Recap
- Richard forbidding Karl to contact his family
- Dan telling Susan that he suspects a student/teacher affair
- Janae staying over at #32
- Darren confessing to Libby that he kissed Janae
- Upset Janae telling Steph that she's hurt so many people
Number 26 - Morning
Mickey is angry with Ned for lying to him about fighting with Janae. Bridget tries to bribe him with some raisin toast, but Mickey throws a wobbly and storms out of the kitchen saying that he just wants his family happy again. Sidenote: what on EARTH is Riley wearing? I didn't know man blouses were in this season.
Number 32
Valda helps Janae pack up her bed, but Janae is worried about how Mickey is and hopes he's not upset. Steph brusquely says that kids are very sensitive at that age and notice everything. Valda and Toadie say they'll help Janae any way they can, but Steph is still quite cold with her former daughter-in-law. Wounded, Janae says that everyone hates her - she even hates herself - but Toadie reminds her that she's been under a lot of pressure lately. Janae admits that she feels really out of her depth and quite alone, so Toadie gives her a comforting hug.
Number 28
The kids enjoy their brekkie while Karl and Susan chat about work stuff. Susan wonders how Daniel is getting on, informing Karl that he had some concerns about a teacher. Rachel tries not to choke on her toast. Libby walks out and Susan reminds Zeke that he needs to pack his footy boots for training.
LIBBY: Ben have you brushed your teeth?
BEN: Yes!
(Libby gives him a motherly 'I don't believe you' glare)
BEN: ... no.
Rachel takes Ben to the bathroom and Karl and Susan ask Lib if she's OK. Libby replies that she's fine and that it's Ned she feels sorry for, but soon changes her tune when she finds out that he already knew. Frustrated, Libby says that she hates being the last one to know, "It's like Shepparton all over again."
Ramsay Street
Catching up with Bridget, Rachel confesses that Angus had to tell Dan that Didge had a crush on him. Bridget is rightly outraged, but Rachel says that Angus had no other choice. They stop talking when the boys are in earshot.
RINGO: (mid-conversation) Well I mean a live-in-tutor, how bad can it be?
DECLAN: He's not as good looking as Pepper...
ZEKE: What? Do you hear me and Rachel complaining?
DECLAN: Yeah well Mrs. K's your step-mother; you can tell her when to get off.
ZEKE: (wry) Right, and when does that *ever* happen?
The girls ask what they're talking about; silently freaking out when they learn that Mr. Fitzgerald is moving into #30.
Walking to the car, Ben asks his mum if they can have breakfast with Darren but Lib says she needs to talk to Ben first (having not told him about the break-up yet). But Ben becomes distracted when Mickey and Ned walk out, so Libby offers to take Mickey to school. Pulling Ned aside, Libby tells him clipped tones how annoyed she was that he didn't have the decency to tell her the truth.
Libby drives off just as Janae emerges from #32. Seeing Ned, she drops her bag and runs over to him for a hug. She tells him that she's wanted to see Mickey all morning and hates that she's probably upset him.
NED: I love you so much, that hasn't changed.
JANAE: (sad) Something has.
NED: Yeah.
School
The teens catch up with Taylah, who says that it was really nice of Ringo to talk to Jessica's mum. She starts to get upset so Zeke says that he'll be there to cheer her up anytime she needs it. Butting in, Angus tells Bridget that he needs a word with her, taking her into the new school office set. Nifty.
Angus tells her that he's truly sorry for getting her mixed up in everything; saying that she had a crush on him was the only plausible excuse he could think of. Bridget huffs that she's only going along with it for Rachel's sake, "You make me sick." Fitzy has conveniently seen this exchange through the new office window (I can see this becoming the new eavesdropping central) and sternly calls Angus over, telling him that if he sees one more hint of improper behaviour he'll be reporting him.
Standing at the lockers, Rachel watches Angus walk out of the office and tries to convince Bridget (and herself) that it might not have been about Didge, but Didge isn't living in fairyland like her and is all, "Yeah RIGHT."
Fitzy walks past them and is all smiles when he sees Libby, who is there for a job interview. Fitzy's surprised to learn that Libby and Darren have broken up, and wishes her luck as she continues on her way. He stares at her, and if I had smell-o-vision I would say that it smells distinctly like a potential new crush.
Hospital - Carmella's Room
Karl brings in discharge papers for Carmella to sign, but Carmella and Ollie are sad that Chloe can't come home with them yet. Subtle as a sledgehammer, Karl wonders if Ollie's father will get to see the bub, but Oliver adamantly says that there's no way in hell. Karl is quite confused by this response, wondering what on earth Richard must have done to his family.
School
Rachel says to Bridget that if they just keep their heads down then this whole thing will blow over - but they didn't count on Taylah revealing to them that she knows about the whole Mr. Henderson deal. Except Jessica didn't name names before she died, so Taylah wrongly assumes it's Bridget. Bridget tells Taylah that she's completely off track, but Rachel grabs her by the wrist and yelps that if Jessica told Taylah then who else knows?
Carmella's Flat
Carmella's impressed with the effort everyone put in to set up her new digs, and she and Ollie share a quick 'I wish the baby was home with us' hug. Taking her mind off things, Oliver suggests she opens some of her pressies, but he's set her up to open one from Marco. It's a sketch he drew of Carm when she was (insert constantly changing number of weeks) pregnant. She pretends not to be affected by it, but Oliver asks her if breaking up with Marco was the right thing to do. Carmella serves him with a big bowl of 'talk to the hand' in return.
