tells him it's all true. "This article says all the things Bree never could. I think it's a good thing and I'm sure she will as well."

Scummins'
"This is a disaster. How could they write something like that about my mother?" Bree laments. "I mean she's only trying to help me." Summer tries to set her right though and says she only gets spewy because of the pressure Janelle puts on her. "I'm ruining my own daughter's life am I?" asks Janelle, creeping up behind them. She asks Bree if she thinks the same but she doesn't answer.

JANELLE: Doesn't look like she agrees with you. How dare you come into my house and talk about me that way?
SUMMER: Well it's actually my grandma's house.

Janelle glosses over that fact and says that her daughter shouldn't associate with people who speak about her mum in that way. She tells Summer to "rack off and don't come back". Bree finally finds her voice and says that everything the article said was true. "You are putting too much pressure on me, that's the reason why I get sick. You're wrecking this whole thing for me. Why can't you just butt out and leave me alone?" She runs off, possibly to be sick again. You can never tell with this girl these days.

General Store
Max and Steph are talking babies again. Steph says she got her hopes up too much when they were trying the IVF so she's not going to do that again... as much. They laugh and have another schmoopy moment.

Oh good Lord. Lou is speaking on the phone, in the middle of the General Store among many muggles equipped with ears, talking in tongues. Seriously. His vocab is all madcap and the only thing I partially understood as English was something about crossing the sea of 'Zavaloch'. Good-o. Harry has crept up behind him during all of this looking quite curious. Lou says he was just speaking to Bob the butcher.

HAROLD: You were chanting something. You've joined some sort of cult, haven't you?
('Yeah, Life Mechanics!' - I think, watching this scene the first time)
LOU: (scoffs) As if!
HAROLD: It's not Life Mechanics is it?

Wow, get out of my head Harry. Lou tells Harold that he has found an interest that's all, one that he happens to share with likeminded people like their friend Bob the butcher. He walks away leaving Harry to do the old redial trick on the phone. Bob the butcher is actually on the other end of the line much to his surprise. Lou is listening in on another phone in the background, sniggering away merrily.

Scarlet Bar
Lyn and Bobby are drinking coffee to keep themselves perky after their big night out. Bobby wants to know where they'll be going out next time, which makes Lyn smile. She's happy he wants to keep spending time with her. Lynnie also wants to know if he'd mind keeping their friendship a secret for a while, just because it would be weird for the kids. (Max could have three new surrogate mummies at the rate he's going). Bobby says he totally understands - he'd like to keep seeing all the laydeez anyway so he's loving this idea. He spots Janelle walk in and makes a quick retreat back behind the bar.

Janelle tells Lyn she has just been down the newspaper office to give the journalist a piece of her mind. She also informs her of Bree's little tirade against her, blaming her for whenever she gets sick. Lyn carefully tries to say that maybe the article let Bree see something she kind of already knew - but that she doesn't understand all the "help" Janelle is giving her is because she loves her. Janelle totally gets the wrong end of the stick and comes to the conclusion that Bree is being an ungrateful sod, getting up to go home and tell her so. Lyn looks distressed.

By the way, Janelle. 1999 Lyn Scully called, she wants her leopard-print clothes back. Thanks!

Hoylands'
Bree has sought refuge at Summer's, waiting for the Janelle storm to calm down. Summer thinks it's for the best that everything is out in the open now. The same thing happened with her not that long ago. She had to tell her dad he had an anger management problem when it became clear that Boyd was acting out in the same way because of his influence. "Once I told him he knew and that's when things got better." Bree's all, 'Uh, hello? Have you met my mum?' Summer advises her to keep talking things out.

Scummins'
Bree slinks home and tries to chat with Janelle but she's being difficult. She basically puts the sad puppy face on and sends Bree on a guilt trip until she says that she didn't mean the things she said about her before. They hug. "How about we finish off that cake," Bree suggests. Janelle smiles, "it always helps, doesn't it!" Except for now because Bree's face is quite the opposite of happy at the moment. It's not quite the spew face though, which is a relief.