Previously
- New arrival Freya sneaks into the Flamingo Bar rubble to retrieve a scarf, but is caught by Levi
- The newcomer tells Levi she's not obliged to give him her name
- Leo has a temper tantrum after a well- meaning Toadie offers help, saying he's sick of all the advice
- Later, Leo and Nicolette bond as they both break down in tears over the loss of Britney
- Terese tells Paul the accident has made her focus on what's important; he thanks her for moving in
- Melanie points out that Glen hasn't exactly been honest with Terese
- Glen admits he found Terese's wedding ring on the beach, and had it all along
- As a result, Paul tells Glen he wants him out of Erinsborough altogether, and not to come back
A fresh set of opening titles with new typefaces debuts today, reflecting two new additions to the main cast and an expansion of the show's location filming. The shots are as follows: Terese and Paul walking through the hotel grounds; Harlow, Hendrix and Mackenzie in the hotel rooftop pool; Roxy, Amy and Ned at the Flamingo Bar (same as previous shot); David, Aaron and Nicolette with a pram on the bank of the Yarra; Chloe and newcomer Freya Wozniak (Phoebe Roberts) on a café balcony in central Melbourne; Leo and new addition Glen Donnelly (Richard Huggett) in the grounds of the winery; Jane and Clive strolling through the fields of the vineyard; Levi, Sheila and Kyle at the No 26 spa (same as previous shot); Nell, Melanie, Toadie and Hugo walking up Ramsay Street; and Karl and Susan in the centre of the street. An aerial shot of these final two groupings convening completes the sequence, with the Neighbours logo overlaid.
The Penthouse
Paul is lying in bed, looking at the ceiling. Terese comes in to give him his medication. They get talking about Glen; Terese has been thinking over all her conversations with him, and what he's done. Paul feels like Glen has played them both.
TERESE: He convinced me that he understood me. But the whole time, he was lying. Listen, umm... I'm so sorry for not telling you about finding the wedding ring. It turned up after you saved me from the rooftop, and... my head was all over the place, and I just... I just needed to think without -
PAUL: Pressure. I understand. Well, you won't be getting any pressure from me. No, I mean it, Terese - if you ever want to put that ring on again, it has to be because *you* want to do it.
TERESE: I appreciate it.
Paul's phone rings - it's Harlow, just checking in on him. While she's on the phone, Paul tells Harlow there's something she needs to know.
No 32
Aaron and David are making adjustments to the new kitchen. Kyle and Glen are helping, and Leo comes in, surprised that Glen's not at work at the vineyard. Glen says he needed to talk to Leo about the storm clean-up at the vineyard; Leo hasn't been able to get hold of any of his contacts to sort it out. He tells Glen he'll meet him at the vineyard later when he's got Abigail sorted for the day.
Leo tells David and Aaron not to say anything, presumably not wanting them to offer help or advice, then leaves the room. Kyle asks Glen how badly damaged the vineyard is. Glen says it's more than a two-man job. Kyle looks like he's having an idea...
Harold's Café
Newcomer Freya is ordering a latte from Ned, but just as he asks her name for the order, she sees Levi come in with Sheila. Clearly still making a point of not letting Levi know her real name, she loudly and deliberately replies, 'Madonna'.
LEVI: Yeah, right!
FREYA: (...) Do you always talk like that to people just innocently ordering coffee?
SHEILA: No, he doesn't - I'm terribly sorry. Madonna's a lovely name!
Sheila encourages Levi to come and take a seat, while Ned asks 'Madonna' whether she wants sugar in her coffee. She's distracted on her phone, but eventually says no. However, having originally asked for the coffee to take out, she looks at Levi and changes her mind, saying she'll drink in instead.
Ned gets a call from Kyle. We don't hear what Kyle says, but...
NED: I'm just about to knock off. Why?
