Previously
- Piper finds herself trapped on the boat and being sailed out to sea
- Later, in hospital, Piper recounts how Louise refused to take her back to shore
- Louise kidnaps baby Gabe, but is arrested by police while trying to extort ransom money
- Aaron tells Tyler that Louise is coming back to town to face trial for Gabe's kidnapping
- We're led to believe that Jimmy has a crush on Kirsha as he acts awkwardly around her
- Yashvi accuses Jimmy of having feelings for Kirsha; he's about to deny it but stops himself
- Kirsha's hearing is coming back - just in time to overhear that Mishti is pregnant
- Dipi assures Mishti that she'll make an amazing mum, but Mishti doesn't look convinced
No 32
Mishti is looking pensive in the garden when Dipi emerges. Mishti asks who else knows she's pregnant - Dipi says the whole family. Dipi sees she's looking worried, but Mishti tries to divert attention by saying it's great that Kirsha's hearing seems to be returning.
DIPI: I'm here if you need to talk.
MISHTI: This is all a massive surprise, and it's really early days.
DIPI: I know what it's like. You see those two lines on a pregnancy stick, and it's like, you go into a state of shock. But I really think that you should concentrate on the positives.
MISHTI: Like the fact Leo and I haven't really been dating all that long?
DIPI: I thought you and Leo were happy?
MISHTI: It's not Leo I'm thinking about. It's Paul.
DIPI: You don't think he'll be supportive?
MISHTI: I dunno. He has big hopes for Leo's career.
Mishti walks off, asking as she goes if they can keep the pregnancy to themselves for a while.
Lassiter's
Paul is in Terese's office, telling her that Leo is keen to get back to work now he's been discharged from hospital. Terese says he can take on some of her duties while she's on her London trip. Paul then starts hectoring her about a promotional video she's putting together for the hotel; there is a camera crew arriving any minute.
He's keen for the video to make waves and help them get their five-star rating back, so is trying to hurry production so that it's ready by tonight. Terese gets annoyed with him and tells him to leave it with her; the video will be brilliant. He remarks that it had better be.
No 24
Ben is telling Mark and Piper about his decision to move to Oakey. He feels bad leaving them both in the lurch at a difficult time, but they are supportive; and Piper says she's feeling a lot better than she has been.
As if by magic, Toadie arrives to ruin Piper's day. He presents her with a court summons; she's being asked to testify at Louise's trial for kidnapping Gabe, which starts tomorrow.
TOADIE: They want you to talk about your time with her. It will reflect on her poor character, and work in the prosecution's favour.
Piper is worried.
Lassiter's Complex
Jimmy is wandering through the courtyard when he sees a girl, Poppy, over by the lake - and a smile breaks out all over his face. She waves in his direction, smiling, and an evidently besotted Jimmy waves back. But it soon becomes apparent that she's actually waving to a bunch of her friends who are hanging out nearby, and Jimmy looks sad as he walks away, unnoticed.
As he passes Harold's, he meets Kirsha, who seems very anxious about something. He tries to stop her and asks to talk to her about something, but Kirsha can only make out small parts of what he's saying, and rushes off, saying she has to go.
No 30
Jimmy resorts to a visit to Toadie for advice, and laments the fact that his crush Poppy doesn't even know he exists.
JIMMY: She's this girl at my school. She's amazing. She reads a lot, and she's really into sports.
Toadie is surprised as he thought Jimmy had a crush on Kirsha, but he replies that they're just mates. He's been trying to get better at footie so that Poppy would notice him, he explains - but it hasn't worked. Toadie has a radical suggestion for Jimmy; he should simply tell Poppy that he likes her.
JIMMY: Are you crazy?!
TOADIE: (...) Nobody has ever won the girl of their dreams by crushing on them from afar.
The Waterhole
Terese is instructing her camera crew on the nuances of the promotional video they're filming. Piper comes in, randomly carrying a pot plant which she says is 'for her', rather than another gift for Terese organised by Aaron. Terese explains she's shooting a video, which Piper says is 'cool', but conversation dries up quickly and it's a bit awkward - so Piper collects some takeaway and leaves.
Meanwhile, at the bar, Dipi is collecting some wine from Shane, which she plans to take around to the penthouse for Leo tomorrow, as a pretext for sticking her oar in about Mishti's pregnancy. Dipi says she plans to enquire only 'subtly' about how supportive Leo thinks his family will be; she promises an incredulous Shane that she'll tread carefully.
Paul's Penthouse
The next day, Leo and Mishti are hanging out with Paul. Jimmy is heading out to school.
JIMMY: Wish me luck.
PAUL: Why, have you got a big test on today?
JIMMY: Possibly my toughest challenge yet!
As he leaves, Dipi arrives with her wine, and starts making not-subtle-at-all remarks hinting at Mishti's pregnancy, in the hope of eliciting a response from Paul that might prove his family-friendly credentials, or otherwise. Paul is suitably bemused, but impresses Dipi when he says that family is everything. Seeing what Dipi's up to, Mishti practically pushes her back into the lift! Paul's intrigued.
