Previously
- Xanthe tells Sheila that her intervention will only make the bullies hate on her even more
- Toadie tells Xanthe that the Saffron fashion label has asked her to cease and desist using their name
- Devastated, Xanthe starts trolling her own social media posts with an anonymous account
- Brad flips his lid when he finds out that Ned has given Piper a tattoo
- Pam tells Ned she's worried about him and Brad, given his past resentment of his father
- John and Paige celebrate when her flyering campaign generates a lead on John's pre- explosion life
Power Street
John, Tyler and Paige meet up with Steven, the guy who saw the flyer and said he remembers John from prior to the explosion. Apparently John and Steven got talking in a bar; they didn't exchange names, but Steven reveals that John was barracking for the Geelong Cats in the footie game they were watching. Paige asks if John might be from Geelong.
STEVEN: You had this real big chip on your shoulder about people bypassing the place to get to the surf beaches.
PAIGE: What did he say, exactly?
STEVEN: Just that it's a really cool city. He said I had to check out Cunningham Pier. You really talked it up.
Paige is thrilled that they finally have a lead. John smiles but looks more conflicted.
Cue titles.
No 32
In the garden, a furious Terese arrives with Brad, to see Piper's tattoo. She's even more furious when Ned shows up and reveals he was the one who did it.
TERESE: You had no right. You know how old she is.
PIPER: It's my body.
Piper explains that she lied to Ned and said Brad was okay with it. Terese sends Piper home, saying they'll talk about it later. Piper stomps off.
BRAD: I'm not happy that she ignored me. But she was just trying to honour her brother's memory.
TERESE: Yeah, I can see that.
Terese tells Brad it's not his fault. Brad gives Ned a dirty look, then goes inside.
No 26
Xanthe is doing sit-ups on a mat on the floor, when Aaron turns up with some misdelivered mail. Concerned by how vigorously she's working out, Aaron tells her she could damage her spine. She just ignores him.
AARON: Xanthe, seriously, you have to stop.
XANTHE: Let go of me - I need to work out!
AARON: Yeah, well not like that!
XANTHE: I need to get into shape!
AARON: You're, like, fifteen.
XANTHE: Nearly sixteen.
AARON: Yeah, which means you are permanently in shape.
XANTHE: No I'm not, I have a belly.
AARON: You do not.
XANTHE: I do! Look at it, it's disgusting. My arms are all floppy and I'm completely out of proportion.
Xanthe bursts into tears. Aaron's shocked by Xanthe's words, and tells her that she's gorgeous. But she's still crying.
XANTHE: No, I'm not. I'm hideous.
AARON: And why would you think that?
XANTHE: Apart from the fact that it's true - everyone agrees with me.
AARON: And who is everyone?
Fitzgerald Motors
Paige is on the phone to someone about the photo of John she sent them, asking them to put it up on their social media pages. She tells Tyler, Amy and John that there are lots of cafés and restaurants in the Cunningham Pier area - leading to speculation that he may have worked in one of them. Or owned or worked on a boat. Tyler suggests John should go there, to see if anyone recognises him.
Paige encourages John, saying he may remember something if he goes to Geelong. She offers to go with him tomorrow. John smiles.
No 32
Lauren comes into the garden to find Ned angrily going at the punchbag. She tries to make him feel better over Terese tearing a strip off him, saying she's still grieving and is bound to be overprotective of Piper.
NED: I'm glad to hear she's interested in *her* kids. She obviously didn't want a stepson. Soon as her and Brad were together, it was like I didn't exist.
LAUREN: Did you do Piper's tattoo to stir up trouble?
Ned denies it, pointing out that Piper lied, but Lauren questions whether he really ever thought that Brad would give his blessing for Piper to get a tattoo.
NED: Kids will do what they want.
LAUREN: Only if the parents don't build up strong relationships with them over the years. You know, we set boundaries; we help kids make the right choices.
NED: I did what I wanted. My mum had her hands full.
LAUREN: Yeah. Must have been hard for your mum after your dad left. And hard for you, too.
NED: I was pretty young.
LAUREN: When my parents got divorced, I remember hating my dad for splitting up our family. But there are two sides to every story. You have to talk to Brad and Terese. Tell them how you feel.
Nate starts punching the bag again.
Power Street
Amy and John are working in the yard, when Amy sees Terese walking past Grease Monkeys. Amy rushes over and asks to talk; she wants to know when Lassiter's will be beginning the tendering process for the rebuilding work. Terese says it's not her priority right now; she wouldn't even be back at work if Sarah hadn't left them in the lurch.
Terese gets a text from Brad, saying, 'please come to see me re Piper ASAP.' Terese gets in her Lassiter's Corporate Fleet™ car and drives off. Amy returns to the yard, feeling bad for having bothered Terese.
Amy tells John to start cutting up some wood, and he puts some ear protectors on and gets to work. As a result, he doesn't hear Tyler coming up behind him - and when Tyler puts his hand on John's shoulder, John swings around instinctively and bats his arm away quite violently. Everything goes into slow motion, and John looks sheepish as he realises it's just Tyler. Tyler is shocked.
