Melanie's departure in the previous episode leads to an opening titles update today. The shot with Melanie and Harold leaving the Waterhole is replaced with a shot of Harold and newcomer Max Ramsay at a table outside the café. In addition, the final group shot at the rotunda is updated to remove Melanie, though both Max and Harold remain absent from this.

Lassiter's Hotel
In Paul's office, Leo is telling Paul about the 'birthday boy' who fled from Yorokobi without paying, and how an envelope later arrived full of cash covering the entire bill. Paul doesn't see why Leo is worried as the payment has now been taken care of; but Leo still feels like there's something 'a little bit too neat' about the whole affair.

Paul tells Leo to let him know if he can help at all, but in the meantime he has to go, as Terese is due home from the rehab clinic. Paul reports that it sounds like Terese is doing well in her recovery, but that settling back into normal life will be the biggest hurdle.

LEO: Yeah, well, I'm sure she'll be up to it.
PAUL: Yeah, and I firmly believe that. But the problem is, without Eirini Rising, she's got time on her hands.

Paul says he's been making a list of ways to keep her engaged, but Leo warns him not to 'overcompensate'.

LEO: You said yourself you felt responsible for her relapse for giving her too much space...
PAUL: Now I just want to look after her.
LEO: Alright. Sounds like you've thought about it.
PAUL: Well, I haven't really been able to think about much else.

No 28
Karl is cooking up some cabbage broth for dinner - yum! Holly says she isn't hungry, and Karl says it tastes better than it smells! He thinks she should definitely eat something before her podcast interview tomorrow, but Holly says it's not a big deal.

KARL: What was the line from the book you loved growing up? 'When your stomach is empty and your mind is full...'
HOLLY: '... it's always hard to sleep.' I'm a little bit old for Charlotte's Web.

Karl continues to try to entice Holly to eat, but she insists she's fine; the breathing exercises that Felix taught her are really helping.

HOLLY: It's better than cabbage soup. No offence.

702 Eclipse Apartments
Leo lets himself in and shouts out to Krista, who is not in the main living area.

LEO: Hey, babe! Do you feel like some dessert from the Waterhole?
SEBASTIAN (from another room): Sounds good!

Leo is concerned to see unfamiliar clothes lying on a chair. He grabs a frying pan, concerned that the voice is coming from an intruder.

SEBASTIAN: Honey, you're home!

Sebastian emerges from the bathroom in just a towel, and sees the frying pan.

SEBASTIAN: You should probably put that away before you hurt somebody with it.
LEO: You're that guy from the birthday party.
SEBASTIAN: Yeah...
LEO: What are you doing at my girlfriend's apartment?

At this point, Krista comes in.

SEBASTIAN: Ask her yourself!

Leo glances between them angrily, waiting for an explanation...

No 28
Sadie and Byron have come round to hang out with Holly, and she pointedly observes to Karl that this is the kind of support she needs - the subtext being, as opposed to his! But Sadie soon posits the idea of putting off the interview if Holly wants to, and Byron chimes in to agree that after Cara's accident, it might be worth Holly giving herself some time before committing to anything major.

HOLLY: Yeah. I just want to get rid of all the bad energy from my life, and this is the way to do it.
SADIE: Have you... eaten dinner? I mean, it smells like Karl's cooking up something... nutritious!

When Byron then starts quoting Charlotte's Web, prompting frantic gestures by Karl from the kitchen to kill that line of conversation, Holly realises that Karl must have called Sadie and Byron over to convince her not to do the interview, and to eat dinner!

KARL: I just thought, maybe some other perspectives...
HOLLY (annoyed): Great! That's great to know that you're all questioning my decisions behind my back!
SADIE: Holly, it's not like that.
HOLLY: You know what, Dad? I told you I was fine, but actually, this has put me in a worse headspace, so thank you for that.

Holly strops off to her room.

702 Eclipse Apartments
Krista is coming clean to Leo about having hidden the photo of Sebastian after she recognised him, explaining that she went into 'anxious mode' when she saw it, as dashing without paying was a stunt she and Seb used to pull together.

KRISTA: I swear I was gonna tell you everything.
LEO: When?
KRISTA: I don't know! When I figured out what was going on.
LEO: The guy ripped me off for 20 grand, Krista! What else do you need to know?
KRISTA: ...
LEO: That envelope of cash. It was you.
KRISTA: Look, I promise I was gonna tell you all of this before Melanie's party. And then we got sidetracked.
LEO: Yeah, well, for someone you've never spoken about, this guy seems to mean a pretty big deal to you.

