Previously
- Freya stumbling upon Levi nearly getting stabbed by a criminal
- Levi telling Freya that Gareth's phone was from South Melbourne Market
- Freya advising Levi that she can search for Gareth on her own
- Jane suspecting Zara for the bin fire at school
- David and Jane finding the Number 32 mailbox ablaze
- Jane informing Amy that they're suspending Zara from school
- Amy telling Zara if there's one more issue she's sending her back to Cairns
- Zara making an impulsive decision to kiss Hendrix
Number 28
Hendrix backs away from Zara in alarm and asks what she's doing, reminding her he's with Mackenzie. Beyond embarrassed, Zara stammers that she just got caught up in the moment "like a complete idiot" and begs him not to tell anyone what happened.
ZARA: Mum said one more screw up and I'm out back to Cairns.
HENDRIX: I doubt she meant this but I have to tell Mackenzie.
ZARA: What if Mackenzie blows up?
HENDRIX: She'll understand it was a mistake, she's not vindictive.
ZARA: I'm begging you!
HENDRIX: I don't want to lie to my girlfriend, Zara.
ZARA: It's not lying it's just not saying anything.
Hendrix is visibly distressed, but Zara pleads with him to keep quiet so she can stay in Erinsborough. Susan arrives home and picks up on a strange vibe, but Hendrix remains quiet so Zara quickly takes her leave.
Ramsay Street
Jane hands Zara's school books to Amy and lets her know she's also emailed through some of her work as they don't want her falling behind. Amy thanks Jane and calls her a class act after all Zara's put her through, but Jane says she's just doing her job. Leaving Number 28, Zara sees her mum speaking with Jane and becomes heated. Ignoring the fact she's grounded, Zara sneaks past to go for a walk, casting a look at Number 32's charred mailbox on her way.
Number 26
Roxy and Kyle are in shock after Levi fills them in on what happened to him. Levi tries to act casual about the fact he had a gun aimed at his head, but Roxy points out that he wasn't even supposed to be at the house in the first place. Roxy and Kyle beg him to stay out of Freya's life, and Kyle is determined to keep the whole thing a secret from Sheila. Kyle angrily says this ordeal has to be a wake up call for Levi, he can't keep risking his life for Freya. While Levi promises he'll stay away from Freya, the wounded look on his face tells a different story.
Number 30 Sunroom
Amy despondently tells Toadie she went to Zara's room to check in on her and realised she's taken off. She thought they were working things out, but now Zara's completely out of control. Toadie acknowledges that things have definitely escalated.
AMY: I've done good cop, bad cop, cop who lends her cutest pair of shoes. I've done everything else in between and I just don't know what else there is to do.
TOADIE: Okay, well, if it comes down to it you're going to have to send her back to Cairns like you said you would.
AMY: (uneasy) I didn't mean that.
TOADIE: I know it sucks but discipline is about follow through.
AMY: Yeah, right, that does suck. I guess Eric does know how to keep her under control. I really hope it doesn't come to that, Toad.
TOADIE: Yeah, same here.
Harold's Café
Levi and Kyle can't help but eavesdrop when Freya and Karl walk in, having a cheery chat about blues festivals. Freya also asks Karl for Nurse Kriptic's number at work so she can try and swap a shift. "I just want to get to the South Melbourne Market but it keeps clashing with when my shifts are on," she adds, much to Levi's concern. While Karl puts his order in, Levi can't help himself and scoots over to Freya to remind her how much danger she'll be in seeking out Gareth.
LEVI: Nobody selling stolen goods is just going to give you the name of the supplier, it doesn't make any sense. It's a dead end.
FREYA: I think you underestimate my charm.
LEVI: Oh your charm is not the issue here.
FREYA: Okay let me save you some breath. You're never going to stop me from looking for him.
LEVI: So what's the plan once you find Gareth? What is it, a life on the run?
FREYA: I'd rather run with Gareth than live life without him. (She takes a moment) You know what, let's not do this. Unless you want to help me without involving any other police, stay in your lane.
Freya calls over to Karl that she'll wait outside and leaves Levi to skulk back to Kyle. "What was that?" Kyle gruffly asks, but Levi replies it was a waste of time as Freya won't see any reason. "Will you?" Kyle retorts. "Because that right there was the exact opposite of letting things go."