A few seconds later, John is apologising to Tyler for overreacting. Tyler admits he did creep up on him.
AMY: Maybe you were trained in self-defence.
JOHN: It did come as an instinctive reaction.
TYLER: It was a pretty full-on one.
Amy suggests they go for a drink at The Waterhole, but Tyler seems a bit unnerved, and says he might just head home. Once John's out of earshot, Tyler asks Amy if she's sure she'll be okay here by herself - the implication being, with John. Amy says she's not scared of John.
TYLER: Neither am I. But, you know, the reality is, we don't know anything about him.
Harold's Café
Xanthe is with Aaron, showing him photos of herself which she thinks are very unflattering.
AARON: Are we looking at the same photo?
XANTHE: Yeah, and look at this one - it's even worse.
Aaron thinks she looks great in the photos and tells her so. But Xanthe's upset about all the comments.
AARON: 'Like a pig wearing lipstick.' They can't be serious!
He tells her to stop; the comments are horrendous, but they're just trolls. Xanthe admits she also got a cease-and-desist letter from the Saffron fashion label, telling her not to associate herself with their label. But Aaron explains that's just standard brand restriction stuff, and tells her not to engage with trolls.
AARON: You are not ugly. You're beautiful... I am gonna go and prove it to you.
He walks out, telling Xanthe to wait there for him.
No 32
In the garden, Ned is apologising to Brad and Terese for tattooing Piper without double-checking with them first.
NED: Lauren helped me see your position. And that I need to let go of my resentment towards you.
TERESE: Resentment?
NED: For breaking up my family.
BRAD: You should be blaming me, not Terese.
TERESE: Are you saying you tattooed my daughter as a way of getting back at me?
NED: No... Maybe. On some level.
BRAD: Oh, come on. You don't mean that.
NED: Piper wanted that tattoo. Part of me knew it would upset you. I blamed you for a long time for taking my dad away.
BRAD: I'm the one who broke up the marriage. If anyone's hurt you, it's me.
NED: Yeah, but when you're a kid, you don't wanna believe your dad chose to leave.
BRAD: Ned, you're not a kid anymore.
TERESE: Yeah, but... That hurt, it never goes away. Listen, I am so sorry for the pain that you and your mother felt. And I know what it's like to hate someone like that. And wanting to get back at them. I'm in no position to judge.
BRAD: I'm glad you've been honest with us, Ned. I'm just sorry it's taken so long.
NED: Yeah. Me too.
Harold's Café
Aaron comes back in with Nate, and tells Xanthe about his plan to 'stop the haters in their tracks'. Aaron says he's called the photographer she did the professional shoot with, and got the pictures that were taken. He shows her them on his tablet, but she looks away, flinching. Nate and Aaron set about trying to assure her the pictures are amazing.
Meanwhile, Tyler accosts Paige, and asks if she's still going to Geelong with John. She says she is, and Tyler replies that she ought to cancel - explaining how John almost hit him at the yard earlier when he startled him.
TYLER: The point is, he's a stranger, who doesn't know himself or what he's capable of.
PAIGE: I think you're overreacting.
TYLER: Look, I know you have a crush on him.
PAIGE: I don't!
TYLER: Just promise me you won't be alone with him.
Paige thanks Tyler for his concern, but says she'll be fine, and walks off.
No 22
Ned is checking up on Piper's tattoo, and promises to fetch some cream to stop it getting sore. Piper admits she hasn't spoken to Terese since their row at No 32, but Ned says not to be too hard on her. Piper's surprised, given how she had a go at him.
NED: I've been in a lot worse trouble from a lot worse people than your mum.
PIPER: When you were in a gang?
NED: Actually, when I first started hanging out with them, they wanted us to trash this car as payback. We turned up to find this guy waiting for us with his entire crew.
PIPER: Woah. Were you scared?
NED: Hell, yes. Didn't end well. I was way out of my depth.
PIPER: Did you like being in a gang?
NED: Yeah, I guess. For a while. I liked feeling like I belonged.
PIPER: Well now you belong here, with me. Getting into trouble.
NED: If you need to get into trouble, call Ned. I'm your guy.
Piper laughs, as Ned mimes hitting something with a blunt implement...
Harold's Café
Xanthe is looking happier now, as Aaron is proposing to help her create a new webpage, with all the best photos from the shoot.
AARON: You're better than a model - you're unique. You could be a brand.
NATE: Like cereal?
AARON: No! Like Zoella. Or the Jenners.
At the mention of the Jenners, Xanthe's ears prick up! Aaron says he'll be her social media manager, to help her 'position herself in the marketplace', and help her handle the trolls. Nate offers to help out with the costs. A thrilled Xanthe thanks them and rushes off to tell Piper the good news.
On her way out, she briefly crosses paths with Sheila, who afterwards tells Aaron not to get Xanthe's hopes up too much - the Internet can be a really scary place, she says. Aaron insists he'll moderate the site himself, and look after Xanthe.
The Waterhole
Paige finds John playing pool alone. John is having doubts himself about taking Paige to Geelong, after what happened with Tyler today - saying he could have hurt him.
JOHN: What's to say it won't happen again? Look - you've been so generous, and kind. I just don't want to risk hurting you.
