Previously
- Harlow finds a bag of drugs taped to a bin at school, and realises someone must be dealing there
- After being beaten up, when asked by Dax, River points the finger of blame at Yashvi
- Dax tells Yashvi she's officially suspended pending an investigation
- Dax catches Levi taking epilepsy pills and blackmails him into backing off from the drugs case
- We later see Dax sneaking around at the Hive, and swapping Levi's medication for other pills
- Richie tells Mackenzie that Harlow's trying to claim all the credit for Lassiter's going green
- An angry Mackenzie tells Harlow she's made her position and her politics very clear
- Hendrix catches Rose taking photos of some of Toadie's files, and threatens to call Toadie
Rebecchi Law
Rose tries to wriggle off the hook with Hendrix, telling him it would be a waste of time calling Toadie about her photographing the files. But Hendrix isn't convinced, and gets out his phone.
ROSE: No, no, stop - please. Okay. alright. This is about my husband, James. We're getting a divorce, and Toadie handles his business affairs (...) James is doing everything that he can to make sure that I end up with nothing, and I think he's hiding his assets in this fake company, Anaconda Trading, so that he doesn't have to give me anything in the settlement. Which is really unfair because I helped him build all his businesses up from scratch, and now he's just turned on me.
HENDRIX: Is this why you took this job? To snoop? Why not just be straight up with Toadie?
ROSE: Because Toadie is bound by client confidentiality. He'd never give me this information. This way, Toadie does not have to know so he is not compromised. But if he finds out, not only will he be involved, but then he will have to tell James. And if he tells James, then I will not get a cent. And if I don't have any money, then how am I going to look after my boys?
Rose is getting tearful.
HENDRIX: I guess you have to fight for them.
ROSE: Exactly. James has my kids right now - I can't even see them. Unless I can prove that he's dodgy, he is going to get to keep my kids permanently. So... so you won't mention this to Toadie?
HENDRIX: Toadie doesn't have to find out. But I need something in return.
Lassiter's Complex
Harlow runs into Lacy Lane, and challenges her about the articles she's been publishing on the school blog.
HARLOW: It's almost entirely dedicated to discrediting my campaign.
LACY: It's just the facts. Not my problem if those facts make you look bad.
Harlow says some balance would be in order, but Lacy cites examples of how she's been just as critical of Mackenzie's campaign.
LACY: As far as I'm concerned, both your campaigns are kind of terrible. That's unbiased journalism. And it's why I'm not voting for either of you.
Harlow looks puzzled as Lacy walks off.
No 26
Levi takes some tablets, unaware that Dax has swapped his epilepsy medication for something else. Yashvi comes in; she wants Levi to take files from the station pertaining to all the drug cases Dax has worked on in the last five years. Levi is unwilling, saying Dax will make his life hell if he catches him.
LEVI: I could end up like you - framed and suspended. Or worse.
YASHVI: Okay. I get you're sticking your neck out - but this could be our only chance at bringing Dax down.
LEVI: It's not much to go on, Vee.
YASHVI: What's with you all of a sudden? Are you distracted cos Bea's coming home today?
LEVI: What? This has nothing to do with Bea!
YASHVI: What's your problem, then? You know how unfair this is. I've been suspended and I'll probably lose my job.
LEVI: I understand.
YASHVI: So, will you help me suss the files? Please, Levi, time's running out, and this is my only chance at clearing my name and getting back on the force. But I can't do it without you.
Rebecchi Law
Rose gives Hendrix a copy of Mackenzie's campaign speech on a USB stick, presumably having swiped it from her computer. In exchange, Hendrix agrees to say nothing to Toadie about the files Rose was photographing.
ROSE: Just for the record, I don't feel good about this. Mackenzie's worked really hard on that speech.
HENDRIX: It's politics. It's a dirty business.
Mackenzie comes in, and Hendrix hides the USB in his pocket. She correctly guesses that Hendrix has come to grill Rose about Mackenzie's ideas for the campaign, but isn't aware that Rose has already handed them over on USB!
MACKENZIE: You're not going to get anything from either of us, so stop trying!
ROSE: Off you go.
HENDRIX: Hey, can't blame a guy for trying, right?
After Hendrix leaves, Mackenzie condemns Hendrix's 'grubby tactics' and sadly tells Rose that the election was never meant to come between her and Harlow. Rose reassures her that it will all be over soon, and looks guilty.
Lassiter's Complex
Paul is advising Harlow as she writes her own campaign speech, advising her to replace 'endeavour' with 'commit'. Harlow doesn't want to make promises she can't deliver.