Number 24
Mackenzie beats Hendrix at the video game they're playing and gloats that it's payback for paintball. Chloe walks in with the mail and bemoans the fact that no one sends love letters anymore, it's just bills and junk. "Well if you don't like what's in your letterbox you could always get Zara to sort it out for you," Mackenzie remarks. Chloe tries not to smirk and Mackenzie thinks Hendrix's silence is because of the low blow. Talk turns back to sending mail, which becomes about sending invites, which morphs into Chloe and Mackenzie excitedly organising an official housewarming party. Mac can't believe that Hendrix isn't as enthused about the party as them, but Hendrix claims he's tired from paintball. He offers to bake something sweet while Mac and Chloe plot out the party.
Lassiters Park
Zara bumps into Sadie and Aubrey and is surprised to learn that Sadie will now be working at Harold's. Zara then notices that the girls are acting weird with her and worries that it's still about the bin thing. "You mean how you basically accused us of setting it on fire?" Aubrey snarks. "Wasn't that like a whole two fires ago?" Sadie adds. Zara wonders how Sadie knew about the Number 32 fire, but Sadie claims she heard her dad talking about it. Accepting this, Zara apologises to them for the false accusations. She hopes they can put it behind them and hang out again, and is pleased when the girls say yes.
Harold's Café
Levi wants Kyle to drop the Freya conversation, but Kyle's on a rant. He reminds Levi that his feelings for Freya have got him in trouble enough times and he needs to leave her alone. Levi says that Freya is putting herself in danger because she's stubborn and he's allowed to warn her.
KYLE: As a cop?
LEVI: Yes.
KYLE: Because right now it sounds like a guy whose had his heart stomped on is chasing her around going 'please choose me'!
LEVI: That's not fair.
KYLE: Agreed. None of this is.
LEVI: So what's your point then, Kyle?
KYLE: I hate the thought of someone holding a gun to your head. Levi, you're family. And you promised me and gran you'd let it go.
LEVI: And I meant it.
KYLE: Did ya? I'm worried you're not going to be able to. The best thing about being a Canning is that we love hard. It's also the worst thing.
LEVI: (scoffing) Come on, man, I don't love her. I only just met her.
KYLE: I don't think that matters.
LEVI: It's my job to keep people safe.
KYLE: I know, but that's not what this is about. If you truly think it is, then you're only lying to yourself.
Lassiters Complex
Freya thanks Karl for getting Sandra Kriptic's number for her as she was able to swap her shift. "At least that's one thing off the to-do list," she remarks. Karl asks what's next, and Freya says she needs to look at accommodation because paying for the Airbnb is becoming too much. But if she's being realistic about what she can afford, it'll probably involve housemates. "I might be able to help with that," Karl replies.
Number 24
Hendrix shoos Chloe away from the oven as the chocolate volcano cake he's making is for Mackenzie. Confused by all the attention, Mac remarks that she feels like she's being pampered for some reason. She wonders if it's about Zara, and assures Hendrix that despite all their disagreements about the teen, they're all good. Hendrix promises Mackenzie that nothing strange is afoot. Karl pops over to tell Chloe that he's got an excellent candidate in mind if she's still looking for another housemate.
KARL: It's a colleague at the hospital. She's a nurse with great taste in music.
CHLOE: Oh, intriguing! And, uh, does she have distinct memories of the moon landing?
KARL: (confused, looking to Hendrix to explain)
HENDRIX: Is she a boomer?
KARL: Firstly, that's ageist, and secondly, no.
CHLOE: Sorry. This is random enough, it seemed worth checking!
Chloe says to pass her details on and she'll see if she's a good fit. Pleased, Karl tells Chloe the person's name is Freya Wozniak. When he leaves, Mackenzie pipes up that she knows of Freya. "Roxy said something about her stringing Levi along and that she's into some really dodgy stuff," Mac adds, making the smile disappear from Chloe's face.
Ramsay Street
Jane is out the front of Number 28 with Susan, talking about how much of a relief it'll be not having Zara in the classroom for a while. Susan says suspending Zara was a last resort, but she's still not convinced it was the right move. Jane figures if it pulls the other students in line then it's worth it. Susan can't believe it doesn't bother Jane that there's no actual evidence against Zara. Karl returns from Chloe's and joins them, asking if the police have turned up anything yet in their investigation. "Zara has been thorough," Jane insists, but Susan says that's pure speculation. Amy also joins them and asks if anyone's seen her daughter today.
SUSAN: Yes she was here before talking to Hendrix but I thought she'd gone home.
AMY: I have searched high and low for that girl.
SUSAN: Don't worry, she's probably just walking off the day.
AMY: I hope so.
KARL: Chin up. We're all parents, we've all been there.
AMY: (casting a glance over to the burnt mailbox) Not quite there I think. (To Susan and Jane) I know that she has caused you both an extreme amount of trouble and I'm really sorry. I can't speak for Zara but I'm going to do better.