Leo's Winery
The courtyard at the winery is looking like quite a mess, with storm debris thrown everywhere and furniture and barrels fallen over. To this end, Kyle has brought his ute and a posse of RSRs - namely, Roxy, Ned, Mackenzie and Hendrix - to help with the clean-up. Mackenzie has her arm in a sling having been injured in the bar collapse, but will do whatever she can.
Amy then also turns up and talks to Ned - she's also suffering from broken ribs from the bar disaster, so can't do any bending or lifting, but says she's here for moral support. Zara hasn't come with her, as she's out buying shoes ahead of starting school tomorrow. There's an awkward silence as they contemplate their relationship break, then part ways to get started with the clean-up.
Indoors, we see that Harlow is here too, cleaning up the bar area. Glen comes in.
HARLOW: I notice you've been ignoring me today. I guess you spoke to Paul and Terese.
GLEN: My only question is, if you're leaving town, why are you still here?
Kyle has overheard this, and looks surprised. Amy comes in, looking for garbage bags. Kyle tells her that Toadie, who is apparently here to help too, went to find them. At this point, Toadie comes in, but he and Amy still aren't on good terms. She unenthusiastically thanks him for the flowers he sent when she was in hospital.
TOADIE: It's the least I could do.
AMY: Yeah. If I was your secretary.
She walks out.
The Penthouse
Terese and Chloe are having a work meeting. Terese has made a mystery decision that Amy apparently won't be happy about, saying that 'costs' and 'other factors' are to blame. Chloe heads off to prepare her 'bad news speech' regarding this decision. Terese suggests Amy will get a 'payout figure', which makes it sound as if she's about to be made redundant.
As Chloe leaves, Paul comes in on a crutch, and Terese is annoyed to see him exerting himself. Paul just wants to sit on the balcony, saying Karl confirmed he was fine to do light exercise. He groans in pain as he sits down, but seems glad to have a change of scenery.
TERESE (teasing): Would you like a little blankie for your knees?
PAUL: Oh, come on, I'm not 80!
TERESE: (...) Or some lunch? I could whip something together.
PAUL: Oh, now you're really trying to kill me, aren't you? You burn everything - even salad!
TERESE (smiling): That is so rude!
PAUL: Well, it's just as well that you're highly skilled in many other areas!
TERESE: Like ordering room service?
PAUL: Yes, top of the list.
TERESE: Haha. Fancy anything in particular?
PAUL: Whatever you decide'll be perfect.
As she walks away, Paul quietly adds the words, 'Always is.' Terese looks briefly concerned as she hears this, but then smiles. She rifles in her handbag and retrieves her wedding ring, then impulsively slips it back onto her finger, still smiling.
No 32
Aaron and Nicolette are playing with Isla on the couch. Leo comes in holding Abigail, followed by David.
DAVID: I know it's hard to leave her, but you've got to be practical.
LEO: I *am* being practical, David. She's my daughter; she's my responsibility.
Evidently Leo is planning on taking Abigail to the vineyard with him while he works. Aaron and David try to convince him to leave Abigail with them while he's at work. Then Nicolette offers to take Abigail, as she was going to take Isla for a walk, and they can make it a 'cousin thing'. Leo's hesitant, but eventually agrees.
LEO: But you promise to call me if she so much as burps, okay?
He hands Abigail over to Aaron, then thanks David, before leaving. Aaron's clearly thrilled to be spending time with Abigail again.
Leo's Winery
Indoors, Harlow is cleaning when Roxy and Mackenzie come in. Roxy is imitating an emergency siren, and tells Harlow it's time for a break. Harlow asks Mackenzie how her arm is - she says it's awkward and itchy, but a walk in the park compared to what others are going through.
MACKENZIE: How's Paul going? It must have been so hard for him not being able to go to the funeral.
But Harlow suddenly looks very spaced out and preoccupied. She eventually snaps herself out of it, and slightly irritably says that Paul's fine. She starts saying she needs to go and check on something - possibly Paul - but on her way out, she walks straight into a chair. She leaves, still looking spooked; Mackenzie and Harlow look worried.
