Melody Jones
Melody Jones
Celeste Dodwell
Episodes: 4598 – 4663; 4705 – 4799
Parents: Christine and Edward
Melody first came onto our screens when Annie, not pleased with the girls Geoff was interested in, decided to play matchmaker. Melody had a few friendly conversations with Geoff and she was smitten that she was friends with him. But her joy was short-lived when she overheard Geoff tell Annie that Melody wasn’t as pretty as other girls. Distraught, Mel hid in a classroom. She tried to ignore Geoff’s attempts at apologizing, but finally gave in and accepted it.
After a few more conversations, Geoff agreed to date Melody. This overjoyed her. After their casual date, Geoff walked Mel home, but she told him that her mother wouldn’t be too pleased if she knew about him. But this wouldn’t be Summer Bay without a bit of drama. Melody’s mum found out that she was dating Geoff and quickly tried to put a stop to it, stating that Mel was going off the rails and blamed a play she was reading for it. Of course, Melody was reluctant to do such a thing and continued to see Geoff against her mother’s knowledge.
At the request of one of his students, Miles allowed Geoff’s class to read ‘Spring Awakening’, a play generally for older students, but he permitted them to read it in their own time with the condition that the younger students must not get it. Melody got a copy of the book, she appeared to enjoy it, telling Belle it had taught her more about boys than school ever can, however it became clear that her mother didn’t like the book. Miles and Bartlett were in school and were met by an angry group of parents lead by a disgusted Christine Jones, she told Bartlett that they were organising a P&C meeting. She set a copy of ‘Spring Awakening’ on fire and threw it in the bin in front of Miles and some students.
Christine confronted Melody about her recent ‘behaviour’ and blamed the play for it. Melody told her that she had been seeing Geoff for a while, Christine did not approve of the relationship. In the period of time following this, Christine’s methods of keeping Geoff away from Melody became extreme, she even insisted on walking Mel to school. Christine began to collect evidence for her meeting, including pictures and a video of Nicole fighting in school. She spotted two boys from the school being arrested by Jack and quickly snapped a shot.
Christine informed Miles that his job at Summer Bay high is history. Melody found herself being dragged to the P&C meeting where Christine announced that Melody would be part of her presentation, Melody was horrified. The verdict of the meeting left Christine very angry and she took out her anger by chastising Miles. Melody had enough, she snapped at Christine and ran out of the meeting. Melody hid at Geoff’s house until her mother came to retrieve her, Christine blamed Melody for the result of the meeting.
A distraught Melody had enough when her mum informed her she is being enrolled in a Catholic school. Melody left home to go to Martha and Jack’s engagement party but she wasn’t free for long as during Alf’s speech Christine stormed in, demanding her daughter back. Melody is horrified when Christine announced she will press charges on Geoff if he didn’t stay away.Jazz interrupted the argument prompting Christine to pass comment on the relationship between Jazz and Drew. A drunk Jazz responds to this by slapping Christine. It came to light, the next day that Christine had in fact taken out a restraining out against Geoff, preventing him from seeing Melody again.
The next dramatic event in Melody’s life is quite possibly the most traumatic, in an attempt to see Geoff, Melody attended a party held at Nicole’s house. Geoff was reluctant to attend because of his AVO, but changed his mind to go and told Melody to go home. When Melody saw Geoff she was overjoyed, but Mel’s happiness is short-lived when Geoff shocked her by ending their relationship at the party, telling her he can’t risk being arrested. A distressed Melody hid in Nicole’s room, scared to go home, but Axel found her.
Axel didn’t know Melody was in the room, his intentions were innocent, but he forced himself on her. Melody fought him off before anything can happen. Melody went home to find her mum waiting for her, she refused to reveal where she was and went to bed.
Melody avoided Annie, but when Christine discovered that Melody saw Geoff at the party, Geoff is arrested. He went to see Melody at her window but she didn’t respond. The next visitor Melody had wasn’t quite so pleasant, Axel arrived, and he explained that he doesn’t know what happened at the party. Melody also denied any knowledge of the previous night’s events but she was lying. A joyful Axel left Melody feeling very upset. Melody avoided any contact with anyone as much as possible until she finally told Annie what happened at the party.
