Recap
Janelle throwing a drink over Mishka and telling her to rack off.
Pepper playing music loudly and Karl threatening to call the police.
Elle and Dylan kissing.
Mishka telling Lou she had to push him down the stairs - her husband Igor wanted to kill him.
Damn, it's good to have Mishka back.
Number 24
Lou thinks that Mishka is playing him for a fool, but Mishka tells him that Igor was listening to her, and he wanted to kill her Lou-Bear. He saw her tattoo of Lou's name and had he known Lou was in her home:
MISHKA: To the pigs he would feed you!
LOU: What do you mean - he'd hand me over to the police?
MISHKA: No. His brother owns pigs. Is how he get rid of his enemies. After he chop them in little pieces.
Oh, Mishka Mouse, we've missed you so much!
Lou thinks there were other options other than pushing him down the stairs. Hey - Darcy should have explained that to Isabelle...
Mishka apologises - she did push him a little too hard...! But Igor didn't hurt her, because he knew he had Mishka back and had won. Lou asks her how she got away and she reports that Igor is in prison now! So she found a job to legally bring her to Australia which also supplies a uniform! She's a flight attendant!
But now she has to clean her uniform because Janelle tipped a drink on her; she doesn't understand why. Lou tells her it's because Janelle doesn't want to see him hurt again, and Mishka says she won't - she never stopped loving him. Ever.
Aw, that's good to know.
Number 28
The most exciting thing about this scene is that if you look to the right, and back a bit, you can see me! On a chair! With my video camera! I watched this scene being rehearsed about eight times before this take was filmed, and it's utterly fabulous to see the final product.
Karl and Susan are cooking and commenting on their surprise at Mishka's return. Susan asks Bree how her mother is coping with Janelle's return, and Bree jokes that she's fine with it - after all, Janelle *is* a very secure person. Rachel also sits at the kitchen bar and tells Karl and Susan that they were right, once again, about everything. Well, if *course* they were, Rachel. Did you not watch the show before you joined? Rach thinks she's too young to be dealing with adult issues, but Karl tells her she's doing fine. Zeke joins the merry throng (he is the cutest, nicest guy in the world), and doesn't understand why Bree is suddenly being nice and saying hello to him - he thinks she's playing mind games with him.
There's a knock at the door, and Susan goes to answer it. In rehearsals, Jackie walked the wrong way round the kitchen block, so had to leg it to get to the door in time, with Fletch calling out after her: "Run! Run like the wind, Susan!" Shame they didn't use that take, but hey.
A moment here to say that the episode is called "A Bitter Dyl to Swallow." I think a better title would have been "A Bit of Dyl to Swallow" surely? Or maybe that's *too* rude. Mind you, even the actual title is a little risqué if you want it to be...
Anyway, more exciting than that is that Pepper refers to our little Susie as Mrs Kennedy, which makes me a very happy girl. Susan introduces Pep to Karl, Bree, Rachel and Zeke - the last three of whom will all be in her classes! The same class, actually. Despite all being different ages. But hey - what's continuity when you require convenience?
Pepper says that she came over to apologise for the loud music incident. Karl dismisses it - he was young once, too. Susan makes a face at him. Pepper goes on to say that she didn't mean to call him a *pfft* fuddy-duddy - and Susan tries to stop her before admitting that she hadn't actually told Karl that part... Pepper desperately tries to backtrack on that one and says that she meant it in a good way, but Karl doesn't understand how it could be meant in a good way...
Pepper rushes out in a fit of embarrassment, with Susan calling after her to tell her it's fine before reprimanding Karl for not being very kind!
In one take prior to this scene, Fletch chewed on a carrot stick throughout the scene, and when it came to his *pfft* fuddy-duddy line, he spat carrot over Jackie.
Number 24
Lou and Harold are sitting in the dark and Lou admits he doesn't know what to do - he wishes Mishka hadn't turned up. He's got feelings for Janelle, and had managed to put Mishka Mouse out of his mind. But what if his emotions for Mishka are still there, and haven't re-surfaced yet? Harry admits that his feelings for Mishka were very strong, so maybe he should wait a bit. Lou doesn't want to string the women along (good for him) but Harry advises that he should just not make a hasty decision, not yet.
