H & A (UK) Spoilers Mon 30th & Tues 31st October
Monday 30th October 2006
Dear Home and Away fans: gotcha. All six people aboard the chopper managed to survive; we just didn't show them all in the last episode. In fact, it's a pretty remarkable situation. After letting gravity get the better of them from at least a hundred feet in the air, the only semi-serious injuries are a busted arm (Belle), a smashed wrist (Martha), a nasty-looking gouge (Robbie) and various levels of broken cabin fever (everybody else). How long can they survive in the bush with so little food and water? I'm A Celebrity it ain't. Tempers are getting increasingly frayed, and they're all squabbling over the remaining few painkillers like The Magic Numbers might with a packet of Toffos. Colin, the pilot, thinks that they should finally leave the wreckage and find a clearing where they may be more visible from the air. But Kim disagrees, and a mahoosive argument erupts. The decision is finally made to take the trek, but Kit and Kim think that this could be the biggest mistake since Rachel sent them to the skies. Will they ever be found?
Rachel likes a glass of wine. And another one. And, oh, go on then, a top-up won't hurt. Leah is becoming massively concerned at how much her best mate has been imbibing recently and, after finding her slumped on the kitchen floor over a broken wine glass, hints that a cup of lapsang souchong might be a better bet. However, this suggestion doesn't go down well - and Irene, Tasha and Alf all get their heads ripped off by a very hungover doctor the next morning. This, it seems, is a case of grief turning into self-loathing; Rachel's misplaced guilt over the helicopter crash is really starting to consume her. And although she does later try and make amends with Leah, she demonstrates that she's still tumbling down the slippery slope of self-destruction by popping a pill and washing it down with a swig of wine as soon as her flatmate's back is turned.
There are brave faces all round when Jack tells Tasha that he'll always be around for her and the baby. However, his mask soon falls and it becomes crystal clear that he's getting more and more overwhelmed by his anxiety. Despite Tony's efforts to buoy his son's spirits, Jack insists that no one could possibly understand what he is going through. "You don't know what I'm feeling", he harrumphs. "You had ten years with Mum; I didn't even get ten days with my wife." The presence of Macca also adds fuel to his fire, and he gets so het up that he eventually discharges himself. Thankfully, the next search party has rather more success - and Jack is led home to discover his house strewn with candles, rose petals and a DVD of his and Martha's wedding footage. (This was going to be his wife's post-wedding surprise.) As Tasha takes him into her arms, it becomes her turn to act as the emotional crutch. Is this how it's going to be forever?
Tuesday 31st October 2006
Home is no place for a man who has a) just had a liver transplant and b) only has access to medication of the Night Nurse variety. Jack wants to stay put because his house is the place where he feels closest to Martha, but Tasha has a word and reminds of him of his promise to take care of her and the baby. If he doesn't check himself back into hospital quick smart, his body could reject his brand new organ - and the chance of finding two matching livers in a fortnight is more unlikely than even Summer Bay can get. Jack is affected by Tasha's plea, but will it be enough to change his mind? Yes. Hurray. Meanwhile, people are mingling in the Surf Club when Amanda swans in and suggests holding a morning tea to commemorate their lost loved ones. However, this doesn't go down well. "My children are still alive", honks Beth, "and so are the others." That's her told. Dan can see that Amanda had good intentions - for once - and is surprised by her suggestion that Belle's disappearance was karmic. "I've done some terrible things in my time", Amanda whines. "Maybe losing Belle is my punishment." Little does she know that her daughter is still out there somewhere - but for how much longer?
Alf pulls a face when a bloke from the police's special operations department mooches into the Surf Club looking somewhat dour. He reveals that, due to restricted resources, the search will be called off as of nightfall - and everybody present is outraged. A shred of hope comes when Alf suggests the possibility of organising a private search, but this bubble is burst when it becomes clear that this could cost upwards of $50k a day. Beth's idea to come up with the funding by remortgaging her house soon falls flat when the bank decides that it likes to say "no". Later, as everybody sits down to brainstorm some other possible money-making ideas, a light bulb pings on above Beth's immaculately-coiffured hairdo. Before dusk has even threatened to begin falling, she wheels her scheme into the Surf Club to a raft of horrified faces. Rich bitch Amanda has agreed to bankroll the search until everybody is home safe and well - and everybody's expressions instantly turn from ones of dismay into ones of enrapture. "Everybody's being so nice!" exclaims Amanda, as she forces her jaw into a smile. However, her eyes betray her delight by telling a slightly different story. Poor old Mandy - there goes her yacht and castle money.
If the lost people realised that they were about to be hunted down by Amanda Vale of Darkness and her troupe of little helpers, we reckon they'd head even further into the dense bushland in a bid to avoid her acrylic nail tips. And, after a day of walking, struggling with dehydration and bickering about the painkillers, this proves to be exactly what they do. The wanderers are now more misplaced than ever before, and a furious Colin nearly knocks Kim's lights out for having demanded to take the lead. One night of camping later, the group is looking even worse for wear. And as they all pack up their gear in preparation for another draining day, Kit spots Belle rifling through their bag of medical supplies and nicking all the aspirin. First there's an argument, then there's a struggle - and Kit ends up tumbling backwards down the embankment behind her. She ends up lying still at the bottom of the slope as the people above her look on aghast. One down, five to go. That Amanda had better get her hiking boots on.
