This week on Home and Away in Australia, as Lacey and Jo’s turbulent relationship continues, they find themselves brawling in the middle of the Surf Club!
Lacey Miller (Sophea Pennington) may have arrived as the girlfriend of River Boy leader Gage (Tom Wilson), but testifying against her former boyfriend and helping land him behind bars soon became the least of her problems, when her dad arrived in Summer Bay.
However, the arrival of new Sergeant David Langham (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor) sent Lacey spiralling, and nearly saw her leave the bay.
As Sergeant Langham looked through Cash’s (Nicholas Cartwright) list of transgressions, which included letting civilian Tane (Ethan Browne) aid him in arresting Gage’s River Boy cronies, he spotted Lacey’s name in the case file.
He asked Cash to bring Lacey down to the station, much to Cash’s confusion – the River Boy case she’d been caught up in was closed.
It was when Lacey walked through the door of the interview room that the truth was revealed: David was Lacey’s dad, and the pair hadn’t seen each other in over six months.
Lacey, formerly Lacey Langham, had left home after the death of her mother, angry that her cop father seemed more concerned with protecting the driver who had killed her mum, rather than spending time supporting his daughter and mourning their loss.
Lacey had left the family home and changed her surname to Miller, her mother’s maiden name, in her memory.
While David tried desperately to reconnect with his estranged daughter, Lacey made it clear that she wouldn’t be having anything to do with him.
She then opened up to Leah (Ada Nicodemou), revealing that she was planning to leave town, as if David was sticking around, she couldn’t continue to live in Summer Bay.
The following week, things went from bad to worse for Lacey as another new arrival hit Summer Bay – Jo Langham (Maddison Brown), who, predictably, was Lacey’s estranged sister.
A flashback revealed that Jo had been the one driving the day that her and Lacey’s mum died in a car accident.
We soon learnt that Lacey blamed Jo for her mother’s death, and believed that their dad had used his police powers to cover up Jo’s actions.
As the sisters came face to face in the Surf Club for the first time in six months, Lacey gave Jo a spray before storming out.
As Jo followed Lacey across the parkland, insisting that they talk, she told her sister: “You can’t keep burying your head in the sand.”
However, Lacey coldly told Jo that she “should suffer for taking her away from us.”
As Jo continued to chase Lacey, she grabbed hold of her arm, causing Lacey to swing around and punch her sister in the face.
Over the past few weeks, the pair’s frosty relationship has continued, with Abigail (Hayley Pinto) forced to tell Lacey not to abuse their customers when she caught Lacey laying into her sister at Manta Ray Boards.
Their disagreements even spilled over into the hospital, as Jo – now working as a nurse at Northern Districts as part of Levi’s (Tristan Gorey) cardiothoracic unit – tried to check over Theo, who had landed himself back in hospital after being punched.
This week, the pair’s argument becomes even more public, as their disagreement spills over into the Surf Club.
Last week, it was revealed that David had sold the family home, as he presented Lacey with a suitcase filled with some of her most treasured childhood possessions.
Lacey was devastated that her dad would sell the home, which was filled with so many bittersweet memories of their mum, but the exercise of looking through her possessions alongside Theo did prove somewhat cathartic.
This week, her dad reveals that he wants to share the profits of the sale with his daughters, as he offers Lacey $100,000.
Meanwhile, Jo continues to experience flashbacks to her mother’s death, as she struggles with PTSD from the devastating incident.
“Jo has been through a lot, losing her mum,” Maddison Brown told Aussie magazine TV Week. “She experiences panic attacks and flashbacks as part of her ongoing PTSD from the accident. She tries to put on a brave face, even when she is struggling inside.”
Lacey turns down David’s offer of $100,000, making it clear that the only thing she wants from him is her mother’s eternity ring. Unfortunately, that ring has ended up with her sister!
As the two come face to face once again in the surf club, they get into a bitter argument over the ring.
Lacey can’t believe that Jo should be the one to keep it, considering in her eyes, Jo was responsible for their mother’s death.
Lacey’s harsh words get to Jo, and she responds by slapping her sister in the face.
“Sophea and I get along so well in real life, so it’s always funny when we have to fight each other,” Maddison continued. “But Lacey is angry and looking for someone to blame. The easiest person to blame is Jo.”
As a brawl gets underway in the middle of the club, it’s on Tane and Theo to rush in and pull the warring sisters apart, as club president Alf (Ray Meagher) watches on in shock.
Lacey retreats in anger, while a devastated Jo runs down to the beach. Tane, who Jo has spent the past week pursuing romantically, follows her down, where he finds Jo in tears.
In what TV Week describes as a “heartbreaking moment,” Jo finally opens up, telling Tane exactly what happened on the night of her mother’s death.
Was she really responsible, or is there more to the story?
Following the fight, spoilers for the final episode of this Tuesday’s triple-bill reveal that “Lacey and Jo are at a stalemate,” but it looks like Theo will be the one to reunite the sisters, as he “gives Lacey a reality check.”
Spoilers for Wednesday’s episode ask, “is Lacey having a change of heart?” suggesting that the two sisters’ turbulent relationship may finally begin to thaw before the week is up.