Lassiters
Dylan and Elle kiss their way into a hotel room at Lassiters, and Elle isn't sure if this is the right thing. Dylan makes a speech about staying with Elle because of her lie about being ill which had *nothing* to do with anything Elle just said, and I don't really get it. Anyway. Dylan says to Elle that if she wants to go, she should. He holds the door open, and she walks to it before kissing him again.
A bit of Dyl to swallow indeed.
Number 26
Lou has told Janelle all about Mishka and her story.
JANELLE: Igor. Sounds like some bad horror flick. *does authoritative voice* Fetch the brain, Igor! *does scary monster-like voice* Yes, master!
Janelle tells Lou that she won't make a fuss; if he dumps her she'll understand. But Lou doesn't want to - his feelings for her haven't changed, he just doesn't know what he feels for Mishy.
JANELLE: Your feelings were pretty full on before she tried to kill ya, but if that's what turns you on, you go for it.
Lou asks her to give him some time to work things out in his head. Janelle agrees and looks all pretty.
The Scarlet Bar
Mishka is asleep on a table in the bar. Harry wants a word with her and Janae wakes her up by placing food under her nose which immediately raises her from the dead. She is surprised to find out that she's not on a plane.
Harold makes a comment about getting older and coping with jetlag, and Mishka tells him she's the youngest trolley dolly on her airline, thank you very much!
HARRY: Really? Er, *really!*
Harold asks Mishka when she's flying out, but she shrugs her head. She's not on a roster, the airline is too unreliable. Harold reluctantly reveals that there's something she should know...
In the background Christine approaches Janae who tells her she'll be back at work in the morning.
Back to Mishka who is devastated at what she put her Lou-Bear through. She doesn't want to push him too far and promises to treat him like a soft teddy bear and not hurt him again. How nice.
Lassiters Hotel Room
Elle and Dylan are in dressing gowns and Dylan announces that he has to go. Elle thinks it's been fun, and she won't make it more than it is; it was a one-off and it was fun. Elle tells him she likes his company, but he tells her it was a huge mistake.
Lassiters
Some video of ducks.
Susie-Q uses her usual 'settle down' phrase to quieten a class who weren't actually talking. This'd be the class that Rachel, Bree and Zeke are all in. And Pepper happens to be teaching them, today. She introduces the new PE teacher, and Zeke and the other boys are taken a-back by her hotness. And hey - Pepper's not bad either.
She's going to do a cross-country run with them, and Bree and Rachel intersect her commentary with comments about going to get coffee. Meanwhile, Pepper takes her jogging bottoms and top off, to reveal a little sporty number underneath which sends Zeke and the other male kids into raptures.
Rachel announces that she and Bree have really bad - what's that?? Looks like Bree is mouthing "crabs" to her, but Rachel picks up on what she was really saying and tells Miss Steiger that they have bad cramps. Cramps. Of course. Silly me. Pepper makes a note of it - along with the date - so that they don't try and pull a fast one next time. Bree and Rachel fake laugh. Pep tells them they should still manage the course. They all jog off.
Why would a school jog start and end at Lassiters??
And more to the point, how can a teacher ensure that all the class are being looked after when she can't see them all at any one time?? Hasn't the compensation culture reached Erinsborough, yet?
Number 24
Dylan emerges from the bathroom and Janelle demands to know why he was doing the tongue sambo with Elle at Lassiters last night - Loris saw them. Dylan explains that he was happy enough with Elle, even if he didn't love her, until he was forced back into seeing Sky.
Dylan and Janelle sit together on the couch, and Dylan confesses that he just needed to forget everything last night, he wanted it all to stop. Janelle puts her arms around him and pulls him into a hug.
Aw.
The Road to Lassiters...
...otherwise known as the north fence of the studio, between the car park and the set of Grease Monkeys / Lou's Mechanics.
Karl is signing for some work that has been done on his car. He asks after Janae and she says that Boyd has gone to Tasmania in case Max has gone there in a pilgrimage to Cameron's grave. Karl invites her over to dinner with him and Susan - and she should invite Steph, too. So, Karl and Janae have put all their differences behind them, then?
