Episode 381

Extended Summary

Sally is showing Tom her clown doll while Pippa continues to get annoyed by Sally’s continuous references to Auntie Louise.She tells Sally to go and wash her hands so she can help her with the vegetables and Sally agrees but says she doesn’t want much dinner because she’s still full after the chocolate cake Louise bought her.Tom asks Pippa what Louise is like and Pippa admits she’s nice but she can’t forget the fact that Louise could take Sally away from them.At the Diner, Matt is angry to learn that Carly told Vicki he was going to take her to the dance and tells her to grow up and stop playing games.He’s worried how Viv will react if she hears and doesn’t want any part in it.

At the mobile home, Lance is accusing Martin of going out with Marilyn because of a magazine article. Martin insists that journalists simply make up what they want to print but Lance doesn’t believe him and storms out.He meets up with Steven on the beach and complains to him about how you get nowhere by doing the right thing.Nearby, Marilyn is chatting to Matt about whether the water “temperament” is right for swimming and he seems rather keen for her to go and change into her skimpy, pink swimsuit.She heads off in the direction where Lance and Steven are and Steven leaves them to it.Lance tells Marilyn where Martin is and, while she seems bemused that he thinks she’d want to know that, says if she doesn’t know what’s wrong he won’t tell her.

Pippa is doing the laundry at the house and tells Steven one of his socks is missing.She offers to get his clothes ready for the surf club dance but he says he’s not going anymore.Tom is surprised by this, thinking he was supposed to be taking Viv, and Pippa guesses she’s going with someone else.Steven acts as though it doesn’t matter but Tom and Pippa both realise he’s upset.At the Diner, Vicki turns up with a friend and Carly tries to tell her she was wrong about Matt.Vicki, however, thinks she thought Matt was taking her. Carly says she’s working that night but could get a date if she wanted to.Vicki retorts that Carly couldn’t even hold onto Andrew, the town drunk, and can only get a guy by hitch-hiking.Her goodwill dried up, Carly tells her Matt will pick her up from the Diner.Vicki is pleased Carly will be able to see it.So is Carly.

Martin shows Marilyn the magazine interview which claims she is dating one of the band members and on the verge of becoming engaged to him;since it isn’t Lance, he’s convinced that it’s Martin.Marilyn protests that neither she nor Stacey said anything like that and they’re just printing lies.She’s worried about losing Lance and also that Nina will fire her from the band if she believes it, since she wanted them to appear available.Martin tries to reassure her they will talk to them and convince them it’s not true but Marilyn is upset, saying she loves Lance and has never met anyone like him, and starts crying.Martin hugs her…and inevitably Lance walks in at that moment and refuses to believe nothing is going on, storming out again.

At the house, Carly is complaining about Vicki over dinner.Steven agrees with her but Pippa says she’s fed up of hearing about it and puts an end to the conversation.Sally asks why they don’t go out to restaurants for dinner.Tom says it’s too expensive but Sally says Ross and Louise go all the time and you get better food at restaurants because the chefs are specially trained.Losing her temper, Pippa asks what’s wrong with her cooking, before going into a long speech about how she puts a lot of effort into keeping the family going and only gets complaints.Some time later, Sally is reading in her room before going to sleep when Pippa comes in and apologises for going over the top.Sally apologises as well, saying she likes Pippa’s cooking.Pippa admits she’s scared Sally will want to live with Ross and Louise but Sally says that will never happen and she loves her and Tom.Pippa is slightly put out to learn Sally is reading a book about horses but asks her about them.Sally says she wants one, despite the amount of work it will take, and Pippa promises to think about it.

The next day, Lance finds Martin preparing a special dinner and thinks it’s for Marilyn.Martin assures Lance it’s for him, showing him that he’s cooked all his favourite foods, to try and convince him it’s him that Marilyn wants and there’s nothing going on between them.Lance refuses to listen, telling Martin to enjoy his dinner…and put any leftovers in the fridge so Lance can have them for breakfast.

At the Diner, Viv thanks Steven for helping her get a date with Matt.Vicki and her friend arrive and Vicki asks Viv for the essay Viv was doing for her.Viv airily remarks that she forgot and says she doesn’t want to be part of Vicki’s gang anymore.Carly jokes that Vicki will have to do the essay herself, the night of the dance.Vicki insists she’s going with Matt and Steven quietly remarks that that’s unlikely.Steven and Viv go for a walk together and admit they both did their own essays days ago.Viv is worried Vicki was right about Matt going with her but Steven tells her not to listen.

However, it’s enough to make Viv go down to the beach to ask Matt.He assures her he wants to go with her and realises what’s happened, storming back to the Diner to confront Carly.He angrily tells her to make sure Vicki knows he isn’t going with her.Later, Carly and Martin are both moaning about their respective woes, barely listening to the other’s complaints, when they come to a realisation at the same time:There’s a way for Carly to humiliate Vicki without upsetting Matt and for Martin to convince Lance he isn’t after Marilyn all in one go.

Pippa is washing the car when Sally calls out to her on her return from school.Pippa is shocked to see Sally is riding a horse;she explains his name is Piccolo and her friend Jenny lent him to her because he’s for sale. She asks Pippa if they can buy him.A short while later, in the house, Tom is on the phone to Jenny’s dad arranging for him to collect Piccolo while Pippa admonishes Sally for riding on the road.Sally says Piccolo only costs $500 but Tom and Pippa point out it will cost a lot more to kit him out and keep him.Sally protests that they promised they’d get her a horse but Pippa points out she only said they’d think about it. Sally, however, thinks she’s only saying that to get out of it and shouts that Ross and Louise will buy her a horse if she asks them because they love her before storming out…