Recap
- Lyn accepts Paul's proposal
- Toadie admits that he's falling for Steph
- Stingray tells Karl he's ruined his life because Karl got it wrong.
Kennedys'
Karl's doing the washing up when Susan comes in. He tells her the kids are in bed and they're upset, which is hardly surprising given they've just found out that their sister is a hardened felon. Susan says she doesn't have the energy for wild accusations but Karl counters that Steiger's words suggest that the accusations are hardly wild. Susan insists that there's no way Katya could have done those things. Karl says he'll have to take Susan's word because she's the only one that knows about Katya's mysterious past and Susan tells him that's where it should stay - in the past. Karl thinks he deserves more respect (really? Has he earned it yet?); he lives with Katya and he does care for her but how can he make an informed decision when Susan is holding all the cards?
Robinsons'
Lyn is lighting candles for dinner and Paul wonders what the occasion is. Lyn just wants to spoil 'her man' with a little ambience. Paul asks if it might be guilt: she's only told Steph about their forthcoming nuptials. Lyn points out that she's only told Susan but Paul wants to know if Lynette is ashamed of him. Lyn says of course not, but there's so much going on in the street at the moment... Paul asks, quite rightly but also quite blatantly, when there's not. Lyn says that when the time is right she will stand in the middle of Ramsay Street and scream, 'I'm marrying Paul Robinson,' and she can't wait to do so. Paul says there's only a select few women that know that thrill and Lyn tells him to remember that this is the last one. She puts her hands on his face and goes to kiss him. It's then that she realises her ring is missing, so she gets up and begins to raid the kitchen looking for it, making some poor excuse that she's looking for the corkscrew. Paul points out that the wine is a screwcap before he finds something in his mouth. He pulls it out and it's Lyn's ring. It must have come off when she was making the pastry, she says. Is Paul ok? He's fine - mind you it would be fitting way to go, sipping fine wine and choking on a diamond. Sipping fine wine? With a screwtop? Hm, somehow I don't think so. Screwtops equal plonk. Paul says he can get the ring adjusted if it's too loose but Lyn says it's perfect and it's never coming off again.
Kennedys'
Karl's asking why Susan knew all of this when the custody battle was going on and still let Katya take the kids. Susan says that it couldn't come out in court - it would have destroyed her not to mention Rachel and Zeke. Right, so Susan put them into the care of a criminal. Susan says no, she's changed. Karl says for heaven's sake, she had a gun in their house and who knows what low lives she's had there and what kind of danger she could have put Rachel and Zeke in. Susan asks him why he always assumes the worst, Katya knows she made mistakes in the past: everybody has a history and we've all done things we're ashamed of but it doesn't mean we can't be given a second chance. The way she's looking at Karl, you know she's basically telling Karl to look in the mirror before passing judgement. Karl understands that, but Katya obviously hasn't put the past behind her. Susan wants to give her the benefit of the doubt but Karl tells her to face facts, her parental instinct failed her when she welcomed Katya at number 28 - she stole cars and she assaulted Ned. There's nothing either Susan or Katya can say that can justify those actions. Susan refuses to pass judgement until she knows Katya's side of the story: they owe her that much.
Lassiters Lake
Steph's asking Lyn if she's thought about where the going to have the ceremony. Lyn says no, but somewhere simple she thinks. She swiftly changes the subject to telling Steph that she thinks it's going to be a warm day. Steph's not so willing to talk about the weather and asks about the reception. Lyn's still being blasé; she thinks it'll probably just be at Lassiters and then throws the ball for Oscar to go and catch. Toadie comes by so Lyn goes off to play with Oscar and Steph goes to talk to him. Awkwardly, I might add. She asks him if he's been at the gym. He has. Long pause. He's, uh, got... a lot on so he should... Steph says sure, she'll see him around. He guesses she will. Lyn goes back towards Steph, who asks if Lyn's going to tell her about her wedding plans or not. Lyn asks what she means and Steph replies that she knows Lyn's excited and she doesn't have to pretend to be just because Steph is down in the dumps. Lyn asks if she's that obvious? Steph says she is. Lyn goes on to say that she just doesn't want to make a big deal of it. Steph points out that she's getting married; it's supposed to be a big deal. Lyn gets it. Oscar throws the ball towards Lyn, who catches it and throws it back, along with the ring, which lands in the lake but Lyn doesn't realise. Cue at least half an episode of dramatic irony.