Krista explains how she and Seb went to boarding school together; they were at separate- sex campuses near to one another, and they were best friends.

KRISTA: But I swear I haven't spoken to him in a long time.
LEO: Well... were you guys together?
KRISTA: No. No, of course not; he's like a brother to me. I was all alone at school, and my family was overseas, and Seb was really there for me.

Seb comes in again, now dressed and listening to something on his earphones.

LEO: What, so he's staying with you?
KRISTA: Won't be for long.
LEO: Are you sure you want this kind of energy around you right now?
KRISTA: He is not in a good place. But I've been there before, and I know you can come back from that.
SEBASTIAN: You guys finished arguing yet?
LEO: You know, I think I'm gonna get some air.
KRISTA: Leo...

But Leo walks out.

No 22
Terese is home from rehab. Paul has carried her suitcase in and offers to take it upstairs for her, but she insists she can take it herself. She says it feels strange to be home, but she's glad to be back.

PAUL: Well, good, because we all missed you.
TERESE: I thought going to rehab meant admitting that I couldn't manage my addiction alone, like I kind of failed.
PAUL: Oh, Terese, you're not a failure, come on.
TERESE: Anyway, it's a work in progress.

Terese suggests they order some food in and then they can watch the latest American adaptation of Glugginn! Paul says this sounds perfect. The cactus he bought her before she left is pointedly (and pointily) on the kitchen counter between them as they talk...

Lassiter's Complex
Leo is stewing in the courtyard when Krista approaches. She promises to him that she wouldn't be taking Sebastian in if she thought it would put her sobriety at risk.

LEO: Yeah, that's great, but... I still feel weird about all these secrets. We're supposed to be in this together.
KRISTA: I was just trying to find a time to tell you so you wouldn't be so mad at him. Obviously in hindsight, that was a very terrible idea. Hey, Leo... I'm really sorry.

Leo looks hurt, but gradually softens, and hugs Krista.

KRISTA: I love you.
LEO: I love you too.

No 22
The following morning, Paul is asleep on the couch, and Terese is curled up next to him in a blanket, her head on his shoulder (both still fully dressed, lest we were in any doubt). She wakes up, initially looking content to be with him - but then realises what she's doing and looks conflicted. Paul then wakes up as she's staring at him, and they greet each other awkwardly.

PAUL: I guess we've reached the age where we fall asleep in front of the telly.
TERESE: I was just resting my eyes... for eight hours?!

Paul gets up to make them coffee, and tells Terese about some council rezoning of residential areas to commercial, suggesting there could be some opportunities there. He also starts waxing lyrical about a project management course that he's heard from his staff is really good - but Terese interrupts.

TERESE: It's really sweet that you're trying to keep me busy. But I'm gonna ask for some Eirini Rising work, to be done at home, so behind the scenes.
PAUL: Umm... I didn't think that was an option.
TERESE: Well, I can take care of the financial side. As long as I stay away from management. Take some of the load off Karl and Susan.
PAUL: Yeah, no harm in asking, is there?

Lassiter's Lake
Byron and Sadie are out for a walk, chatting about Holly's interview, when they spot Seb, who Byron recognises as the birthday boy from the Yorokobi party, by the rotunda. He appears to be giving an unknown woman - credited as Jordan Masciulli - some money, which she tucks into her top.

SADIE: Not to make assumptions, but that looks kind of sus.

As Jordan leaves, Byron rushes over to ask Seb what his game is.

SEBASTIAN: Can I help you, Ken Doll?
BYRON: Ken Doll, that's good. No, I'm part- owner at Yorokobi, you know the place that you did a runner on?
SEBASTIAN: Oh, did I?
BYRON: Yeah. Do you want to tell me what's going on here?
SEBASTIAN: Look, mate - sorry, it's nothing personal. As far as I heard, Krista's paid you cash, so we're all good, yeah?

Byron is confused by this and queries it, until Leo appears, and informs Byron it's all been a misunderstanding. Sebastian somewhat sarcastically says it's been great meeting Byron, and that he'll be sure to recommend Yorokobi to his friends, before walking off!

BYRON: Who the hell is that?
LEO: He's trouble.
BYRON: Look, before we came he was talking to somebody else.
SADIE: Uh, like a drug deal... not to make any assumptions.

Leo looks worried.

No 28
The new Crimesborough Podcast owner, Blaze Saganté, arrives to do the interview with Holly (in the back garden!) As she begins to set up her recording equipment, Blaze acknowledges that Holly's experiences with Liv, the previous podcast host, weren't always positive.

