Susie’s scheming has left a trail of devastation around Summer Bay, and Alf, John, Leah, and Justin are trying to pick up the pieces next week on Home and Away in the UK.
Susie McAllister (Bridie Carter) left Summer Bay last week, bringing with her a large house deposit and $50,000 in surf club fundraising money from Leah (Ada Nicodemou) and Justin (James Stewart). She had been working on a scheme to defraud the town’s inhabitants for months, and it had finally come together. Now that the dust has settled, the residents of the town band together to figure out a plan of action.
Alf (Ray Meaghere) is attempting to determine the extent of the damage at the Surf Club. Susie managed to collect tens of thousands of dollars in fundraising from companies across Summer Bay and beyond, and, as Roo (Georgie Parker) points out, she did a fantastic job of making it all look legitimate.
Now that she’s taken the money and Alf has unofficially reclaimed his role as president of the Surf Club, it’s up to him to contact the local businesses to inform them that the money they donated has been spent. He knows it won’t be straightforward, but it’s even harder than he expected, and it won’t be long before some of the club’s donors threaten legal action.
Gus, the owner of the hardware store and the organization’s largest supporter, believes they’ve been misusing funds.
It’s not good news for Alf as he meets with his attorneys. “We’ll get smashed,” their legal team believes if they end up in court. They have two options: they can either get their money back, which is unlikely, or they can still hold the surf competition. In the very least, they would have fulfilled their duty to the sponsors.
However, with the surf club’s finances frozen, no one knows whether there will be enough money in the account to hold the competition. The only other person who can help is John (Shane Withington), who they can’t seem to find!
Marilyn (Emily Symons) takes the initiative, thinking she might be the only one who can persuade her ex-husband to face the beat. She dials Jett’s number, only to discover that John has already left his Sydney apartment without informing his son of his plans.
In fact, John is back in Summer Bay, wallowing in self-pity and sitting in the dark at home. Dean Thompson (Patrick O’Connor) ends up dragging him out in an unexpected turn of events.
Alf asks him to stop by John’s place on his way to Saxon Avenue to drop Bella off at the Parata building. Alf has told him to expect his car, but has also warned him that the man is unlikely to be home… Dean, on the other hand, has his doubts.
He pulls up outside John’s house, and John does exactly what Dean planned within 30 seconds. He flutters the nett curtains in his living room, unable to look out the window to see what’s going on outside. Yes, that’s it!
Dean has devised a brilliant idea to free John now that he knows he’s inside. When no one answers the bell, he slams into the side of John’s car, triggering the alarm.
John, predictably, can’t stop himself from turning it off. Dean collides with the vehicle once more. John silences the warning once more. As Dean continues to hit the car, triggering the alarm, and John continues to silence it, it’s a fight to the finish.
The game goes on and on until John can no longer bear it any longer. John goes outside, much to Dean’s delight. “What’s the matter, mate? Can’t you just leave a guy alone?”
Palmer’s anger dissipates quickly as he admits defeat. “Dean Thompson outsmarted me. Is it possible that my life will get any worse?”
Turning to his unexpected confidante, Dean, John eventually spills the beans about how he became entangled in Susie’s network. Dean reassures him that everybody makes mistakes; all he did was trust the wrong guy, and it’s a cathartic experience. Even better, he will now assist with the repair because he is the only one who knows exactly what Susie did.
And, thanks to Dean’s assistance, John is back in service! He shows up at the Surf Club, eager to make amends about what his alleged girlfriend has done to everybody. Will his friends forgive him and consider his assistance, or will they actually blame him for Susie’s mess?
Justin Morgan is the one guy who refuses to forgive John (James Stewart).
When he sees John at Salt, he immediately attacks him. Given that Susie was living with him, he demands to know how he did not see her for who she really was! Justin is having trouble thinking clearly and is unable to recognise that he, like John, was duped by Susie’s lies.
Leah apologises profusely to John and assures Justin that he is not to blame for what happened. “Then who am I to blame?” says the narrator.
“Susie and…” says the narrator. Leah pauses before saying something she’ll come to regret, but it’s too late. Justin realises that Leah holds him responsible for the incident!
He’s stormed out of the Surf Club and wants to get away. He steals a randomer’s surfboard from the beach and dashes into the water, ignoring Leah’s pleas to calm down and return.
It’s just his third time back in the water after back surgery, and tragedy hits within minutes.
Justin is knocked off his board by a massive rogue wave. His back seizes up from the impact of the wave, and the seasoned surfer can’t hold his head above water! He goes under repeatedly, and it’s obvious he’s in big trouble.
When she watches her boyfriend struggle in the waves, all Leah can do is scream from the beach.
Is he going to be okay?
Ryder (Lukas Radovich) and Chloe (Sam Barratt) are blissfully happy in their new relationship on the other side. They conquered the challenge of telling Bella (Courney Miller) and Nikau (Kawakawa Fox-Reo) last week, but it’s nothing compared to the task ahead… telling Ari (Rob Kipa-Williams).
Ryder is terrified of Ari Parata and his imposing height, despite being a gentle giant at heart, and has no idea how he’ll respond to the news that he’s dating the girl Ari considers his daughter.
He asks Nikau for help, saying, “Dude, you gotta help me!” – but because Nik is still adjusting to their new relationship, he may not be the best person to support!
The cunning Kiwi devises a scheme to win Ari’s favour. He suggests Ryder compose a mori speech to Ari, requesting Ari’s permission to date Chloe. A fantastic idea, and though Ryder struggles with the pronunciation, Nik assures him that even though he makes mistakes, Ari will get the gist.
When the time comes, Ryder makes a confident attempt to talk, reading from his note cards clearly. He gets off to a good start by successfully asking Ari how he is, but as the speech progresses, things quickly take a turn for the worse.
Nikau hasn’t forgiven Ryder for lying about his and Chloe’s relationship, and the translation may not be exactly what the poor teen meant.
He admits to Ari that he is a bad person who lies to his parents, that he is unworthy of Chloe, and that he will accept whatever punishment Ari may impose!
Ryder, what a pity!
Ari, thankfully, sees the lighter side of things. He has no objections to Ryder dating his daughter and extends his blessing to the new couple – his only piece of advice is to never trust his nephew!