Lassiters Complex
Zara looks at all the messages she's sent Hendrix, apologising to him (again), begging him to keep quiet (again) and then asking if he needs to talk. When Sadie asks if she's "texting lover boy", Zara paints on a smile and says she's just checking in with him. Aubrey wonders if Hendrix has a thing for bad girls but Zara says he believes she's innocent.
ZARA: He might be the only one. If only there were other suspects.
AUBREY: To be fair, you're the only one with a track record.
ZARA: Yeah which no one will let me forget.
Zara then gets a phone call from Amy but she chooses to ignore it, claiming that she can't deal with her right now. Aubrey says Zara might as well go home and be miserable with her.
ZARA: She's not miserable.
AUBREY: It's how you always make her sound. Didn't she used to have her own place, manage a cool bar and date some hot guy?
SADIE: She doesn't want you to have your hottie because she can't have hers.
ZARA: I don't think that's it.
But judging by the looks on Sadie and Aubrey's faces, they beg to differ.
The Waterhole
Kyle tells Roxy that he doesn't think Levi is going to steer clear of Freya. The second he had a chance to talk to her, he leapt out of his chair and took it. The Kennedys walk in talking about Freya, and how Karl thinks she's great, which makes Roxy and Kyle feel awkward. Roxy tells the K's that it's a "Freya-free zone" in the pub after everything that happened with Levi. Susan wonders if Freya's the one who is dating Levi, but Roxy says that's all past tense. Karl says he heard it didn't work out and hopes it wasn't too messy.
KARL: In fact, Freya may be your neighbour very soon. I did a little bit of housemate matchmaking and put her in touch with Chloe.
SUSAN: Did you? That's a strange thing for you to stick your nose into.
Karl claims that Freya seems lovely, but then gets a load of the unimpressed looks Kyle and Roxy are throwing him and realises he may have made a grave mistake.
Number 30 Sunroom
Toadie brings Amy some cocktails he's made, calling them "the longest day". Amy wants Toadie to offer her a ray of hope, so Toadie assures her that Zara will get there. It'll just require time and a firm hand. "I believe in you, Amy," he says, earning a tired smirk from his friend. "Well, at least one of us does," she replies. Zara finally arrives home, so Toadie gives them privacy to talk. Looking genuinely contrite, Zara tells Amy that she has something she'd like to say to her.
ZARA: I'm sorry for all of the things that I actually did do. I guess I forgot that your life was different before I got here. It was better. With everything that's going on you must really be missing Ned. And if you want to get back together with him I won't stand in your way.
AMY: Nice try.
ZARA: What?
AMY: Oh, you want to get back into my good books, right? It's going to take more than hoping a relationship is going to distract me.
ZARA: I'm being serious.
AMY: Same. I spent hours looking for you today. And I'm going to spend many future hours working off the bill to pay for your mistakes. You think I have time for Ned? I wish I did! But no, my focus is going to remain on you, my child. And I meant what I said. One more mistake and you're going back north.
The Waterhole
Kyle wonders how Levi is meant to get his head straight if Freya moves onto the street. Roxy says it's not a done deal yet, but Kyle knows he's not going to talk Levi down if it happens. Freya walks into the pub and Kyle immediately goes over to her. He knows she's got a lot of stuff going on right now, but he's going to need her to steer clear of Levi.
FREYA: I'm trying, he keeps coming up to me!
KYLE: When he gets it in his head to help someone he goes all in.
FREYA: I've told him that I don't want his help.
KYLE: And how's that working out for ya? You do know he's fallen for you, right?
FREYA: (quietly) That wasn't my intention.
KYLE: Yeah I'm sure it wasn't. But if you move onto our street that's only going to make things worse.
FREYA: That's not-
KYLE: I don't care! You know what, because of you my cousin almost got killed today, so save it. Just stay away from my family!
Roxy finally comes over to lead Kyle away. Shaken and embarrassed, Freya quickly leaves.
Number 26
Levi can't believe it when Freya turns up to his house as he was literally about to message her. Freya apologises for just rocking up unannounced but she wanted to let him know she's leaving Erinsborough. "This is me fixing things," she insists. But Levi doesn't quite have the reaction she was expecting.
LEVI: Look, even if you do leave, I'm going to worry that you're going to end up dead in a ditch somewhere because you are an idiot.
FREYA: Watch it.
LEVI: Sorry, but it's true. You're going to try and do this whole thing by yourself and put yourself in danger and Freya, I can't let that happen. So I think I should help you.
FREYA: (smiling) What?
LEVI: Completely off-book. No police, no IBAC.
FREYA: If you're serious about helping me-
LEVI: Yeah.
FREYA: Let's do it.