Number 26
Sky asks Dylan about his medical results. He says they were negative, then quickly changes the subject to talk about the research work the two of them are doing. Sky gets him to find information in a book while she summarises it. Dylan tells her he can summarise. Sky tells him she's sure he can, but insists this is quicker. Dylan tells her he's not an idiot; he used to write all the time. Poetry. This gets Sky's attention. Apparently he wrote a lot in juvie. He reads one of his poems to her, about the rats in a nearby garbage dump:

"Brown rat climbs up drain pipe
Crawlin', scratchin', desperate, up
Black rat cruises down
Gleamin' eye schemin' by
Plottin' for the jail break
Brown rat freezes
Despair, spasm of sadness
Black rat teases, laughs like a screw
Walks over him just like George W"

He gets annoyed when Sky starts laughing and refuses to read any more. She asks him why he never told her he wrote that stuff. Dylan asks if she still thinks he's shallow. Sky tells him she never said he was shallow, just that he was incapable of a meaningful relationship. Dylan tells her he's still waiting for the right chick. It could be her. Sky asks where he would take her. He suggests the drive in, a lookout... When Sky realises it's all the places to pash, he changes his mind, and suggests food and a movie. Sky tells him that a girl is nothing but a piece of meat to him, and she would rather not subject herself to that. Dylan says he wouldn't want to put up with her high maintenance whinging, and they get back to work.

General Store
David talks with Harold, Lou and Karl, who suggest issues to raise at a meeting later today. Karl tells them he's already treating patients for the toxic spill. David tells them the Council won't pay to clean it up, especially with two expert reports saying that in ten years, the whole area will be underwater. Harold and Lou say they'll take their chances; there will probably be another two experts who will claim the opposite.

Number 30
Toadie is looking up something in a law book. He announces that it's hopeless, there's nothing he can find to help them. Connor, dressed as Shamrock, asks Toadie to help him get ready. Apparently Myles Forbert will be coming round later with a channel 44 film crew to make a story on him. Toadie again tells him the Shamrock is a joke, Connor doesn't even know what he's doing. Connor tells him that they like his spontaneous unpredictability. He also tells Toadie that he's just jealous because the Shamrock will be bigger and better than the Lawman ever was.

Community Hall
The town meeting gets underway. Paul tells the people that they are a town in crisis. It's better to secure a decent and comfortable future for their families than to stick around feeling sorry for themselves. They need to clean up the mess, and the only way is to rezone the wetlands area for commercial development. This sets the audience talking again, and Paul tells them they can turn this disaster into a windfall. Lou calls out that they want houses, not high-rises. Paul tells them that they can either let the place rot, or they can build a brand new community facility, surrounded by native parklands. David stands up and tells Paul that he's been manipulating the whole thing from the start. Councillor Johnston tells him he's out of order, and this isn't the place for wild accusations. Paul tells David that they all know he's had personal problems, but he's making a fool of himself. Lil stands up and says that David isn't making a fool of himself. The fact is, they've all been fooled. This gets much applause from the room.

Number 26
Sky tells Dylan that she's worked it out: he's the brown rat. Whenever he wants to succeed and it gets hard, he blames everyone but himself. Dylan insists that the poem is about two rats on a drain pipe. Sky tells him it's about his fear of getting close to people. She asks him why he finds it so hard to sit back and take a look at himself. Dylan asks her why she always has to ask so many questions. He tells her that she's scared that if she doesn't, people will look too hard at her. He goes to lean in to kiss her, but Sky tells him she's not going to kiss him, because he's dreaming. Dylan tells her to make his dreams come true. Sky tells him they're late for the community meeting. Dylan tells her to go on ahead, and he'll stay and finish their work.

Community Hall
Lil tells the room that most of them have an emotional commitment to the area. When they thought that it had to be made into an environmental refuge, they were will to give up their homes. But how do they ever connect to the idea of tearing down their homes to build a noisy shopping mall. Again, she gets a lot of support from the participants. Lil asks Paul if that's really what they want to pass on to their children, and their children's children. David proposes a full inquiry into the land and its use. To clean it up, nullify the compulsory acquisitions, so people can get back their homes. While most of the people there agree enthusiastically, Paul exchanges glances with a man sitting behind him.