But Geoff turned up again, but Mel tried to get rid of him. It wasn’t long before Christine spotted him and confronted him. Melody snapped and explained what happened the night of the party. Christine was bemused by what Melody was saying, and refused to take Mel to the police. However, Mel turned up at Summer Bay High and verbally attacked Axel about what he did to her. Mr. Bartlett told her that it was good she confronted Axel about what he did. After that, Axel turned himself into the police, leaving Melody relieved.
A few days later, Mel told Geoff that she didn’t want to be in a relationship and she wanted to be alone. She told him he loved him, and then left. After a few months, it became clear Melody was in a clinic, trying to sort her life out. After a few visits from her mother, whom Melody didn’t want to see, she ran away from the clinic. Geoff and Nicole were confused about how to handle the situation. They decided to not tell the police, but it wasn’t long before that fell through, and Melody ended up back in the clinic. During her stay there, she kept on seeing Axel wherever she was. She thought he was going be hurt, even if she was aware of his death a weeks previous.
When Mel was fully released from the clinic, she was horrified to learn that Geoff had moved on from her and was now going out with Nicole. She wasn’t pleased at all, and began coming up with ways to win him back, after all, she never approved of Nicole and thought she was a bad match for Geoff. Melody’s wicked obsession with Geoff intensified coming up to Halloween. She was feeling so down when she had found out Nicole and Geoff were an item. Mel had convinced herself that there weren’t meant to be and that she was the right person for Geoff.
Mel’s ambitious plan to get Geoff backfired at the Halloween party. Under the illusion that her tactic would work, she turned up to the Halloween party in the same outfit as Nicole, a devil’s outfit. Annie and Jai were slightly worried about her and they thought it would all end in tears. However, when Geoff was without Nicole for a few minutes, Melody swooped in when the power was out and kissed Geoff. This shocked him. Nicole witnessed this and asked Melody about that she had just done. Mel told her that she didn’t have to explain herself. Visibly upset, she told Nicole that she cares about Geoff. According to Melody, Nic didn’t care about him. Mel confessed that she told Mr. Bartlett about Nic’s driving-license incident, which made her lose her school captaincy, so he could see what she’s really like. Of course, Nicole was raging by this and let slip that herself and Geoff slept together, therefore he is pretty important to her. Melody was shocked and saddened by this and walked off.
After the debacle, Nicole talked to Melody about the situation. Mel said that Geoff had principles and religion was important to him and she claimed that Nic had corrupted him in some way. Nic apologized for blurting out her secret with Geoff, but she told Mel that she could now accept that herself and Geoff are together and that nothing is going to change. Melody says that Geoff could never love somebody like Nic, but Geoff confessed that he did love Nicole. Melody, disconcerted once again, walked off.
She turned up at the Diner where Aden was working. She told him about what happened at the party. She confided in him and he told her to try and accept it and move on. Mel tried to move on. But she told Ruby and Annie that nobody liked the old Mel, nobody likes the new Mel, so she doesn’t know who to be anymore. She asked Jai, Annie and Ruby to be at the Surf Club so she could show off her “new look”. However, the kids were shocked to see what Melody was wearing when she walked in. The only person impressed was Matthew Lyons. She seemed eager to go with him to get a drink. Geoff wanted to talk her out of hanging around with Matthew, but Nic said it’s best that she makes up her own mind about him.
Melody continued to hang out with Matthew, much to her friend’s dismay. Mel attended a small party in the caravan park. While, she was completely tanked on beer, one of the guys tried to make a move on her, but Nicole quickly snubbed that when she turned up. Barely able to walk, she was reluctant to go anywhere with Nicole, but she convinced Melody to take her home.
Mel’s non-obsession with Geoff didn’t last too long, unfortunately. She had a conversation with him where he was roped into asking her to the formal. Obviously, Nicole was not happy about this. But Melody’s happiness was short-lived when Miles grounded her because of her constant petty behavior. Melody waited until the day of the formal to tell Geoff that she couldn’t make it to the formal because she was grounded. She was upset that she couldn’t go, but she made other plans very quickly. She invited Matthew over to her house while everybody was at the formal. They both got high on Marijuana. Matthew went home when Annie and Jai came back to the house. They noticed Melody was a bit weird, so they asked her if she was drunk. She said she needed her shoes so she could go to the formal to talk to Geoff. She went, much to Annie and Jai’s dismay.
