Tane (Ethan Browne) just can’t take a break at all. His ill-fated choice of driving a van full of stolen goods caused nothing but suffering for the Paratas, and it looks set to continue.
In recent weeks, Willow, Ziggy, Ari, and now Mackenzie have seen a rally round to try and get his freedom from Tane, but every effort fails more drastically than the last. Initially, Willow and Ziggy teamed forces to get rid of the van of stolen goods that Tane was trying to drive, handing it over without any information to friends of Willow’s River Boy that it contained $25,000 of drugs as well.
They set up the Paratas at their place, with Tane’s crim buddies not too happy to lose both their stolen electrical goods and their dodgy pharmaceuticals. Ryder’s call to the police was the only thing that saved the Paratas from being seriously injured, but they were left knowing that Paul, Leon and their boys were free to return at any moment.
Mackenzie turned over the keys to her Porsche, worth more than enough to pay for their freedom, in an effort to buy Paul off. As far as she was concerned, that was the end of it and both Ari and Tane eventually conceded that she had done the right thing and that all of them were able to relax.
Yet the gang is not able to readily give in. The Paratas are now seen as easy targets, and they want another mission for Tane to compleat. They will finally pay off their debt every time they guarantee it’s going to be the last one, but it doesn’t seem like it’s almost happening anywhere.
This week their problems are likely to get significantly worse!
“Ari (Rob Kipa-Williams) is scheduled to receive a text from Paul while sharing a coffee with Mackenzie in Salt, simply reading “Let’s chat. Paul turns up, adds a picture of him in Mackenzie’s old car, and looks very pleased with himself.
It’s nothing, Ari pretends, to Mac, just to borrow some money from Nikau, but he knows that it can only be a bad thing.
Grabbing Tane from the building, he informs him that Paul has another job for them. The two of them are heading to a remote meeting point in the Mackenzie vehicle where Paul and Leon are pulling up.
Yet the job was the last thing they planned. An armed robbery! The very same crime that caused their brother, Mikaere, to die just a couple of years ago. The “Reefton Lakes Leagues Club,” instructs Paul, giving them specifics of their next task. “I’ll provide the artillery with an easy hit.”
You’re planning an armed robbery! Tane exclaims, unable to accept that this is what has come about. Transporting certain drugs or handling stolen goods is one thing, but the next move is this.
“Tane never felt it would go this far and he’s gutted to do this to his dad,” Ethan told TV Week. “Tane doesn’t feel that confident about himself and where his life has ended.”
For Ari, Plenty is suitable. It tells Paul and Leon where to stick to their jobs. Yet he is in for a huge shock when they give him something that leaves them cornered. Ari is given an envelope of incriminating photos of Tane, and it is enough to send his brother to prison for years.
The two brothers realise that they will have to carry out the armed robbery after all, knowing that Paul has them under his thumb. It’s a mad gamble though-don’t do it and they risk giving Tane’s pictures to the cops with Paul, but do it and get caught and they’ll face jail for both of them.
What would the boys choose?
When they weigh their options, Ari breaks down. He can’t take tearing up their families. At that moment, Nikau comes in and they have no choice but to accept what is happening to their young nephew.
They tell him he needs to go back to New Zealand, because they don’t want him to be mixed up in their dramas. He had already intended to move there with Bella a few weeks earlier, but those plans were put on hold after Colby was sentenced to jail. Now by thinking about Bella, he needs to pause and protect himself.
Nikau refuses to leave, wanting to play a role in his family’s safety, but his uncles make it clear that he can’t participate. This is their battle and if he sticks around in Summer Bay, his life will be in danger.
When he talks with Bella, she tells him that he has to go! She lost Colby twice to prison, and she doesn’t want to lose him entirely, either. Although she’s going to be gutted to say goodbye, he needs to go back to New Zealand before things cool down.
Is Nikau going to go and do the smart thing? And what next for Tane and Ari?
There are just five days of Home and Away episodes remaining this year. The season is coming to a close next Monday 30 November, with a triple bill season finale from 7pm. The last week of the year.