BLAZE: But Crimesborough 2.0 is about proper investigative journalism (...) We're gonna keep it very straightforward. I just want to paint my listeners a complete picture of what happened in the outback from someone who was actually there. Does that sound alright?
HOLLY: Yeah. Straightforward's... good.

Holly confirms she's ready to begin.

702 Eclipse Apartments
Krista and Seb are reminiscing about their visit to the Berghain nightclub in Berlin, and how Krista tried to skip the queue to get in by disguising herself as a DJ. Leo is sulking in the kitchen and doesn't look impressed by their past antics. Seb and Krista decide that Berlin must have been the last time they were together; Krista returned to the UK, and he kept 'partying' in Germany and then the Mediterranean.

KRISTA: Yeah, that was probably around the same time that I had the fallout with Dad and Reece, and moved to Australia.
SEBASTIAN: Hey, I'm sorry to hear about Conrad, by the way.
KRISTA: Thanks.
SEBASTIAN: Are you still in touch with your family?
KRISTA: Only Reece - mostly for work stuff. I'm just not there with the rest of them yet. Coming here gave me a fresh start. I really needed that.

Sebastian tells Krista about a yoga class he did at the community centre, as part of a new health kick.

LEO: Was that before or after I saw you with Byron?
SEBASTIAN: Who's Byron? ... Oh, yeah, right - my new mate (!)

But before anything more can be said, Krista gets a work call and goes to her room to take it. This gives Leo a chance to challenge Seb on who Byron saw him talking to at the rotunda.

SEBASTIAN: A friend.
LEO: You were buying drugs, weren't you?
SEBASTIAN: Excuse me?!
LEO: If you were, and you pull Krista into this...
SEBASTIAN: Krista's my best friend.
LEO: Yeah, so she deserves to know the truth.
SEBASTIAN (laughs): A little word of advice, Leo. Don't throw around accusations you can't prove, mate. Krista's never really been a fan of boyfriends who can't handle that her BFF's a guy.

Sebastian pats Leo on the shoulder mockingly, and walks out.

No 28
In the garden, Holly is mid- interview, and telling Blaze about her almost- demise in the grain silo in the outback, where Heath Royce/Silverson left her for dead.

HOLLY (emotional): I really thought that I was gonna die. I'm so grateful for my friend Melanie, who saved me. I wouldn't be here today, if it wasn't for her.

Holly stops to wipe her eyes, apologising for being 'a mess'. Blaze says it's fine - her last guest covered the mic in snot, so this is nothing (!)

BLAZE: You obviously knew that Heath was a bit of a bad boy, but no one would ever have seen this coming.
HOLLY: ... This is gonna sound crazy, but - I liked that he was a bad boy, at the start. I'm really ashamed to admit it, but I was attracted to the money. Excitement, thrill...
BLAZE: And him being in a relationship with Tess Carmichael?
HOLLY: Only made it more of a challenge. I was just looking for a distraction. And I knew exactly what I was getting into. For once, I felt... empowered.
BLAZE: I so get that... You've been involved in one of Crimesborough's investigations before. Maybe you have a future in journalism.
HOLLY (laughs): I don't know.
BLAZE: But some of our listeners have suggested you could be part of the problem. What do you say to that?
HOLLY: I'm not.
BLAZE: People... seem to get hurt when you're around.
HOLLY: That's not fair.
BLAZE: It's just what some commenters are saying.
HOLLY (disconcerted): Look, umm... I only want to talk about my time in the outback. I'd appreciate if you stuck to that topic.
BLAZE: Of course. Totally up to you.

Holly nods, seemingly reassured.

Harold's Café
Terese and Paul are catching up with Krista over a coffee. Terese thanks Krista for putting her in touch with the rehab clinic. Krista insists Terese did all the hard work - she's just happy to help. Karl appears, and welcomes Terese home. Terese asks after Eirini Rising; Karl says things were a bit 'topsy- turvy' for a while, but have now settled down, telling her about Moira's planned lawsuit that Harold managed to quell.

Terese says she can't believe her actions led to all this, but Karl says that for now, she just needs to focus on herself. He's about to leave, when...

TERESE: Karl, listen - I know I'm unwelcome on the premises at the moment. But I was wondering if Susan or yourself had any work that you could delegate me, that I could do remotely? I'm willing to take it off your hands.

