Episode 524

Extended Summary

Marilyn is hanging around at the Fletcher house on her day off while Pippa does the vacuuming and suggests she help out by tidying the notice board. Carly comes in and asks Pippa how she’s getting on with her wedding dress. Pippa points out she can’t do anymore until Carly has a fitting. Carly admits she’s busy with work and having dinner with Ben but suggests Pippa could get on with doing the veil. She realises she’s being rude and apologises but it isn’t enough to placate Pippa who storms upstairs. Carly wonders what’s wrong with her and Tom, who’s just entered, says she had a hard day with Christopher.

Bruce queries Matt and Adam about their comments about Melody. Matt says he was just joking and they get on great. Bruce grabs him by the collar to check if they’re getting on too well but Matt assures him they’re just friends. The boys ask Bruce when he’s planning to go back to the city and aren’t encouraged when he says he can’t get a job because he’s an ex-crim. He served nine months for assault and battery because a guy was looking at Melody and says he would have killed him if the police hadn’t dragged him off. At the Diner, Bobby shows Carly and Marilyn her election poster and says she’s determined to get as much coverage as Alf but will leave kissing babies to him. Marilyn offers to help Bobby put up posters after work but Bobby is busy with footie practice. Adam and Matt arrive and Carly teases Adam about fainting. Bobby asks them about Melody and they tell her about Bruce, saying they’ve got no idea how to get rid of the pair.

That evening, Marilyn is back hanging around the Fletcher house as Pippa makes a casserole. Marilyn heads off for a quiet night in which Pippa says is what she’s having. Carly comes through, dressed up for her date. Pippa is looking forward to having a night to herself, since Sally is round at Kim’s and the boys can have the casserole when they get home. Matt and Adam arrive home from footie training and go to cook the steaks that Adam left in the fridge, only to find Melody and Bruce are already eating them. Melody promises to replace them. The couple are watching a nature programme but Bruce reacts in disgust when a clip of a snake appears, telling Melody to turn it off since neither of them like snakes. Matt takes Adam aside and says he’s worked out how to get rid of the pair. Adam is quick to realise how and grins.

Pippa is curled up on the sofa in her dressing gown, watching a movie, when Tom, Steven and Bobby arrive with the entire footie team, who Tom plans to give a talk to. They promise to stay in the kitchen but they’re making too much noise for Pippa to concentrate on the movie. After briefly trying to stop them getting the floor muddy, she gives up and says she’s going to bed. Tom follows her up and apologises for springing it on her. Pippa is upset that no-one’s taken her concerns seriously and hasn’t listened to her, thinking she’s being taken for granted. She goes to bed, leaving Tom to supervise downstairs.

Next morning, Tom tells Steven, Carly and Sophie that they’ve all been relying on Pippa too much recently and not thanking her for it. Sophie thinks they should spoil her but Tom says they need to help out more. Carly makes a start on breakfast, while Sophie begins cleaning the dishes and Steven starts the dusting. Pippa breezes through, saying she’s on strike and not doing any work until further notice. She’s heading down the beach and reminds them to feed Christopher.

At breakfast at the beach house, Matt asks Bruce and Melody if they heard the rats in the roof during the night. He thinks they should put down rat poison but Adam says the rats sound too big for that so Matt says he has another idea. He and Adam head out to a farm where they meet Les, an old friend of Matt’s father’s. Matt asks to borrow his snake Lucy, saying they’ve got a couple of big rats at home that need taking care of. Les agrees and tells them to fetch Lucy from the barn while he gets on with his work. Matt admits to Adam that he isn’t keen on snakes either.

Carly and Steven track Pippa down on the beach, where she’s relaxing in a sun hat and bathing suit and reading a book. They tell her about the work they’ve done at the house but she acts uninterested, saying she doesn’t need them to do anything for her and asking them to leave her in peace. They go to the Diner where they tell Bobby about Pippa’s behaviour. Bobby thinks that Pippa feels no-one appreciates what she’s doing, since they never tell her. Carly realises she’s right and thinks Pippa is upset that she never gets to go out for a movie or for dinner. She decides to talk to Tom.

Adam checks out the barn loft but can’t see any sign of Lucy. Matt thinks he should look around a bit more but Adam says they should check on the ground. As they’re looking around, Matt feels Lucy crawling over his foot. He freezes up and tells Adam he’s found her. Back at the beach house, Bruce is painting Melody’s toenails when Adam and Matt arrive home. Adam produces Lucy from a bag. Bruce and Melody are terrified. They quickly rush upstairs and pack their bags while Adam gleefully follows them around with Lucy. The pair run out of the house, saying they’re never coming back. Adam notes Lucy got rid of the rats while Matt warns him to keep her away from him. At the Diner, they tell Bobby, Carly and Marilyn about their success. Carly asks what they’ll do about the rent now. The boys say they’ll find someone else to share with them. Marilyn suggests she could move in, since she’s feeling lonely at the mobile home on her own, and Adam and Matt agree to think about it. Adam suddenly realises the bag containing Lucy is empty and Marilyn shrieks as she sees Lucy slithering about on the floor. Everyone else stands well back as Adam calmly retrieves her and Bobby warns him to get her out.

Carly goes to see Tom, who has got Christopher to sleep. She tells him what they think about Pippa not getting enough attention and suggests that he ask her out and that the rest of them look after the housework for a while. Tom heads down the beach and offers to rub some suntan lotion on her back. He says they’ve all agreed she’s not going to do any more housework until she feels like it and invites her for a romantic dinner for two at a restaurant, saying from now on he’s going to spoil her. They both say they love each other and kiss.