Episode 150

Extended Summary

Colleen has turned up at the bottle shop:Having read the Macklin prospectus, she’s decided the development is a good thing after all and wants Lance to invest in it.She asks Alf to come round and have a chat to him about it and Alf agrees.Ailsa turns up as Colleen is leaving and Alf tells her about the double booking at the hall, saying when he rang up to book they thought he was confirming her booking.Ailsa interrupts to tell him about her run-in with Brett.In the office, Brett is on the phone crowing about getting rid of Ailsa when Alf storms in and has a go at him.Brett admits he mentioned building a supermarket but claims Ailsa took it the wrong way.Alf doesn’t believe him and warns him not to threaten Ailsa again.

At the caravan park, Colleen is moaning to Floss and Nev while Sally plays hopscotch nearby.Colleen complains that Lance keeps hanging around bad influences like Martin and Carly, who he’s talking to a few yards away.She wants him to find a nice girl and settle down.Lance is moaning to Carly about how Colleen keeps cooking him the same meals and trying to run his life when Sally comes over and tells Lance he’s getting married.Lance is bewildered.

Martin drops by his parents’ place and finds his dad, Fred, fixing a car outside.Fred thinks he’s there to borrow money but Martin offers to help him with the car and asks him if he’s going down the race track. Fred thinks it’s a mug’s game but confirms he knows some people on the inside.Martin goes to the store and rings someone called Swifty, dropping Fred’s name and asking for a tip.He then goes to the mobile home while Colleen is out and tells Lance he’s going to get his money back.Lance tells him he doesn’t have to but Martin insists and asks to borrow $5,000, saying you need to spend money to make money, like the Macklins do.Lance thinks he’s doing something to do with the resort and agrees.

Alf comes home and tells Ailsa that he’s spoken to Brett and the supermarket idea should be finished.He thinks it’s a sign that even when they disagree he’ll be there for her.He also suggests a solution to the double booking:Since there’s going to be more people at his meeting, she can have hers at the house, like he had the cocktail party there.Ailsa is annoyed and tells him it’s her booking and she’s going to keep it, before storming out.Alf is bemused.

Martin makes another phone call from the store, arranging to meet someone called Risco at the pub to place a bet on a horse called Adapest.He tells Narelle that nothing could happen to spoil his mood.Colleen proves him wrong by turning up with a carving knife and chasing him.

Roo goes to the Macklin office and tells Brett that Barbara said he wanted to see her.Brett wants her help with a little stirring.Roo doesn’t want to get too involved, since Alf would be angry if he found out, but Brett points out that if Ailsa gets her way Alf will lose a lot of money.Roo goes home and, after chatting with Alf about how the pregnancy’s going, tells him she heard Brett on the phone talking about replacing Alf as their local adviser.

Lance is pacing the floor at the mobile home.He wants to go to the demolition derby with Martin but Colleen insists he stays behind to talk to Alf.Carly turns up at the store flat looking for Frank and finds Martin listening to music on the radio.Martin says he’s waiting for the racing commentary and he’s placed a best on Adapest.Carly looks at the form guide and says she prefers another horse, Storm Run.Martin says Adapest’s trainer is a friend of his dad and they’ve been holding him back until they get good odds.Carly suggests Storm Run’s trainer might have done the same thing.

Alf goes to the Macklin office and asks Brett about what Roo supposedly overheard.Brett tells him it’s true and says it’s nothing to do with Alf standing up to him:They feel that with Ailsa running a campaign against them it’s a conflict of interests and they don’t want to be blamed for splitting his marriage up.Later, at the Stewart house, Roo listens from the next room as Alf and Ailsa argue, with Alf annoyed that Ailsa’s campaign has cost him the investment.Realising they’re getting nowhere, he says he’s going to see Lance and they can talk later when they’ve both calmed down.Ailsa insists she’s not going to change her mind.

Martin is listening to the race commentary and desperately cheering Adapest, but while he’s among the leaders Storm Run is outpacing him and wins.Carly is delighted but Martin throws the radio to the floor in anger, jumping up and down and smashing it, before telling Carly he’s lost $5,000.

Colleen is still making Lance wait for Alf.Someone comes to the door but it’s Pippa, telling Lance that Martin’s on the phone for him.Colleen says Lance doesn’t want to talk to him but Pippa isn’t convinced that’s what Lance wants.At that moment, Alf turns up and Colleen tells Pippa that Lance is busy.However, Alf only has the prospectuses they’ve already seen.Martin hears from Pippa that Lance can’t come to the phone and realises Colleen doesn’t want him to speak to him.Carly points out that that’s because he cost Lance money and now he’s lost him even more.Martin says he knows he’s been a jerk but for once he’s trying to put it right and that Carly buying Lance the lottery ticket has wrecked their friendship.Carly gives him a sympathetic hug.

Roo suggests that Ailsa shouldn’t have rented out the store flat since she’ll soon be needing it again.Ailsa thinks Roo is enjoying them arguing and says she thought that since she brought Alf and Roo back together it would stop Roo causing trouble.Roo says she gave Ailsa a chance but she doesn’t think she’s good for Alf, she thinks Ailsa cares more about her independence than about whether people respect Alf.Ailsa asks what she’s going to do about it and then wonders if she’s already done something.Roo says she’ll never know, even when she signs the divorce papers.

With Alf gone, Lance wants to go out.Colleen tries to make him feel guilty about leaving her on her own but, with perfect timing, Floss and Nev come round.Lance quickly asks them to keep Colleen company and makes a sharp exit.

Alf comes home and Ailsa tells him she’s not going to play the dutiful wife and make up when Alf’s in the wrong.Alf tells her that she’s cost him money.Ailsa says that she thought he could leave his pride at the door and compromise and she can’t have the sort of marriage he seems to expect where he dominates everything.She says she let her desire to help Bobby override her common sense then stops, realising she’s said too much.She tries to backtrack but Alf jumps on the comment, realising she only married him to give Bobby a home.He’s angry at himself for believing her and says she’s been a rubbish wife because she never wanted to be one in the first place, so maybe she should think about whether she still wants to be one.He storms out leaving Ailsa looking pained.