PAUL: Harlow, everybody expects a level of exaggeration with these things.
He advises Harlow to 'go hard' on Mackenzie's campaign in her speech, for leaking the photo of Harlow eating the chocolates.
HARLOW: I tweeted saying we should rise above mudslingers. I can't go badmouthing my opponents now.
But Paul says she's being naive if she thinks Mackenzie won't come after her in her own speech.
HARLOW: Yeah, maybe. But I still want to be friends with her. So if that means ditching the nasty politics, it's what I'm gonna do.
Paul advises her to wait till after the campaign launch to do that! He then reassures Harlow she'll be fantastic.
PAUL: And if not, don't worry - I'll bribe the council!
Nearby, Bea is back in town, and Yashvi is filling her in on the escalating situation with Dax that has led to her suspension from the force. Yashvi explains that Levi is helping her by looking at old case files - or at least, she hopes he is, as he's gone a bit quiet on her.
Outside The Waterhole, Dax sees Levi looking tired, and asks if he's okay - clearly wanting to gauge the effects of him having swapped the medication. Levi admits to the tiredness, and Dax suggests he get an early night tonight.
Bea approaches, and Dax refers to their running joke about her being imaginary, expressing surprise that she exists after all! Bea is polite but a little chilly with Dax given what she's learned from Yashvi, and Dax leaves to let 'you lovers catch up'.
BEA: So, what's going on?
LEVI: I could ask you the same thing. I know you read my messages - why didn't you get back to me?
BEA: No, I'm talking about Yashvi. She thinks you're at the station helping her, but instead you're getting coffee with the guy that's stitching her up.
LEVI: He knows... about my condition. And if I help Yashvi and he finds out, then I get fired.
BEA: But if you can prove that he'd dodgy...
LEVI: It'll make him more likely to tell everyone.
BEA: So the only way your secret's kept safe is if you keep him on side.
LEVI: I can't lose my job!
BEA: But Yashvi can? You became a cop to protect people - even if it puts you at risk (...) But Levi, you're not protecting people. You're saving your own neck while Yashvi's life and who knows who else's gets ruined. Can you really live with that?
Levi looks conflicted.
Harold's Café / Erinsborough High School
Hendrix is in the café talking to Harlow on the phone. Harlow is at the school, setting up a podium for her speech while Paul puts up campaign posters behind her. Hendrix has sent her the speech he's swiped from Mackenzie, but pretends to Harlow that he wrote it himself.
HARLOW: And you wrote it?
HENDRIX: Don't sound so sceptical.
HARLOW: No, sorry, I'm not. It's just, you're not exactly top of the class in English.
HENDRIX: Just read it, okay? I knew you were struggling, so I knocked it up for you.
HARLOW (reading): It's actually quite good.
HENDRIX: Yeah, it's better than good. It's killer.
HARLOW: Okay, but these are your words. The speech is meant to be about me speaking from the heart.
HENDRIX: You help me with my essays all the time. This speech will win you the election. Make some tweaks, put your own vibe into it - but use it, trust me.
Harlow agrees. Toadie comes into the café, and gives Hendrix a telling off for badgering his employees - Rose has told him about how Hendrix was snooping around, but not, it seems, about giving him Mackenzie's speech. Hendrix simply admits that Rose really put him in his place, and hastily exits.
Rebecchi Law
Rose is on the phone, telling someone that 'it's not in the file', and that the old lawyers must not have sent it over.
ROSE: No, I can't ask him - he is not stupid! He'll figure it out.
She takes down an email address for a company called Kovac & Associates.
ROSE: I'll email them and ask them to send it over. Maybe I'll get lucky.
Toadie comes in with coffees, and Rose quickly pretends that the person on the phone is a cold caller. Rose says she called Toadie's client Ted Tatum to ask for some documentation, but he wouldn't give it to her as it was confidential and she's only a PA, so wonders if she can jump on his computer to email him from Toadie's account.
Toadie's response is to give Rose his login, so she can impersonate him on a regular basis! He says this is standard practice for PAs.
TOADIE: It goes without saying that everything remains confidential (...) Of course, if I catch wind of you booking an expensive holiday under my name, your access will be revoked!
ROSE: Well, there goes my all-expenses-paid trip to Morocco!
No 26
Levi and Yashvi are looking through the old case files to see if they can find more evidence of Dax's wrongdoing. Bea is with them, making coffee.
YASHVI: I appreciate you getting these files for me. I know it would've been stressful.