Mel turned up to the formal to see Geoff. He was very surprised to see her as he thought she was grounded. She said that she’s here now and that she was sorry she was late. She explained why she snuck out and said that wanted to be Geoff. Nicole intervened and told Mel that she didn’t want to “share” Geoff. Melody denied the claims that she was drunk, and Aden took her home after Geoff hinted that he didn’t love her.
Melody returned home with Aden. She went upstairs, and Aden asked Annie and Geoff to look after her. As soon as Aden left, Melody suck back out to the formal again. During a speech at the formal, Melody was in the crowd. But the effects of the marijuana were just kicking in when everybody started to laugh at Aden’s comment towards Mr. Bartlett. Scared and disorientated by the laughing, Melody started to freak out and left the building.
Whilst Kane, Annie and Jai drove to the formal to find Melody, she was walking in the middle of the road. Kane wasn’t looking where he was driving and nearly hit Melody. His car swerved and crashed into the building where the formal was being held, injuring Leah and Belle in the process. When chaos was breaking out at the school formal, Melody ran away from the scene of the accident. It was only until after the accident that Melody realized what she had done. She admitted to locking the doors of the building where the school formal was being held, thus making the student’s escape from the burning building very difficult.
Melody confessed to Miles that she smoked marijuana the night of the formal, which explained the weird behavior and disorientation. Melody told Mr. Bartlett about the situation, and told him it was Matthew Lyons who gave her the marijuana. Bartlett then told Melody she could no longer study at Summer Bay High.
From then on, Mel started to doubt her role in Miles’ family. After a long discussion with Miles where he explained why she was behaving this way, she came to the wrong conclusion that Miles didn’t want her in the family. In the early hours of the next morning, Melody packed her bags and left a note for Miles on the kitchen table, explaining that her leaving would be easier for everyone.
Melody had planned to catch a bus from Yabbie Creek, but she ditched that plan when she saw Miles, Charlie and Geoff searching for her at the station. She walked out of Summer Bay until a lorry driver offered her a ride. Anxious, she got into the lorry and told the driver to drop her off somewhere south. Late that night, Melody arrives in the Victorian state capital of Melbourne. All alone and visibly scared, she took refuge in a homeless shelter. The next morning, when she woke up, she realized her bag with all her money and clothes had been stolen. The manager, Terry, told her that it was typical behavior and that it might turn up again. Upset and angry, Melody left the shelter and began life on the streets of Melbourne.
Mel met a homeless girl called Kayla while she was crying about her stuff being stolen. She talked to her about how to earn money. She said that there were “ways of making cash” and that they do what they have to do, even if it is selling yourself on the streets. But the homeless life was beginning to get to Melody when she went searching with Kayla for food. Kayla got the last bit of food from a van nearby at a refuge, but said that it was all she had and wouldn’t share it. A boy, Archie, who offered her his food, approached Mel but she kindly refused and walked away with Kayla.
Later that night, Melody turned up at the shelter where her bag was stolen. She asked Terry if her bag had showed up since she left earlier, but it hadn’t. She asked if she could stay there for another night, but the shelter was only licensed for 10 people to stay each night, and it was first come first serve basis, leaving Melody without a place to stay. Scared and alone again, Melody walked the dark streets where she came across Kayla. She noticed Kayla was wearing her clothes, and confronted her about it. But Kayla didn’t take it too well and threatened Mel with a broken bottle. Mel looked terrified, but then Archie from the refuge came over and broke up the potential fight and took Melody away so she could cool off.
During this difficult time for Melody, she was unaware Charlie and Miles were searching for her in Melbourne. Melody and Archie, walked along the promenade. He tossed her a blanket, but Melody thought he was asking her to sleep with him. He told her that he’ll use the mattress, but she could have the blanket. Melody looked out over the water, scared. The next morning, Melody talked to Archie. Archie commented on Melody’s willingness to be here. Mel said her family were better off without her in their lives. Archie changed the subject to food, which was one Melody definitely wanted to talk about!
