Home and Away will air in the UK the following week. As Mackenzie prepares for her eviction and impending punishment, she realises that these might be her last few days of freedom.
The predicament for Mackenzie Booth (Emily Weir), who was already awaiting sentencing for hosting illegal poker evenings at Salt, worsened last week when she discovered she was being evicted from the flat on the pier.
Given that Patrick O’Connor, Mac’s brother and the leaseholder, had called him to advise him of the 7-day eviction notice after Mac fell behind on six weeks’ worth of rent due to mounting debt.
Before abruptly realising that there are letters addressed to Dean that she hasn’t yet forwarded, Mac laments the lack of notification. When she realises they were warnings for unpaid rent, her heart breaks.
Always looking out for his sister, Dean tries to bargain with the real estate company but is met with resistance. He doesn’t have a case to make because he was illegally subleasing the unit to Mac.
It is a major setback for Mac, who has recently seen his possibility of reconciling with ex-boyfriend Logan crushed by the latter’s abrupt departure from Summer Bay.
When Marilyn approaches a dejected Mac and inquires as to how she is handling the situation, Mac bemoans the fact that Logan left to reenlist without saying goodbye.
As a dejected Dean offers to help, Mac heads back upstairs and begins packing.
Dean counsels Mac not to be too hard on herself as she considers the state of her life and all the difficulties she has caused.
When everything is packed and Mac requests that Dean drive her off at a motel, Dean provides her with a silver lining: he insists that she move in with him and Ziggy (Sophie Dillman) at the farmhouse!
Mac goes downstairs and informs Marilyn and Irene (Lynne McGranger) that she has moved out of the flat and has left the keys with Irene for the landlord. She explains that she felt it was time to move on.
Later that week, after consulting with her attorney, Mac goes home and informs Ziggy that she will be sentenced in two days. She might only have to pay a fine, but the likelihood that she will go to jail is very real. The judge, who by all accounts is pretty sensible, will decide everything.
While Ziggy makes an effort to think positively, Mac chooses to be more realistic and organise Salt in case she is actually taken away.
But Mac can’t maintain the pretence for too long. She reveals that she fears going to prison when Dean and Ziggy see her sobbing in the office’s storeroom.
That night, while Mac wished she could start anew, Dean assures her that if he made it through prison, she can too.
The following morning, Mac is revived and has a new sense of purpose. She’s going to take advantage of her freedom today, if it’s her last. Do Dean and Ziggy want to have some fun? That’s the spirit, Ziggy grinned.