Kennedys'
Karl and Susan are both at the breakfast table reading the newspaper. Susan is wearing those earrings that look exactly like a pair I used to have that I'd bought from Topshop. I had them until I lost one in the toilets of a nightclub. Nobody needs to know how I lost it, but they're literally identical. They're sitting quite far away, so I don't want anybody thinking that this is even vaguely reminiscent of the cornflake episode during AmnesiaGate because it's not. I start laughing right now, is that wrong? Susan looks at Karl and shakes her head before saying, 'Could you pass the marmalade please.' Karl silently picks up the marmalade so Susan puts her hand out to take it but he doesn't give it to her, he just puts it on the table a bit nearer. Susan's obviously a little POed at this and sarcastically says, 'Thank you.' Karl takes a deep breath.
KARL: I take it you'll be visiting Katya this morning.
SUSAN: Of course.
KARL: Do you want a lift?
SUSAN: I would rather crawl through broken glass.
I'm still laughing. I mean, I love the kinky Ks and all that, but barely speaking, sarcastic Susan, frustrated Karl Ks is also funny. And rather wrongly, I'm wondering if they got up to any funny business the night before. I'm guessing not, but I'm still wondering.
KARL: Susan, do you think you need to be quite so...
SUSAN: Don't even think about finishing that sentence.
There's a knock at the door, which Karl answers after some looks between him and Susan. It's some guy in a suit asking Karl if he's Dr Karl Kennedy. Karl says yes, so the suit guy says, 'Consider yourself served.' It's papers with Karl as the defendant and Scott and Dylan as the plaintiffs in a case suing him for medical negligence to the sum of $1.5million. I'm not entirely sure why Karl's worried - that works out at about £20, which really isn't that much. Susan says good on Janelle.
Timmins'
Stingray asks Dylan to pass him the peanut butter. Dylan asks if his arms are painted on or something. Bree picks up the peanut butter to pass to Stingray asking them to stop acting like idiots as she does so. Dylan grabs the peanut butter back off her, telling her to butt out. Stingray asks him to give it to him and Dylan asks what his last slave died of. Janelle comes in, grabs the peanut butter off Dylan and says that there are no more slaves in Dubai, they have what they call 'guest workers' instead. Dylan asks what she's talking about. Janelle explains that once Dr Quack has coughed up all his millions, they can live like those oil squillionaires. Honestly, all for about £20. I don't think so. Stingray points out that they'll also be sending Rachel and Zeke to the poor house, great solution. Bree sarcastically/in a point of irony adds that it's not like Karl and Susan have done anything for them. Janelle asks her who's side she' s on, they're going to get what's coming to them. Bree says she can say that again. Janelle continues - it could be the best thing that happens to their family and it's time to focus on who the real villain is here rather than taking it out on each other.
Robinsons'
Lyn asks Steph when her appointment is. Steph says not to worry, it's just a routine check up. Lyn puts the coffee on the table on top of a whole heap of bridal magazines. Steph says she has been doing research, then. Lyn's still flippant and just says yeah, a bit. Steph asks if she's going traditional and going to the church on a horse drawn pumpkin carriage. Lyn says not really, but she wants to show Steph something she does like. It's now Steph, of all people, realises that the ring is missing again. To be honest, I think the fact that she keeps losing the darned ring and not noticing is testament to how not large the ring is. I mean, if Paul had bought her a huge diamond it would be easy as pie to miss. Steph tells Lyn to relax, she'll help her find it. Lyn says no, she'll look for it herself.