Mel went to the local food market with Archie. He stole some corn on the cob, and Melody was so pleased that she had something to eat. Archie offered to take Melody sightseeing because she’s a “tourist”. But Archie bumps into a local gang by accident and tactfully pockets the main guy’s wallet. Archie saw the cop and thought that he’s going to be arrested for stealing, so he grabbed a confused Melody and ran. Miles saw Mel and ran after her. Meanwhile, the main guy realized his wallet had been stolen, so they went back to get Archie and Melody.
Melody and Archie ran down a few alleyways, losing Miles, Charlie and the Melbourne cop in the process, but the gang were still right behind them. They hid behind a bin and Archie gave Melody some cash and told her to run. She didn’t want to leave him behind, but was persuaded by him to do so, so she ran and got passed the gang, but Archie wasn’t as fortunate. As Melody ran, Archie was beaten up. A few moments later, Miles and Charlie stumbled upon Archie who was being treated by a paramedic. He told them that Melody was safe, but he didn’t know where she went. Miles thanked him for looking after Melody and gave him some cash. “Tell her I said Hi” were Archie’s last words to Miles.
After searching for Melody, Miles had a breakthrough. He checked the nearby cathedral. And there she was. He sat down beside her and told her “Archie says hi”. He took her back to Charlie and they sat down while they got Mel some food. Mel told them why she ran away. She felt like she was a burden, but Miles reassured her that she wasn’t and that he loved her. She asked if Archie was OK and she hoped that he knew how grateful she was.
After her return to the bay, Melody kept a relatively low profile. She tried to help Belle with a problem, but when they both turned up at the community centre, Melody ran into her mother. She quickly turned away and ran back to Belle who took her home. Christine turned up at Summer Bay House to speak to Melody. But Mel wasn’t keen on the idea because she wasn’t ready. Christine agreed to come back another time, but it wasn’t her intention to upset Melody.
Mel then spoke to Miles and told him how different she sounded. Belle then asked her for help again, but Miles wasn’t keen on the idea of Mel potentially running into her mother again at the centre.
Melody agreed to go back with Belle and persuaded Myrll (the woman in charge of the community centre) to go ahead with the interview, but the real reason Melody returned to the centre was to see her mother again. As Belle interviewed Myrll, Melody talked with Christine.
Melody couldn’t stop thinking about how her mother seemed to have changed. Miles encouraged Melody to try and get their relationship back on track – if that’s what she wants. Melody was left with a lot to think about and when Christine later came to visit, Melody was intrigued to hear what she has to say. She was thrown when Christine asked her if she’d go to New Zealand to live with her and her gran, Audrey. Annie couldn’t believe Christine’s turn around and was surprised to learn that Melody was actually considering moving. Melody felt terrible when Miles found out about Christine’s offer through Annie, but Miles just wanted her to be happy and would support her no matter what. Melody was touched by his full support. Christine visited to hear Melody’s decision. However, Melody didn’t think she could trust Christine like she could trust Miles. Melody wanted to keep going with the life she had, the goof life. She was afraid that if she went with her mother, everything would fall down again, and she didn’t want that. Despite being hurt, Christine was civil about Melody’s decision not to move to New Zealand.
With her mother’s upcoming departure to New Zealand, Melody’s thoughts were with her family, particularly her grandmother, Audrey, who she never had much of a relationship with. Annie suggested to Melody that she should invite Audrey over for dinner. Melody agreed and started to plan a meal that night. But unfortunately for Melody, the dinner didn’t go to plan. It appeared that Christine was right when she said Audrey wasn’t the woman Melody thinks she was. During the dinner, Audrey retorted strongly to the news of Melody being expelled from Summer Bay High. She claimed Melody brought disgrace up the family. Melody was very upset by this. Alf consoled Melody and told her that Audrey might not have been feeling well, hence the outburst.
Christine called over and collected her mother and brought her back home. But when Audrey got back to her home, she collapsed with a stroke and was taken to hospital. When Christine returned and told Melody the news, she was shocked and saddened. Melody’s grandmother suffered another stroke and dies. This didn’t help Melody as regards the decision to move to New Zealand with Christine When Christine thanked Miles for all he’s done for her daughter, Melody realised her mother had really changed and broke down. She decided that she will go with Christine after all, Miles was supportive, and he assured her about her instincts being right and that Christine had changed. She said goodbye to her family and friends and left the bay.