Amy comes in, on the phone to Chloe, who is seemingly delivering the bad news she and Terese were talking about earlier.
AMY (upset): No, it's fine... I'll manage. Thanks for letting me know, Chlo.
She ends the call. Toadie, who has just come in, has been listening.
Outside, Ned has been chopping up some fallen trees when a distressed Amy turns up to talk. She confirms that Terese and Paul have decided not to rebuild The Flamingo Bar, meaning that she's out of a job.
AMY: How am I gonna tell Zara that her mother is an unemployed loser? They gave me a pay-out, but how long's that gonna last? Do you know how much teenagers eat? How am I gonna pay the rent?!
NED: Wait a minute, calm down. You're a talented, creative, driven person - you'll find another job.
AMY: Yeah, but it wasn't just a job for me, you know? I put my heart and soul into it. I really loved it.
NED: Yeah, I know. It sucks. I'm sorry.
Nearby, Roxy and Mackenzie come out and fetch Kyle and Hendrix for an early lunch. Hendrix asks where Harlow is, and Roxy remarks that she was behaving really strangely before - the moment she was asked about Paul's health, Harlow shut down, and couldn't get away fast enough.
HENDRIX: Compassion fatigue?
ROXY: Yeah, I think it'd be really hard with Paul just getting out of the hospital.
MACKENZIE: She did seem fine before that, though.
KYLE: It sounds like she's getting better. I mean, just try and steer clear of anything that might set her off.
ROXY: And be there for her if it does.
Harold's Café
Freya is still at the café, looking at her phone. Sheila and Levi are still here too, on another table. Sheila is looking at her phone too, and says that donations for the fund she set up for Leo and Abigail after Britney's death are flying in. Levi tells her she's doing a great job with it.
Nicolette comes through the door, and Levi helps her with the pram, which has both of the babies in it. Freya watches with intense interest as Levi fusses over the babies in the pram, and declares them 'too cute'. Sheila asks Nicolette how Leo's doing today; Nic says it's a bit too soon to say, but him letting her look after Abigail is a good start.
LEVI: How are you doing?
NICOLETTE: Me?
LEVI: Yes, you, Nic. Look, you and Britney had your babies together. You had a special connection, alright? Don't discount that.
NICOLETTE: Is that an order, Constable Canning?
LEVI: If it means you'll listen, yeah.
Freya has been straining to hear to this conversation, but, knowing a fellow stickybeak when she sees one, Sheila notices her trying to listen. Freya quickly looks downwards, but Sheila is suspicious...
Leo's Winery
Kyle and all the other residents are still hard at work cleaning up, when Leo arrives.
LEO: Did you organise all this?
KYLE: I might've.
LEO: Mate, I don't know what to say...
KYLE: Good, cos today's not for talking, it's for working.
As the conversation continues, Kyle happens to mention what he overheard about Glen leaving town. Leo looks surprised.
The Penthouse
Terese is tucking Paul into bed, and they continue to joke lightly with one another. A tender moment seems set to develop as she touches him while arranging the blankets - but at that moment, David and Aaron turn up to visit. They tell Paul and Terese what's going on at the vineyard, including that Glen is pitching in with the clean-up, but David says Leo's still going to have a hard time getting things back up and running.
DAVID: I don't know how that place would go if he didn't have Glen.
Paul and Terese look concerned, aware that Paul's told Glen to leave town...
The Flamingo Bar
Nicolette is with the pram, looking sadly at the remains of the bar, and the makeshift shrine. Freya turns up, sees her, and approaches cautiously until she's standing next to her.
FREYA: Do you know the woman who died?
Nicolette shows her the babies, explaining that one of the babies is the woman's who died.
NICOLETTE: So, yeah, we were... close.
FREYA: I'm sorry.
NICOLETTE: Did *you* know her?
FREYA: No. No, but whenever I see one of these things, I always have to pay my respects. It must be hard, with all the reminders. And the police patrolling.