The Waterhole
Gary watches as Terese wraps up filming in the bar with her crew, and prepares to head to the hotel to get some more footage there. Terese stops to chat to Gary; she explains that the hotel's previous shareholders, the Udagawas, will be at the conference she's attending, and she wants to prove to them with the video that Lassiter's is getting by perfectly well without them.
Gary suggests that Terese could ask vlogger extraordinaire Piper to give her a hand with the video. Terese says she thought about it, but decided against the idea - she doesn't want to push things while they're still rebuilding their relationship. Plus...
TERESE: You know that I'm a hard-line micromanager at the best of times! (...) I don't need that sort of pressure!
Paul's Penthouse
Paul questions Leo about Dipi's odd behaviour earlier, commending Paul on his commitment to family! This leads Leo to admit that Mishti is pregnant, and that Dipi has found out. Leo asks Paul to keep it to himself for now; he's not keen on keeping secrets from Amy and David, but says that he and Mishti don't need the added pressure right now. Paul agrees to keep quiet.
LEO: It's not like being parents was really on the radar.
PAUL: Yeah, well, there's never really a right time for this sort of thing, is there? But, hey, if it's any consolation at all, I think you are going to make a wonderful dad.
LEO: Are you kidding? I'll be the worst!
PAUL: Why would you say that?
LEO: Well, I've never really had a role model for this kind of thing. And my stepdad - he wasn't really interested.
PAUL: Yeah, and I wasn't around. And you know, even if I was, I couldn't guarantee I'd have been the example that you needed. But you see, that's my point exactly. Don't think that you're genetically hardwired to stuff up, okay? You're kind, you're loyal; you certainly care about family. No, this is gonna be one lucky kid.
LEO: My life - it'll change forever.
PAUL: Mm. But listen - I want you to know one thing. And that is, you will always have my support, okay?
No 24
Piper is sitting on Tyler's chair with her laptop, when Mark comes in; he's getting ready for the start of Louise's court case. Piper is trying to write down all her thoughts before the trial, so she can testify most effectively, but is struggling to get things straight in her head.
Mark seems concerned about the court case too, pointing out that Louise only got 'a slap on the wrist for Dad'. Piper says that surely won't happen again; she kidnapped Gabe and stole a boat with Piper on it.
Mark suggests Piper ask Terese for help getting her thoughts together; but Piper says Terese doesn't know she's testifying. She also doesn't want to ask Paige and Jack as they'll already be stressed. Mark therefore offers to help Piper himself, by asking her the kind of questions Louise's defence lawyer will ask her. Piper agrees to this approach.
Erinsborough High School
Jimmy tries to seek advice from Kirsha about his crush on Poppy, but she's struggling to understand his sign language. Shane arrives, interrupting, and takes Kirsha off for a hospital appointment to assess her hearing progress. Poppy appears in the corridor, and Jimmy engages her in awkward conversation.
JIMMY: Hey, Jimmy. I mean, Poppy. You're Poppy - I'm Jimmy.
POPPY: Yeah, I know. We're in the same homeroom.
JIMMY: Heh. Yeah, I know. Homeroom!
POPPY: Heh. See ya!
JIMMY: Yeah, see you Jimmy.
A bemused Poppy walks off, leaving Jimmy feeling like an idiot!
Harold's Café
Mishti is giving Dipi a telling-off about her intervention in the penthouse, and says she doesn't want her saying anything more to Leo or the Robinsons.
DIPI: Mishti - I was terrified when I first found out I was pregnant.
MISHTI: No, you weren't.
DIPI: Yes, I was. I did three different tests, desperately hoping they were all wrong because I was so overwhelmed.
MISHTI: Yashvi wasn't planned?
DIPI: I mean, Shane and I talked about having kids. But we didn't expect it to happen immediately.
MISHTI: Some people are born to be mothers. Like you. But I don't know if it's me.
Dipi has to go to meet Shane and Kirsha at the hospital, but leaves Mishti with some advice.
DIPI: Don't put too much pressure on yourself to immediately know how you feel. Take some time to let it sink in.
Erinsborough Hospital
Kirsha, Shane and Dipi come out of their appointment, which has been positive - Kirsha's hearing has definitely improved somewhat, but there are no guarantees of further improvement. Dipi and Shane are feeling celebratory nonetheless, but Kirsha says she doesn't want to make a big deal of it until her hearing's back for certain, to avoid disappointment. Once she's walked off, however...
DIPI: I am so excited I could scream!
SHANE: I know. Our little girl's gonna be okay; I can feel it!
Harold's Café
Toadie is on the phone to Nell in the USA.
TOADIE: No, sweetie - you can't wear your tutu and your fairy wings to bed. What happened to those unicorn pyjamas I got you? ... Ha! I don't think they're going to fit Mummy... Alright. If you promise to get into your pyjamas, I will find some unicorn pyjamas that will fit Mummy, and I'll send them over. How's that? ... Okay. Give me a kiss a goodnight... I love you too, sweetie. Sweet dreams.