LEVI: What, you mean, risking my career for a hunch? A bit. You can thank Bea - she gave me the shove I needed.
Bea joins the paper hunt; Yashvi tells her to look for patterns, such as reoccurring locations, people etc. Levi has a headache, and Bea notices, pointedly suggesting he has a break. He says he's fine, just a bit under the weather.
Yashvi finds something in one of the files - Dax's first patrol partner was Jeremy Briggs. 'Who?' cry Levi, Bea and viewers everywhere. Yashvi reminds us that Jeremy was the dodgy cop who Claudia Watkins paid to torch the evidence in the Finn Kelly case. Jeremy is now in jail.
LEVI: Bent cops do have a way of finding each other and teaming up. The evidence locker that was destroyed - we need to know what else was in there.
Yashvi agrees; it probably had evidence from multiple cases. Levi clearly has an idea of how this might relate to Dax, and goes to make a call.
Erinsborough High School
In the corridor, Paul is setting up a smartphone to stream Harlow's speech; she tells him she can't believe Hendrix wrote it. Paul tells her not to question it, and to be glad.
In a classroom, Richie sits next to Mackenzie and asks how she's feeling about her speech. She says she's looking forward to it all being over, so she and Harlow can be friends again. Harlow's speech begins, and Richie and Mackenzie are watching it on a tablet. However, Mackenzie quickly realises that the words sound familiar, and starts reciting them word-for-word as she watches...
MACKENZIE: She stole my speech! (...) How could she do this to me?
Richie wonders how Harlow could even have got the speech. Mackenzie suspects Hendrix...
No 26
Levi tells Bea and Yashvi that he's spoken to his friend in forensic services, who had a full manifest of the evidence that was destroyed in the fire Jeremy Briggs started.
LEVI: I was right. There was a huge supply of speed from an earlier drug bust.
YASHVI: You're kidding!
BEA: What does that mean?
YASHVI: It means the drugs may not have gone up in flames. Jeremy could've easily taken them out before he set that fire.
LEVI: And started up a side-hustle.
BEA: But he was in jail well before any drugs showed up.
LEVI: It's not uncommon for crooks to run a business from behind bars, if they have support from the outside.
YASHVI: Yeah, and Dax could be that support.
They need proof, however, so Levi considers heading to the jail and speaking to Jeremy, to put some pressure on him. Bea points out that there's still a drug dealer operating at the school; perhaps they could provide some insight.
Levi and Yashvi still don't know who the school dealer is; previously, the other students haven't been willing to expose them. But Yashvi thinks they might now, if she can make them understand.
Erinsborough High School
Outside the classroom, Mackenzie is leaving a voicemail for Harlow, laying into her for stealing her speech.
MACKENZIE: I'm about to go out there and make a completely improvised speech, which I suppose is what you wanted - so, congrats.
Susan has turned up to watch Mackenzie's speech, and joins Richie in the classroom. Mackenzie comes back in, and tells Richie that her speech is going to be a disaster.
RICHIE: No, it's not. People don't want to hear slick speeches, okay? They just want to know that you actually care. Speak from the heart. You've got this.
Mackenzie nods nervously, and Richie goes to turn on the camera. Mackenzie begins by introducing herself, and almost stalls - but Richie nods along encouragingly.
MACKENZIE: I thought about getting up here and making some polished speech, but I think we've had enough of the spin and empty promises. I'm going to speak to you today from the heart.
Susan gets a call from Yashvi, who's approaching the outside of the school. Yashvi is in her police uniform, and wants to ask the students a few questions - she claims it's just a follow up from her drugs talk a few weeks ago. Susan says most will have gone home, but she's happy for Yashvi to talk to those who are here.
As Mackenzie continues to deliver her speech, which is now going really well, we see scenes overlaid of Lacy arriving at the school doors, and seeing Yashvi outside, talking to random pupils. Lacy looks worried, and heads back into the building to avoid Yashvi. In the classroom, Richie gives Mackenzie an encouraging thumbs-up as she continues speaking.
Rebecchi Law
Toadie asks Rose if she got the info she needed from Ted Tatum. She claims that he sent it as soon as she emailed him from Toadie's account, but looks shifty. Toadie says he will look at it first thing tomorrow, but it's time for them to go home now. Rose says she wants to stick around and finish the data entry she's doing.
TOADIE: Oh, great. You know, having you here, Rose, has really taken a load off.
ROSE: Happy to help.
TOADIE: Don't stay too late.
As soon as Toadie's gone, Rose starts to email Kovac & Associates, from Toadie's address. She looks shifty.