NICOLETTE: They're just doing their jobs.
FREYA: Yeah. Some of them like doing it a bit more than others. One of them told me to move along this morning. Yeah, Constable... Canning.
NICOLETTE: Levi?
FREYA: Do you know him?
NICOLETTE: Yeah, he's a good guy.
FREYA: Yeah, for a cop.
NICOLETTE: No, full stop. I mean, Levi is a stickler for the rules - so if he asked you to move along, it was for a good reason.
Freya offers up a strained smile, but it's clear she's up to something...
Leo's Winery
Roxy, Kyle, Hendrix, Mackenzie, Ned and Amy are gathered in the courtyard after a hard day's work. Leo asks if he can speak to them.
LEO: I just want to say, thanks so much for all the hard work you put in today. You've all busted a gut, and the place, it looks incredible. So, thank you. And Kyle, thank you so much for organising this.
Leo also says he had a call from Sheila, who told him the auction for Kyle and Roxy's honeymoon, which they'd arranged to provide money for Abigail and Leo, has come in with a one-off bid of $10,000.
KYLE: Who got it?
LEO: You two did.
NED: We all chipped in to buy it back for you.
ROXY: Uh, say what?
KYLE: Nah, nah, we can't accept that!
HENDRIX: Don't stress, I kind of leaned on Dad to chip in the most.
MACKENZIE: You two deserve it.
AMY: And you've got no choice, so...
Kyle still feels it would be selfish of them to go honeymooning at this juncture, but...
LEO: Kyle, you got everyone together today and turned this around. It's the opposite of selfish. And no matter what I'm going through, it's your guys' wedding - you deserve to celebrate. So take the holiday.
Leo smiles as Kyle and Roxy hug.
Indoors, Harlow is still cleaning when Toadie appears behind her, and she turns and bumps into him. She looks terrified, and Toadie drops a glass he's holding.
TOADIE: Sorry, Harlow. Are you okay?
She's very shaken, but claims she's fine, and disappears off to look for a duster. Roxy and Kyle come in, elated that their honeymoon is back on after all.
ROXY (flirty): It's kind of got me in the mood to celebrate. (awkward) That's if you're up for it?
KYLE: Yeah, I think I might be - oh, you mean now?
ROXY: Mm. It's a big property. Come on.
She drags him out of the door to find a suitable hiding place! Leo comes in, as Glen enters separately from the office. Leo asks Glen if it's true that he's leaving.
GLEN: Yeah, I am. The time just feels right.
LEO: Why?
GLEN: Personal reasons.
LEO: Well, I can't run this place by myself, Glen. I need you.
Glen looks conflicted.
Harold's Café
Sheila comes back to retrieve a garment she left behind, and finds Freya at the counter again.
SHEILA: It's Madonna, isn't it?
FREYA: Oh, only to people I'm trying to wind up. My name's Freya.
Freya offers a hand, and Sheila shakes it.
SHEILA: Sheila Canning. I'm the executive bar manager at The Waterhole.
FREYA: Ah. Good to know (!)
SHEILA: That person you were trying to wind up wouldn't have been my grandson Levi, would it?
FREYA (surprised): Your grandson? Right. We may have bumped into each other when he was in uniform.
SHEILA: Oh! And what did he catch you doing?
FREYA: Nothing. I'm very hard to catch.
Sheila encourages Freya to come and join her at a table, and asks her to explain 'exactly why you've been checking out my grandson'.
SHEILA: He's single, you know!
FREYA: Do you always do this with people who check out your grandson?
SHEILA: You bet I do!
Freya looks as if she's decided Sheila could be useful...
FREYA: Alright! Let's chat.
A field near the winery
Roxy and Kyle are walking through some idyllic-looking countryside. We learn that Kyle has been unable to perform after they sneaked out of the winery to 'celebrate' their honeymoon being back on. Presumably this is due to the double orchiectomy he underwent as part of the cancer treatment.