During a lunch break, Paul approaches the chairman, and Sky arrives and meets up with Harold and Lil. They fill her in on what happened, and David approaches them to tell them that most of the councillors are not in agreement with the residents. They don't know where they'll get the money to clean up the wetlands. David agrees to continue to lobby to can them to change their minds. David congratulates Lil on her speech. Lil excuses herself, and on her way to the toilets, she overhears Paul talking to Councillor Johnston, reminding him that he'll be the one that everyone will be thanking and re-electing. Paul then has a little run-in with the guy who was sitting behind him in the meeting. Tony tells him that Johnston needs to commit to their plan, and tells Paul to make sure he does.

Lassiter's Complex
Dylan waits nervously outside Karl's office. When he finally shows up, Dylan asks if he got the results. Karl tells him to come inside. While he unlocks the door, Dylan tells him he can tell him there, but Karl insists he come inside. Dylan guesses it's bad news.

Number 30
Toadie comes home to find a lot of strangers in his house, and the Shamrock and some other wrestler in the ring. Myles tells Lawman he's a disgrace to the ring, leaving long before his time. They start taping, and Myles asks Toadie who he fancies in today's fight. Toadie says the Shamrock is going down.

Community Hall
The Council's final decision is to open tenders for the wetlands. David tells Harold and Lil that Paul must have paid them off. They decide to draw up some battle plans later. On their way out, Paul tells David that accepting funds from an outside source is the only option they have left. It's the best possible outcome for the community. "Coincidentally," David tells him, "it's the best possible outcome for you."

Lassiter's Complex
Dylan leaves Karl's office and Sky meets up with him. She tells him he missed everything. Sky notices the same suspicious guy from the meeting and tells Dylan they have to find out who he is. Dylan pretends to go running after someone and runs into the guy. Sky meets up with Dylan not far from where they were, and discovers he has borrowed the man's wallet. They find out that the person is Anthony B. Corbett, from Toorak. Dylan finds a wad of cash, and tries to justify taking it by saying that the guy's dodgy. Sky tells him they'll have to hand the wallet into the police and tell them they found it. Sky wonders why a guy from Toorak would want anything to do with Erinsborough. She finds the answer in the wallet: a business card for Affirmacon.

Number 30
Toadie returns to see Shamrock win the fight. Myles finishes up the show.

General Store
David can't believe the outcome of the meeting. He and Lil are both impressed with each other for standing up at the meeting. David asks her to dinner, but Lil says she's busy tonight.

Dylan and Sky come in. Dylan insists that Paul is not corrupt. Sky mentions that American mayor, and says she and Paul definitely had something going on between them, and she is also on the payroll for Affirmacon. She says that Paul is definitely an Affirmacon stooge, and she's going to confront him face to face about it. Dylan offers to talk to Paul for her.

Paul's hotel room
Lil pays Paul a little visit, and asks why he wants to destroy Erinsborough. Paul tells her he's trying to make the best out of a bad situation. Lil asks why it has to be some awful multinational company. Paul says he loves this place, he doesn't want to see it turned into a wasteland. They hug, and Lil is again brought under Paul's spell. She apologises on behalf of David, for the things he said today. Paul says the only opinion he's interested in is Lil's.

Number 30
Toadie insists that Connor is only being used as Channel 44's performing monkey. Connor disagrees, resulting in Toadie using some of his own wrestling moves on him. Harold comes in, but Toadie does not release Connor. Harold asks how Toadie's getting on with his legal research. Toadie suggests they talk in the kitchen, and releases Connor.

Lassiter's Hotel
Dylan meets up with Paul in the hotel lobby. He asks if Paul's made any deal with Affirmacon, and explains that Sky is suss about Corbett. He asks if Paul is in league with them, and Paul tells him that if he knows him at all, he knows the answer to that. He tells Dylan to stay out of it, and so should Sky, or she'll be damn sorry.