Coming up next week at Home and Away in the UK, John finally scored a date, but it seems Summer Bay’s silver fox is doomed for disappointment…
Among all the drama in Summer Bay over the past few weeks, there has been an infusion of laughter from John Palmer (Shane Withington) and his search to find love by modern means.
Since leaving Marilyn (Emily Symons) last year after five years of marriage, all of his recovery from a stroke, John has thrown himself back into the Surf Club business as he battled his newfound isolation.
When John looked up the Smouldr Dating app, Ryder Jackson (Lukas Radovich) put his friend on the right track by introducing him to an option that caters to a more mature man—Silver Dreams.
Having observed John’s poor attempt to take a selfie, Ryder offered his services to help John set up an app. After embellishing some of John’s bio attributes, followed by a photo shoot on the beach, reminiscent of the Hoff, the profile was live.
Since then, the incessant wolf-whistling notification sounds coming from John’s phone have raised some eyebrows from those around him. Marilyn wondered what made John so happy, while Alf (Ray Meagher) was easily fed up at a club meeting.
“I am a fox of silver! “A chuffed John shouted. “You’re a flamenco gala,” Alf said wearily.
Marilyn was flustered when Alf later let go of John’s dating app, but when Ryder tried to set up a profile for her, she was persuaded by his bet that she’d be able to get a lot more ‘likes’ than John.
With Ryder going through the same method of profiling and photography for Marilyn, she found herself enjoying a window shopping experience. Alf less so, with his now having to put up with wolf whistles ringing in his own home and at work!
It wasn’t long before the inevitable occurred, though, and John was struck by the shock of his life when his strangled wife’s picture popped up on the app. Later that night, the same thing happened to Marilyn, but in a moment of confusion, Marilyn dropped her phone and mistakenly matched with John.
Poor Ryder was stuck in the middle, as John wondered what was going on on Earth, while Marilyn was desperately trying to correct her mistake. Initially attempting to stop him, she finally revealed what had happened to John, who had discussed whether Marilyn was planning to give her relationship another chance.
Convinced by Irene (Lynne McGranger) that all things were more hassle than they were worth, Marilyn removed the programme. But just as John was about to do the same, he matched an attractive redhead named Cynthia. She seemed to be fine when she described herself as enjoying long walks along the beach with her dog! John saw no harm in making one more crack, and he sent her a message…
When we come back to the plot this week, John has set up a date with Cynthia and is excited to talk with her over the phone as they discuss the arrangements. As John rings off, he collars the passing Ari (Rob Kipa-Williams) to not so subtly boast about the date he’s in the middle of the deal, but Ari is somewhat distracted by his own issues.
John is determined to pull out all the stops for Cynthia, so head over to Salt (where else!) to discuss his plans with Mackenzie (Emily Weir). He asks for the best table in the kitchen, and a full service bubbly—even specifying cloth napkins. Amused, Mackenzie is just too pleased to oblige.
When Nikau (Kawakawa Fox-Reo) and Bella (Courtney Miller) hear John practising his presentation, they can’t help but give him a ribbing. John takes it in his footsteps, however, when he confidently tells them about his date, and Nik threatens to come to Salt later to see “the master in action.”
That night, John is all spruced up and comes to Salt with a big bunch of flowers. Mackenzie shows him at his table and tells the waiting staff that John is their VIP for the night.
And so John takes his spot, and he waits. And he’s waiting….
As the night goes on and the darkness falls, with many messages sent to Cynthia, it’s clear that John was standing up.
John was embarrassed when Nik and Bella arrived, telling them quickly that his date had trouble with the car. They see through this and feel bad for him, but John is mortified when Marilyn enters the restaurant!
John makes a hasty escape after coming up with a very poor explanation for being there, with Marilyn not too sure that the flowers she was handed came from a business meeting.
Will the silver fox of Summer Bay be able to bounce back from this massive bruise to his pride? Luckily, there does seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel in the coming weeks… so stay tuned!