ROXY: Babe, don't stress.
KYLE: How could I not stress? I can't even -
ROXY: Honestly, it's not an issue.
KYLE: Well, it's gonna be, if it's permanent. I have to be able to satisfy my wife. And myself. That was the first time we've tried in ages.
ROXY: You've been dealing with a lot of stuff.
KYLE: Still - I'm on the hormone patches, you know? Everything should be firing up!
ROXY: Babe, it'll happen, okay? We have had a massive week. We've been working all day, and it wasn't exactly comfy on that rock-hard ground.
KYLE: At least something was rock-hard.
ROXY: Stop that, okay? We have a whole honeymoon ahead of us to relax and ease into it. It'll be fine.
But Kyle looks unconvinced.
The Penthouse
Glen sits down with Terese and Paul, and thanks them for agreeing to see him.
TERESE: Just get to the point, Glen.
GLEN: Yeah, right. Well... I was all set to leave this morning.
PAUL: So what stopped you?
GLEN: Leo's asked me to stay on, and I don't need to tell you how much he's been struggling with everything lately. Not just the vineyard.
PAUL: Oh, I see. So you want to be the uncle in shining armour, is that it?
GLEN: No, I just want to do what's right. I know it's not ideal, and if you still want me gone, that's what I'll do. But I feel I have to at least try for Leo.
TERESE: Did you tell him what you did?
GLEN: No. That's up to you, if you want anyone to know.
TERESE: ... Well, I don't suppose Leo should be punished for something that he had nothing to do with.
Paul nods in agreement, and says he's okay with it if Terese is.
PAUL: But don't you think that this has been forgotten.
GLEN: No, of course. I won't stay in the house; I'll pack my gear and leave tonight.
TERESE (a little too quickly): No. (gathering herself) No, I don't want anything affecting your work. So, you can stay until you find somewhere else. It looks like I'll be staying here for some time.
She squeezes Paul's leg, putting the wedding ring on her finger clearly on display for Glen. He gets the message, and leaves.
Harold's Café
Sheila is still grilling Freya, when Levi comes in.
SHEILA: Tell me, I was just wondering - what's your stance on polyamory?
LEVI: Hey, Gran, are you alright?
SHEILA: Uh, we're just having a conversation, and that was a perfectly ordinary question.
LEVI (to Freya): Okay. And what do you think you're doing?
FREYA: Me? I'm just enjoying my third coffee with the only person who's been nice to me since I got here. Well, the only Canning, at least.
SHEILA: Ah, Levi's alright once you pull away those incredibly uptight layers!
LEVI: Okay. Yeah, I think you've had enough coffees for one day, Gran.
SHEILA: Oh, shush, and sit down!
FREYA: Actually, I am gonna head off. But it was really nice to meet you, Sheila.
SHEILA: Oh, same to you, love!
Freya butters her up further by going to pay for the coffees. Levi glares at Sheila.
SHEILA: What?
LEVI: Don't 'what' me, Gran. You've been talking to her, and you don't even know her real name.
SHEILA: I do, actually. It's, umm, Freya. Sounds exotic, doesn't it?
At the counter, we see Freya looking at a photograph of an unfamiliar-looking man, who appears to be in a busy bar, holding a drink and smiling at the camera. We can see the very edge of a woman's face next to him; she is also holding a drink, but we can't tell whether she's known to us. Freya glances back over at Levi, and plasters on another smile for his benefit.
Coming up on Neighbours
- We see Amy inspecting a catering van; we hear her say she may have made the biggest mistake of her life
- Susan, Mackenzie and Hendrix are listening to her story; Mack asks Amy, 'What did you do?'
- Zara in the school corridor with two unknown female school pupils
- Zara tells Hendrix and Mackenzie she has better ways to spend her time than going to school
- Hendrix advises Zara not to do anything stupid
- Levi and Freya appear to be on a date at the vineyard, and drinking wine while smiling at one another