Erinsborough High School / Lassiter's Complex / No 26
In the corridor, Harlow tells Paul that Mackenzie is furious with her.
PAUL: Why, because your speech was better than hers?
HARLOW: No, because it *was* hers.
Paul says it was 'smart' of Hendrix to steal the speech, as it forced Mackenzie to make up a speech on the spot.
HARLOW: No, it's not smart, it's horrible. I can't believe he would do this.
PAUL: Hendrix was doing what it took to get you elected - and as your campaign manager, that's his job.
HARLOW: Mackenzie might never speak to me again. And you know what? Her speech was completely off the cuff, but it was a lot better than mine (...) She's the better candidate. She deserves this, not me.
In the stairwell, Yashvi is talking to Richie, and showing him a photo of somebody who we can't see. Richie says he's never seen the guy before. Yashvi thanks him and goes downstairs. Lacy, who has been lingering at the top of the stairs, asks Richie what that was about.
RICHIE: They figured out Ollie's not the real dealer.
LACY: So, who's in the pic she's showing?
RICHIE: No idea. But I hope they get the real guy soon, though.
We see Yashvi down below, showing the photo to more pupils. Lacy looks worried.
As Richie leaves, Lacy makes a phone call - to Dax! He's just leaving the station and going into the Lassiter's courtyard.
DAX: I told you not to call me unless it's an emergency.
LACY: It is. The cops are here.
DAX: Yashvi Rebecchi. She's asking questions.
LACY: Don't say anything to anyone. I'm on my way.
Lacy leaves the school building, but Yashvi catches up with her. She shows her the picture, which we now see is a beaten-up River, and asks if he looks familiar. A scared-looking Lacy claims not to recognise River, and asks who he is. Yashvi says he's another dealer, who's been dealing at the uni.
YASHVI: Or he was, until whoever he was working for turned on him. The whole network's imploding and the supplier is covering their tracks, okay? We're really worried that this could happen to the school dealer.
LACY: I'm sorry. I don't know anything.
YASHVI: We're not interested in the school dealer. We just want to find who's at the head, so if you do know anything...
LACY: I don't!
YASHVI: Lacy, if you're involved, we can protect you.
LACY: You don't understand. He's a cop.
YASHVI: Who's a cop?
LACY: He's coming now. Please, I have to go. He's dangerous.
YASHVI: Who's dangerous?
LACY: Dax, he's coming now. Please -
Yashvi tells Lacy to wait here - it will be fine. She calls Levi, who's at home. He's clutching his head - apparently the aching has become significantly worse, and it's a struggle for him to sit up to answer the phone.
LEVI: How's it going? I'm about to go to the prison and talk to Jeremy.
YASHVI: Levi, I need backup at the school.
LEVI: What's going on?
YASHVI: Lacy is the school dealer, and she has named Dax as head of the operation. He's coming here now.
LEVI: Okay, sit tight. I'll be there soon.
But Dax has already arrived, and is perturbed to see Yashvi with Lacy.
DAX: What are you doing here, Rebecchi? You're suspended.
YASHVI: It's over. We have proof that you're the dealer, okay? You're done.
DAX: Why don't you both come down to the station now, so we can sort this out?
LACY: No way.
DAX: Don't argue with me.
LACY: Please, just leave me alone.
Lacy runs back into the school, and Dax follows her, shouting at her to get back here. Yashvi follows Dax in, telling him to give up. Susan is coming down the stairwell and hears the commotion. Yashvi shouts upstairs to stay inside and lock the doors - this is an emergency. But at this moment, Dax approaches and pulls a taser on Yashvi.
DAX: You're gonna help me find Lacy. Move. Move!
Susan is still lingering on the stairs, and sees this, so heads in the opposite direction.
YASHVI: You're making it worse, Dax. Backup's on the way.
But at No 26, Levi has fallen off the sofa and is having an epileptic fit on the carpet...
Coming up on Neighbours
- Dax has Yashvi, Richie, Mackenzie and Susan at taser- point in the classroom
- Susan assures Dax they'll do whatever he says
- Mackenzie quietly asks Yashvi if anyone else knows what's going on
- Dax points the taser at Susan; Yashvi tells Dax that if he uses it, it'll be a lot worse for him
- Mackenzie sees Harlow outside the classroom, and tells her to run
- Richie falls to the floor
- Dax telling someone to shut up, then apparently hitting someone. He tells nobody to move
- Dax uses a fire extinguisher to destroy a fuse box and plunge the school into darkness
- Armed police have arrived; shots of Harlow and Mackenzie looking scared