PAIGE: You won't.
JOHN: I don't know that, Paige.
PAIGE: The fact that you are so concerned about me means you are nothing but good. This gives us even more of a reason to go to Geelong, to find out who you are, and answer these questions for you.
JOHN: What if you find out that it's something that you don't like?
PAIGE: That's not gonna happen.
No 22
Xanthe is telling Piper about how she's planning on writing a self-help book for teens, with a chapter on 'haters'! Piper is getting a bit of pain from her tattoo. Xanthe has a peek at it, and says it's amazing.
XANTHE: I would never get one, though... As KK says, you never put a bumper sticker on a Bentley!
PIPER: It's hard to argue with Kardashian wisdom. But it is good to see you happy for a change.
XANTHE: Yeah. Success is the best revenge. I'm gonna go and delete those comments now.
As Xanthe leaves, Terese comes downstairs, and sits next to Piper. They fold Josh's old clothes in silence, the air between them still frosty.
PIPER: It's just one small tattoo, Mum. You have one.
TERESE: I know I have one. I'm just upset that you couldn't talk to me about it.
PIPER: Would you have said yes?
TERESE: You know I wouldn't have. It's my job, to try and stop you doing things you'll regret. To protect you. I mean, I obviously failed with Josh. But you're my baby. And I can't let anything happen to you.
Terese is getting tearful, so Piper goes to comfort her, reassuring her that she didn't fail Josh, or her.
TERESE: I'm so sorry. I've been wrapped up in my grief, and forgetting that you must miss him too.
PIPER: All the time. Look, I just thought that if I got this, then everything else wouldn't hurt as much. But that sadness, it just doesn't go away.
Terese suggests she could start writing a journal, or doing a vlog, about Josh, to help deal with the pain. Piper hugs Terese.
PIPER: Thanks for being such a good mum.
But Terese doesn't look convinced that it's true.
No 32
Topless Ned is cleaning out the pool in the garden, when Lauren appears. She's pleased to hear Ned say that he's starting to feel like part of the family, now he's talked things through with Terese and Brad. He offers to do chores around the house as thanks for her intervention.
LAUREN: I'm just happy you've sorted things out.
NED: How about a tattoo?
LAUREN: Ha-ha-ha. It's tempting. I have always wanted one, you know.
Ned touches Lauren's neck. Incidental music tells us this is no casual brush of skin for him.
NED: Well, I could see a laurel wreath just along here. That's where your name comes from, right?
Lauren smiles at him lingeringly.
LAUREN: Yeah. I'll think about it.
She walks off, and Ned smiles after her.
The Waterhole
Amy is sitting with a pint, looking glum. Terese comes in, and apologises for being short with her earlier about the Lassiter's tendering. She says she's happy to accept a quote from Amy for the hotel repairs whenever she's ready. Amy thanks her profusely, and says she understands.
AMY: I can't even imagine what it's been like for you.
TERESE: Yeah. I'm just trying to figure out how to navigate it all.
AMY: I'm not on speaking terms with Paul, knowing what he's done.
TERESE: Yeah. Well if you were on speaking terms, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now.
AMY: This might sound horrible. And I don't even know if I can forgive him for this. But I still love him.
Terese smiles emotionally.
TERESE: Yeah. I know what you mean.
No 22
Ned comes in, and finds Piper on her laptop. She explains she's working on a new vlog about losing Josh, after Terese gave her the idea.
PIPER: It was just an ordinary day, and then in a split second, everything changed. And I thought that I could ask people about it, and try and make sense of the whole thing. Go on, sit down. You can be my first candidate.
Ned looks very unsure, but sits down anyway. Piper begins to film him on her phone.
PIPER: So - where were you on the morning of the explosion?
NED: ... Umm...
PIPER: What time did you arrive in Erinsborough?
NED: Around, umm... No, no. Mid-morning?
Ned seems very nervous, so Piper tells him to forget about the camera and think like they're just chatting.
PIPER: If you arrived mid-morning, then you would have seen Josh at Lassiter's.
NED: No.
PIPER: But Mum and Josh were in and out of the lobby all morning.
NED: I didn't see them.
PIPER: Oh. Odd. Maybe you just walked straight past them.
NED: No, I didn't.
PIPER: OK, well, what time did your plane land?
Ned covers her phone with his hand.
NED: Why do you want to know that?
PIPER: It's just for a timeline. It takes about an hour to get from the airport to here. So if you tell me when you landed, then I can work out when you arrived.
Looking very agitated, Ned stands up.
NED: I can't do this now. I'll, erm... I've gotta go.
Ned walks out, leaving Piper looking confused. Outside the house, Ned bends down against the front door, looking stressed.
Promo
- Tyler is on the phone, saying Ned stormed off because Brad won the Citizen of the Year
- Lauren asks Ned what he thinks of 'budding journo' Piper. Ned asks if it's a good idea
- Piper is filming Ned again, and asks if he was with Doug right up until the explosion
- Paige and John spend the night in Geelong; he tells her he'd look for her if she went missing
- Paige and topless John appear to be having a moment, as they lean in towards one another...