Surgery
Loving the reappearance of the surgery - Karl's domain so to speak. Harold is pacing outside Karl's office. Karl says he didn't know Harold had an appointment. Harold says he didn't, he just came by to say that he'll be consulting with another GP in the future and he was hoping Karl would forward his medical records. Harold's on his way out when Karl asks if there's anything he can do to change his mind. Harold thinks that what Karl's done to him and his family already is more than enough. He leaves. During this time, Toadie has come out to the waiting room. Karl tells Toadie he guesses they know where Harold stands and Toadie ensures him that it'll blow over. If Karl's got a sec, Toadie has a mole that he wants Karl to look at. As they go into Karl's office, Karl asks if it's a sympathy mole. Toadie says not.
General Store
Harold comes in and Susan wants to speak to him. Harold's running late and continues into the back, where Susan follows him. She was just hoping that he'd be able to talk Janelle out of the ridiculous lawsuit; it's an extraordinary amount of money and for one mistake that wasn't even Karl's. Harold sighs and turns to face Susan, the look on his face tells her all she needs to know. He agrees with her? Harold says that Karl must be held accountable. His negligence has caused Sky and the whole Timmins family a great deal of unwarranted distress and now Sky is a scared single mother. Susan says it's untrue and he knows it. Harold wants her to go, so she does.
Out the front, Susan sees and hears Janelle talking to some randoms. She's telling them to warn everyone they know that Kennedy makes that dodgy Queensland quack look like Doctor House. How many mistakes does he have to make before he kills someone? It's no surprise that Katya has turned out the way she has, they know she's a car thief, don't they? Janelle sees Susan, who leaves without saying a word.
Surgery
Toadie's asking Karl if he wants him to go now? Karl thinks it's best they find out what it is as soon as they can. He'll pull some strings and get him an appointment for a biopsy if he can find the number. Lilijana was a lovely woman but a terribly receptionist. Random mention of Lilijana there, considering she died like 18 months ago or something. Toadie's been looking worried and asks if he thinks it's that serious. Karl says it could be. Is it cancerous? Karl can't say, they should just wait for the results of the biopsy. Susan rushes in and tells Toadie he has got to help them. Karl asks what's wrong. Susan says it's Janelle, she's slandering him and Katya over at the General Store telling everyone she's going to take him for everything she's got. Toadie says what? She's going for the suit? He told her she didn't have a case. Karl says she's found somebody who's told her she does and gives Toadie the file. Toadie looks and says that the lawyer, Michelle Van Kampen is an ambulance chaser and he should have known. He tells Karl to leave it with him. Karl tells him to go to the hospital, so he leaves and says he'll make some phone calls on the way. Susan just shakes her head.
Timmins'
Dylan is trying to put some Ikea furniture together? How do I know it's Ikea? What other company would call a piece of its furniture Singlar? And also, Dylan says that they're 'crazy Vikings'. Scott asks why he doesn't just buy a second hand table that's already assembled. Dylan says that he doesn't know what greasy kid has been rolling around on it, he wants Kerry to have something clean and new. Stingray says he thinks something goes somewhere and Dylan snaps at him to just leave it. Bree says he's just trying to help.
Janelle comes in, saying that just when they thought 'they'd' gone lower than a snake's belly they somehow tunnel under it. Bree asks what's wrong now. Janelle just got given this by some guy in a bad suit - those bloody Kennedys are counter suing her for slander and that traitor Toadie is helping them.
Ramsay Street
The entire episode, I feel, has been building up to this very scene, so here it is...
Harold is doing some gardening as Karl and Susan pull up in Susan's car. For some reason, they park on the road even though I thought they had plenty of room on their drive for both their cars. You think it might be because Katya's car is there, but I doubt it's back at theirs yet, I think it's still with the police. Anyway, so they park up in the street and Janelle is storming out of her house with Dylan and Stingray in tow. Janelle comes up to the passenger window and asks Karl what the hell he calls 'this' as she shakes the summons at him. Susan's got out of the car and tells Janelle that she calls it just desserts. Dylan tells Janelle to go back inside.