Zeke jogs past and Karl realises that he's trying to impress Pepper...
Janae watches Bree and Rachel sneak off to Grease Monkeys. Christine tells her that a reporter is coming to take their photo later as part of the interview on an all-girl garage in Erinsborough. Realising the opportunity to be in a glam photo, Janae takes her lunch break early...
The General Store
Mishka is asleep at a table and is woken up by Janelle. Mishy offers Janelle a glass of water to throw at her, presumably because it stains and smells less. Janelle tells Mishka to keep away from Lou, but Mishka says she didn't mean to hurt Lou-Bear; she also doesn't understand why Janelle is so angry, so Janelle tells her the truth.
JANELLE: So keep away from MY Lou-Bear.
Lassiters
Pepper checks the kids off as they return, impressed with Zeke's time, but reminding him it's not a race. Rach and Bree sneak back after their chocolate cake, taking a short cut. Pepper tells them that if they are going to cheat, they should at least pretend to be puffed out, and try and stay hidden, and they can explain it to her after school in detention.
Lou's Garage
Chris is apologising to the photographer for Janae's lateness - and them in she comes. All glamour-puss like and dressed up. Chris is furious, and takes her aside, all thin-lipped and angry eyed (is that like Gino's AngryEyes™?). She tells Janae that she is a mechanic, and it's hard to be taken so seriously as a woman in this business; so turning up looking like the sort of women who are pinned to the walls of workshops in this country does her no favours. She calls the photos off and tells Janae to go home.
The Scarlet Bar
Mishka tells her woeful tale to Karl and Susan, who don't really want to take sides. She thinks she's the best woman for Lou, and she is so pleased to see Karl and Susan back together again. Man, I love her. And she wants that, too, for her and Lou.
Mishka very innocently asks the Kennedys if they think she's too much of a woman for Lou.
MISHKA: Is it safe? He will not go crazy again if I make love to him like Cossack?
Karl suggests she just remain gentle, calm and patient. Susan gazes at Mishka - whether it's out of shock imagining Lou and Mishka together, or whether it's because she is stunned by the idea of making a man crazy by making love to him, I'm really not sure. Either way, Jackie's facial expressions here are just brilliant!
Lou and Janelle come into the bar and Janelle kisses him on the cheek before telling him to go get them some drinks.
MISHKA: She's all over my Lou-Bear like a gypsy.
SUSAN: Mishka! All's fair in love and war. Except kissing my husband, like Kate. Or Sarah. Or Isabelle.
MISHKA: I will reach down her throat and squash her heart with my bare hands.
KARL: Now, Mishka. Remember. Gentle, calm...
MISHKA: ...and patient. I show patient. There's more than one way to skin a fox.
The General Store
I saw this scene being filmed, too! How exciting! I was standing right there! Can you see me?! Dylan comes in to the store to get a sandwich from Harry, and Elle sits at the table. Dylan apologises about the night before, and Elle tells him that his anger is really getting boring.
Dylan tells Elle that he'd like to look over anything she has before the meeting next week as he's considering his vote for the Lassiters make over. Is this like a Trinny and Susannah undressed thing? Trinny commenting on the shape of the walls, and how the use of the colour purple will liven it up. Or Susannah squeezing the butt of the restaurant?? Could be good.
The Scarlet Bar
Chris comes in and hugs Pepper who sits at a bar table. Janae's mouth opens in shock and horror. She approaches Chris, furious.
JANAE: Now I get it. You can't handle that a straight chick might be as capable as you are! So you discriminate against me! Punish me for putting my femininity out there! Well, boss, that's against the law!
PEPPER: Are you saying my mum's gay?
JANAE: Y...your mum...? *cringes* I'm sorry...
CHRIS: We'll talk about this tomorrow.
Janae walks off in humiliation.
Chris tells her daughter that Allan (her dad) called today about Frazer. He ran Frazer's name through the police check system! But her mum tells her that he came up with nothing.
PEPPER: See? My fiance's not a serial killer.
No, Pepper, he came up with *nothing*. Nada. Zip. Not a driver's licence, no credit rating, nothing.
Frazer Yates doesn't exist.
So, what we all want to now is: how do we go about making that true of Ned??