Mishti has been listening to this from a nearby table.
MISHTI: You make the dad thing look easy.
TOADIE: Oh, Sonya's doing all the heavy lifting at the moment.
MISHTI: Yeah, but you still manage to juggle it all when they're here.
TOADIE: Well, Nell is the most amazing little girl ever. So we have been pretty lucky with that.
Mishti looks thoughtful, as Jimmy comes in, looking glum.
TOADIE: Well, that face doesn't fill me with any sense of confidence.
JIMMY: I suck.
TOADIE: What happened?!
Jimmy gives Mishti a look, and she gets up and leaves them to it!
JIMMY: I didn't even get to tell her how I feel. I completely stuffed it. I think I even kept on calling her Jimmy.
TOADIE: Oh! Well, that's not the end of the world. You're still in with a chance.
JIMMY: Yeah, but not if I can't find a way to talk to her without completely embarrassing myself.
TOADIE: Right. Well, relationships are all about communication. So you've got to give it another shot.
JIMMY: Yeah, but what if I stuff it up again?
TOADIE: You won't.
JIMMY: I get so nervous!
TOADIE: That's why you've got to practise your piece. You've got to know it back-to-front, alright? And then you go for it. You got this!
Erinsborough High School
We cut to Jimmy practising his lines in the middle of the school corridor!
JIMMY: 'Do you want to be my girlfriend?' That's a bit full on. 'I really like you.' Come on, you can do this (...) 'I wanted to tell you that I like you. And I was wondering if you might like me back?'
Kirsha goes to her locker nearby, and overhears parts of what Jimmy is saying - and assumes he's talking to her! She explains that her hearing's started to come back.
KIRSHA: Jimmy, wait - before you say anything else, I really like you too. But not like that. You're my friend, and -
JIMMY: No, no, no. I like Poppy Ryan. From homeroom. I was practising telling her.
KIRSHA: Oh, Poppy!
JIMMY: Shush! Not so loud! (...) The thing is, I don't know how to talk to her.
KIRSHA: Then we've got some work to do!
Jimmy smiles.
No 24
Mark is putting Piper through her paces, asking the questions he expects the defence lawyer to ask her about why she was on the boat. Piper becomes frustrated when he won't let her explain that Louise wouldn't let her off the boat when she found her; but Mark explains that she needs to be ready for Louise's lawyers to give her a difficult time.
MARK: They're going to try and spin this to make it look like you weren't really kidnapped.
PIPER: But she locked me in a cabin! And I had to break out myself. And when I fell overboard, she just left me there, Mark. She left me there to drown!
MARK: It's okay. I know this is tough. But you have to stay calm, and remember why we're doing this. That's to put Louise away for a very long time, okay? For Gabe.
PIPER: Yeah. I know. I just don't want to relive all this, just so her lawyer can make me look like an idiot.
MARK: That's why we're practising.
PIPER: What if she gets let off? Like she did with your dad? (...) I have to be prepared, and if I'm not, it's gonna go in her favour. I don't think I can do this!
MARK: Piper, you have to! If you don't turn up, you're in contempt of court!
PIPER: I don't care! I can't - I can't do it!
Piper rushes out of the door.
Paul's Penthouse
Leo is asking Mishti how Dipi knew she was pregnant. Mishti explains that Kirsha's hearing has started to come back, and that she overheard them talking at the hospital. She adds that she's asked her family to keep quiet about the pregnancy for the time being. Leo admits he's told Paul after he got suspicious, but that he was really supportive.
MISHTI: Leo, I just need some time to get my head around this.
LEO: Yeah, it's okay. I was going to say the same thing. I just - I thought you should take the lead on this one.
MISHTI: It's gonna affect both of us.
LEO: Yeah, well, more so you at first, let's face it.
MISHTI: I feel all over the place right now.
LEO: Me too. I mean, one minute, I'm thinking it's not actually the craziest idea in the world. And then...
MISHTI: Yeah. And then five seconds later, I'm back to losing my mind.
LEO: Hey. We don't have to rush this. At least we're on the same page, yeah?
MISHTI: Yeah, at least we've got that.
They hug.
Lassiter's
Paul continues to pester Terese about when the promotional video will be finished. She tells him to leave it with her - it's under control, and she's aware that there's a lot riding on it. Paul stalks off.
Mark turns up, wanting to speak to Terese. He explains that Piper's been called to testify at Louise's trial today, and that she's talking about not going. Terese tells her camera crew that they're going to have to finish up, and make do with the footage they have.
MARK: Don't you have a deadline?
TERESE: That can wait. My daughter needs me.
Next week on Neighbours
- Toadie tells Rita Newland that she has a strong case; Rita wants him to 'talk to her today'
- Yashvi has started her work experience at an AFL team, but is worried she's not yet cut out for it
- Xanthe is sad that Ben is going away
- Izzy holds her belly in Ramsay Street, looking intense
- Izzy and Karl meet up for a countdown to the results of her pregnancy test