Karl seems very unsure about this, and says he'll have to speak to Susan about it. Terese says it would mean a lot. At this point, she gets a call from her daughter Piper, so goes off to take it. Paul has a word with Karl in her absence.

PAUL: I know this isn't quite what the residents were promised.
KARL: I'm afraid it isn't.
PAUL: Can you just talk to Susan, please? I mean, Terese really, really needs this. We all let her down once before; it's not a mistake I want us to repeat.

Karl nods reluctantly.

No 28
Holly has finished her interview and is hanging out with Sadie and Byron when Karl gets home. Karl is on the phone to Susan (who's not in the episode), telling her about Terese's request.

KARL: I suppose Terese could handle some administrative work, but what if Moira found out?

He wraps up the call and asks Holly how the interview went. She's positive about it, saying she was able to recount everything exactly how it happened. Karl admits Blaze seemed nice, and asks if he tried any 'gotcha tricks'. Holly said it could have gone that way, but she didn't let it.

HOLLY: I made sure everything was totally on my terms.
KARL: Well, that is great. I'm glad for you.
HOLLY: Yeah. You know, Felix was right. I feel like I've got rid of some of the bad energy.

Byron says Holly can now focus on herself, but first she wants to go and check in with the Varga- Murphys. Karl says he's proud of her, and Holly's proud of herself too.

No 22
Paul calls round to check in on Terese, who insists she's doing okay and feels like she has more of a handle on things now. Paul says he knows she can look after herself.

PAUL: But it's just an old reflex action of wanting to protect you, I suppose.
TERESE (awkward): Umm... you know, I... I thought about you a lot when I was in the clinic. In fact, you came up a lot in my therapy sessions.
PAUL: Umm... dare I ask?

But before they can say any more, Terese gets a message from Susan, who wants to have a meeting about the remote work Terese has requested. Paul says that sounds positive, and Terese agrees.

Lassiter's Complex
In the courtyard, Paul is filling Leo in on how Terese is doing; he thinks that if she gets the remote work she's asked for, she'll be back to her old self in no time.

PAUL: I'm actually pretty impressed.
LEO: Yeah, so you keep saying!
PAUL: Well, she is impressive.
LEO: Well, I'm glad things are going well for you guys. Things aren't that perfect at my end.

Leo looks over to where Krista and Sebastian seem to be having fun at a table outside the café. Leo explains that Sebastian is the runaway birthday boy from Yorokobi, and is an old mate of Krista's with whom she used to 'run amok'.

LEO: I didn't know Krista back then, so I'm trying to understand it.

Paul thinks it's an odd way for Seb to have reconnected with Krista. Leo adds that Krista footed the bill for Seb's birthday party, but he's concerned that she's such a good person, she can't tell that he's taking advantage of her.

PAUL: Okay. Do you want me to 'encourage' him to get on his bike?
LEO: I reckon we just let this one play out. Guys like Seb will always slip up; it's only a matter of time. And when he does, I'll be there to protect Krista from the fallout.

Leo and Paul then fold their arms in unison and stare disapprovingly towards Seb!

No 28
Karl is mooching about in the garden when Holly emerges, excited that her interview episode of the Crimesborough Podcast has dropped. They sit down at the table to listen to it together and Holly excitedly hits 'play'. The theme tune kicks off and Blaze narrates over the top.

BLAZE (on podcast): It's the outback saga that's gripped the nation. And in today's episode we have an exclusive interview with the woman at the centre of it all - Holly Hoyland. Holly's candid story raises a brand new question - was Heath Silverson's death truly an act of self- defence?
HOLLY (on podcast): For once, I felt... empowered, and I knew exactly what I was getting into.
BLAZE: She explains her relationship with Heath.
HOLLY: I was attracted to the money. The excitement, the thrill...

Back in the present, Holly complains to Karl that Blaze has edited it all wrongly, so as to incriminate her.

BLAZE: Is Hellfire Holly the unluckiest woman in Australia? Or is she, in fact, a calculated killer?

A clip of Holly laughing is then played. Holly and Karl are mortified.

The credits roll to reveal changes to the regular cast list; Melanie Pearson (Lucinda Cowden) is removed, and Max Ramsay (Ben Jackson) is added.

Coming up on Neighbours
- Max thinks about looking for a new job now his Lassiter's gig isn't happening
- Shane says he thinks he may have found a way to put his mistake right
- Holly asks Paul how he got through his involvement in 'like, every scandal in Erinsborough history'
- Terese tells Susan and Karl that their being on her side means so much; but Hilary and Moira are earwigging