JANELLE: I will not. I don't know how the pair of you can sleep at night after what you've done and now this. You should be ashamed.
(Susan has come round the car to stand in front of her and Karl is standing next to Susan, head down)
SUSAN: Don't you talk to me about shame.
JANELLE: You can't tell me what to do, I'm not one of your schoolkids.
SUSAN: We have cut you a lot of slack in the past, you know, but suing us! That's low even for you.
KARL: Susan, we shouldn't be talking about this right...
SUSAN (who is both on one and totally shoving her thumb on Karl's head): After everything that we've done for your family...
KARL: Susan...
SUSAN: I took Stingray in off the street. I risked my reputation to get Dylan into Erinsborough High. Karl was a good friend to Janae when she needed it the most and you were running around accusing him of inappropriate behaviour. Countless times we have been there for your kids when you were too slack or too self absorbed to look after them yourself.
JANELLE: How can you stand there and...
SUSAN (still shouting because she's still on one): If you wanna judge Karl that's fine. (Now she speaks calmly in that authoritative don't mess with me way) But you had better be ready for people to judge you too.
Susan walks off, with Karl following her in a totally subservient way. Janelle calls after her, saying they'll see about that because the law is on their side this time. Neither Karl or Susan react, so Janelle continues, slightly less sure of herself. 'You can run doctor dirty, but you can't hide.'
Hospital
Steph is reading something when Toadie comes up and asks her what she's doing there. Steph says six month check up. Toadie says right, and Steph says as if he didn't know. Toadie just shakes his head and Steph continues - Boyd told him she was there, yeah? Toadie says no, so Steph says really? It's just a wild coincidence that he's there at the same time as her? Toadie says it is but Steph still doesn't believe him - she really appreciates his support but she thought they agreed they need to keep their distance. Toadie doesn't really say anything then a nurse comes up and tells Toadie that the oncologist will see him. Steph thinks the nurse is talking to, but the nurse is like no, Toadie's going in first. Toadie goes off and Steph's face just says, 'huh?'
Kennedys'
Karl is reading something whilst Susan is looking out of the window. Susan's saying honestly, the hide (I think she says this, I've watched it a million times and can't catch her word) of that woman. Karl starts laughing so Susan glares at him. Karl explains that he knows how Janelle feels. Susan asks what he means. Karl goes on to say that he knows what it's like to cop a Susan serve. Susan smiles sarcastically and says, 'Ha ha,' and tells him that he's not going to joke his way out of the dog house that easily. She walks round the back of the sofa so Karl turns round to kneel on it and stops Susan in front of him. He apologises for putting the boot into Katya - the thing with Janelle is rattling him more than he realised. Susan knows, and she knows he's being protective of Rachel and Zeke. Karl says he takes their welfare very seriously. Susan appreciates that more than she can say. Karl appreciates her sticking up for him. Susan smiles despite herself and says he's welcome. Karl, quite cutely/nauseatingly, says, 'Give us a kiss?' Susan laughs quietly and swiftly obliges.
Aww, loving the fact that they got a bit of Karl and Susan being lovely lovely Karl and Susan like when they were married in amongst the annoying Janelle situation.
Robinsons'
The place is a state - the sofa cushions have been thrown around and yet bizarrely everything else is perfectly tidy. Nice try there. Steph comes in and Lyn's in a thing, she can't find the ring! She goes to look in the bin - it's the only place she hasn't looked. Steph notices something behind some little unit thing. It's not the ring, it's an ear ring. Lyn says that something that gaudy would have to belong to Isabelle. Lyn asks what she's going to do. Steph says they should just think, when did Lyn last have it? Lyn realises that she had it at the lake. Cue a flashback of the ring flying into the water. Lyn says, 'Oh no, oh no! Paul told me to have it tightened! He's going to kill me!' She goes to run out just as Paul comes in. He asks her where she's going so she makes some excuse about caterers. Paul looks around and asks if there's something he should no. Steph's on her way out telling him that he doesn't want to know. Paul thinks he really does need to know this.