School
Fitzy busts Taylah trying to pass a note to Bridget during a lesson. He silently reads it and asks the two girls to stay after class.
Outside General Store
The school called Ned to pick Mickey up because he claimed he was sick, but Ned knows he's just upset about Janae. Harold makes his one scene appearance, offering to fetch little lying Mickey a plate of nachos. Ned and Mickey have one of their sickly sweet OTT "dad and son" conversations as if Mickey were living in 1930, which can pretty much be summed up as:
MICKEY: It's my fault Janae's gone! I am ever so guilty, father!
NED: No. You're a good boy.
MICKEY: My tummy is ever so sore and my nerves are ever so frayed!
NED: No Mickey, you are a good boy. It's not your fault.
MICKEY: It IS my fault everyone is fighting! Gee whizz, you must really despise me, father.
NED: (stares at him and doesn't answer, fraying his nerves EVER so much more)
Charlie's
Ned finds Janae (after leaving Mickey with Harry the nacho man) and tells her that Mickey is ever so... uh, that Mickey is sick but not really sick. Janae wants to see him but Ned stops her, not thinking it's such a good idea for her to be such an inconsistent presence in his life. Ned states that he wants a future with Janae, but he also wants a stable future for Mickey too.
JANAE: Can't they go together?
(Like rama-lama-lama da-dinkity-dink-de-bob?)
NED: I don't know.
School
Fitzy reads out Taylah's note which says: "I wasn't trying to be nasty. What I said about the thing about you and Angus was just a friendly warning." Fitzy tries to pry more information from Taylah, but Taylah just looks freaked out and Bridget eventually gets her a reprieve by saying how upset she still is about Jess. After Taylah's excused, Fitzy asks Bridget if she has feelings for Angus, but Bridget replies that there's nothing going on. Concerned, Fitzy says that if that's all she's prepared to say then he's going to have to call her parents.
Charlie's
Miranda and Steve - oh hang on - that's just Riley wearing his man-blouse and tight vest. My bad. *Riley* and Steve are sharing a beer when Fitzy calls Steve's mobile and asks him to come into the school.
Janae tearfully approaches Steph (while Valda and Kirsten look on) and is hesitant to ask if she can stay another couple of nights at her place while she sorts everything out. But Steph's maternal instincts have kicked in and she draws Janae into a hug, saying that she's family and of course she can stay. Valda gently asks Janae if things are kaput but Janae can't say. Sticking her beak in, Kirsten asks "What's up?" in a faux-concerned manner.
VALDA: (angrily turning around) You know very well 'what's up', missy.
KIRSTEN: (uncaring) Oh, you and Ned haven't broken up have you?
JANAE: Shut up, Kirsten.
(Janae walks off and Kirsten tries not to smirk)
STEPH: (fired up) Hey Kirsten, wipe that smug look off your face or get fired. It's your choice.
Steph's blunt "Get fired" sounded almost like another "Get ..." phrase we all know. Hee. And then Valda promptly smirked at *Kirsten*. Double hee.
Number 28
Libby tells Susan that Darren's going to go back to Shepparton ASAP and they're going to withdraw the offer they made on the new house. Susan asks her daughter if she's *really* OK, but Libby says that she just feels humiliated. Knowing full well what the experience is like, Susan says that it doesn't matter a damn what other people think. Her friends are only talking about her because they're concerned and want to help her.
Carmella's Flat
Carmella returns from feeding Chloe at the hospital and can't help asking Ollie about how he felt when Karl brought up the subject of his dad. She wonders whether he wants to let Richard know he's a grandfather. Ollie asks if Carm really wants that monster in Chloe's life, and Carm admits that she doesn't - but it's more about giving Ollie some closure on the matter.
OLIVER: You know what? I'm going to do a Carmella and close the subject.
School
Rachel runs up to "Mr. Henderson" and blurts out that Fitzy has called in Bridget's parents because of the whole note-passing fiasco, and there's no way Bridget's going to lie to her dad. Rachel selfishly frets that this could well signal the end of their affair, but Angus is all, "Uh, if something happens I'll go to JAIL, Rach. Never mind our little fling!" Steve walks past them on his way to the classroom and Rachel quite openly freaks out and asks Angus what they're going to do. How about not acting so bleedin' obvious, woman?! Can you try that?!
School
Dan has relayed his concerns to Steve, but Steve is adamant that Bridget would never be involved in such a thing. Dan then goes on to say that he saw Bridget at Angus' flat the other day, and after everything that's happened today, he can only assume they're in a relationship.
STEVE: Nah, look, you're talking about a different girl.
DANIEL: Angus will be suspended pending a full investigation and we'll get counselling for Bridget.
Steve says that he appreciates Dan's concern, but he's clearly got his facts mixed up and urges Bridget to tell him that he's wrong.
STEVE: (desperate) Just tell him and we'll believe you.
BRIDGET: I'm not in a relationship with Mr. Henderson.
STEVE: See!
BRIDGET: But what Mr. Henderson said is true, I do have a crush on him.
STEVE: What?
BRIDGET: He was really nice about it. He told me he wasn't interested but I wouldn't take no for an answer.
Oh Didge, Rach doesn't deserve a good friend like you.