Will Andrew accompany Justin and Cash when they race to save him from Margot and his Vita Nova captors on Home and Away in the UK the following week?
Next week, when the name of the person who claimed to be Andrew’s mother Esther is eventually made public, there are concerns for Andrew’s (Joshua Hewson) safety.
Since learning that Andrew was kidnapped by his father, Archie, when he was just four years old, the authorities have been looking for the mother of the frightened teenager. The duo had been living off the grid for all that time, with Andrew kept hidden from the outer world, and it was later discovered that Archie was a member of the infamous doomsday preppers group Vita Nova.
Even though Andrew’s mother had reported him missing 13 years before, the police still had her contact information, but it was well past due.
The woman identifying herself as Esther Jamieson didn’t come forwards until Theo (Matt Evans) placed Andrew’s information online.
Although Cash (Nicholas Cartwright) had forewarned Theo that the online page might attract Vita Nova’s attention, checking Esther’s driver’s licence was enough for Cash to determine that she was who she claimed to be. Esther then explained that she had changed her name from Esther Lawrence several years prior, and Cash came to the conclusion that she was the person she claimed to be.
Soon after, Cash brought Esther to Leah’s (Ada Nicodemou) and Justin’s (James Stewart) house so that they could meet Andrew. Because Esther didn’t identify the name of Andrew’s teddy bear, which was shown on his missing poster, Andrew was understandably apprehensive of this woman. Perhaps this should have raised red flags.
Andrew decided to give Esther a chance after overhearing Leah and Justin discussing how devastated she would be if he rejected her, and the two left Summer Bay together the very following morning.
However, Cash was surprised to discover that the woman Andrew had gone with wasn’t actually his mother when he was summoned to a meeting with the taskforce. In actuality, they were unsure of who she was!
A new twist occurs the next week when a lady who claims to be Tegan, Andrew’s half-sister, approaches the station. Although she is currently stranded abroad due to a work contract, she received a forwards of the website. She explains that immediately after Andrew was abducted, Esther vanished, and that she hasn’t spoken to her mother in more than ten years.
Justin, who they took into their house and persuaded Andrew to get to know, is obviously not happy when Cash is obliged to tell him the truth about Esther. The taskforce has already penalised Cash, who also acknowledges that they were taken to an empty house by Esther’s license’s address, which even we could see was a fake.
Before Rose (Kirsty Marillier) intervenes and tells Justin that he’s at the police station and that he’s on a good behaviour bond, Justin is about to beat up Cash.
The taskforce maintains that Andrew’s case is not a top priority for them despite the most recent developments because he is older than 16 and departed with the woman of his own free choosing. We assume it makes no difference that Andrew has just the social and academic skills of an 8–9-year-old based on the assessment results.
When the taskforce finally gets around to doing anything helpful, they learn that the woman was none other than Vita Nova’s commander, Margot Dafoe! If only when people first learned about the cult they had the foresight to look at pictures of known members…
The Vita Nova property is a swarm of activity, located in an isolated tract in the middle of the bush. A ominous voice can be heard playing on repeat over the tannoy system as group members engage in physical exercise, practise archery, and tend to the vegetable patch. “A group is only as strong as its weakest member; its strength is not determined by that of its strongest members.”
Andrew is being subjected to a harsh punishment schedule by Margot. He asks Margot why she is torturing him as he is made to repeatedly roll a tractor tyre.
“You gave those people information, you let them into our lives,” Margot responds. “You know why we can’t talk about our way of life with outsiders, don’t you? We must be resilient since we won’t survive if we don’t get ready.
Margot doesn’t trust Andrew when he says he’s sorry and that he’s learned his lesson and tells him to start over.
“She’s a woman of great belief and faith in her way of seeing the outside world – as a dangerous place that’s falling apart,” Mandy McElhinney said to TV Week. You only need to glance at the news to see that there is some truth to it. So she built a sanctuary to shield her family from the outside world.
“She is doing everything she can to keep Andrew safe. Mandy continued, “She feels it’s her duty to save him, even if that means punishing him to make him realise what she does. Her character as Margot is a far cry from her beloved portrayal of ‘Rhonda’ in a series of humorous car insurance commercials in Australia.
Cash is fired from Andrew’s case when he returns to the bay, but because the taskforce isn’t going to pursue the matter further, he naturally decides to go rogue once more. Cash slyly uses his work computer to look for the compound’s address after learning from Rose that they now have it.
The following day, Cash and Justin go to the complex together. They discover a well guarded entrance with cameras following them around. The moment a ute arrives, two men with compound bows and arrows come out.
Margot abandons all pretences and hugs Justin and Cash as they are led into the underground meeting space where they will meet her. Margot takes it in stride when Justin informs her that he is aware that she is not Andrew’s mother and explains that he is content to stay at home with his ‘family’ despite his anger.
She explains that the police visited her earlier today but discovered nothing suspicious, so she assumes Cash is present in an unauthorised capacity.
Margot is more than willing to accommodate Justin’s insistence that he see Andrew.
When Andrew is brought out, he declines Justin’s hug and inquires as to their purpose. By this time, Andrew has learned that Margot isn’t actually his mother, but despite Justin’s explanation that they have discovered his real family, half-sister Tegan, Andrew continues to claim that the commune is the ideal place for him and the one where he feels safest.
Although Justin and Cash beg Andrew to go and it is obvious that he has been pressured, there is little more they can do because Margot has threatened to report them for trespassing.
Cash assures Justin that they will discover a method to save Andrew when they return to Summer Bay. yet how?