Toadie's office
Toadie's looking pensive when Steph comes in with Charlie. She just wanted to apologise for before, at the hospital, she was way out of line. Toadie says no, no worries. Is that it? Steph says he can talk to her if he wants. Toadie says about what? Steph says about the test. Toadie says it's nothing to worry about, just a sunspot. Steph says she saw the look on his face and it's the same look she had just after she was diagnosed. Toadie makes excuses of being busy to try and get rid of Steph. Steph's cool, she'll let him get back to it, she just wanted to apologise. Toadie says she has and he's accepted. Steph tells Toadie that it's ok to feel scared until he gets the all clear. Toadie takes this as some sort of revelation and says good, because he's been sitting there thinking that the little mole on his shoulder could kill him and it's freaking him out. Steph tells him that she knows things have been strained between them recently but she does know what he's going through and she can help him if he lets her. Toadie simply says 'thanks'. Steph hugs him.
Lassiters Lake
Lyn's looking rather ridiculous, wearing blue wellies and using a net to sift through the lake. Paul comes up and asks what she's doing and Lyn jumps and tells him he startled her. Paul's not fazed, 'Well?' Lyn's searching for tadpoles, apparently. Paul, who blatantly knows what she's actually doing, says, 'Searching for tadpoles? In Lassiters Lake?' Lyn says that Oscar loves them... Paul thought she was chasing caterers. Lyn explains that she needed a break, all that chasing, chasing...oh, she can't pretend anymore. She lost the ring. Paul says it's a good thing he brought the cavalry to help. A bunch of rather ridiculous scuba divers appear and Paul tells them to look for the ring, and there'll be a $5000 reward for whoever finds it. Lyn tells him it's not necessary, but he ignores her. Lyn tells him to hang on, she found it. She apologises to the divers - maybe they'll buy them a muffin or something? The divers are annoyed but leave. Paul tells Lyn to let him look at the ring. Lyn explains that she hasn't actually found it, but she doesn't want them to go in the lake. Paul wonders why, so Lyn explains that it's because that's where she threw the gun that he'd bought to kill Max.
After the break, we're back at the lake where Paul is actually in it, wearing those waterproof chap type things. He says hang on, but it's just a ring pull from a can. Lyn says it's hopeless, she's hopeless. Paul says she's not but Lyn insists she is; Paul bought her a beautiful ring and she goes and throws it in the lake. Paul jokes that she could have just returned it. Lyn wouldn't blame him if he called the whole thing off. Paul rhetorically asks if she's kidding. How many blokes does she know whose wives would dispose of a firearm for them? He knows three and they're all in South America. Lyn says she could just by a replacement. Paul tells her it cost $200 000. Lyn's aghast, even though it's only a fiver. Paul continues - does she think he'd risk waterlogging old fakey here (I'm thinking he's referring to the leg) for chump change? Lyn finds it in the net, so Paul tries to fish it out but drops it in the lake again. He manages to rescues it again. It's covered in mud but he puts it on her finger anyway. They laugh and Paul kisses her before joking and asking if Lyn wants to search for the gun while they're there.
Scarlet Bar
Steph is a little bit hysterical and saying this is wonderful as she hugs Harold. She can't believe it. Is he ok? Harold tells her not to get too carried away. Steph wants to know where he is, when can he come home? Lyn runs in to tell Steph that she's found her ring. Steph stops her to tell her that Max has been found. The whole time, Harold is trying to shut Steph up so that he can finish. He gets a chance to say that Max was seen at a Salvation Army shelter. Lyn says it's fantastic and Steph is grinning inanely. Harold's expression leads Lyn to question if it is, indeed, fantastic.
HAROLD: I don't know how to say this... but Max only made contact to say that he was ok.
STEPH: What do you mean?
HAROLD: His message was that he fully intends to get on with his life... and he wants you to do the same. Oh Steph, I'm awfully sorry... but his message was clear. He doesn't intend to come back home. Ever.