Episode 404

Extended Summary

Pippa and Coral are discussing Morag and Danny’s relationship; Pippa doesn’t believe anything was going on between them and points out it’s academic now anyway. She asks Steven to go to Danny’s caravan and ask if he wants to join them for dinner. Bobby arrives and also manages to get a dinner invite. She asks about Tom, who isn’t quite ready to come out of hospital yet, and then complains about Emma and the chaos she caused at the Diner. Steven goes to Danny’s caravan with the invite. Danny thanks him but says he doesn’t want company. After Steven has gone, he places the photo of himself and his father on top of a cabinet.

At the Diner, Matt is inviting Viv to the cinema to see a film about a surfer seeking revenge on some sharks. Viv doesn’t seem very enthusiastic but agrees to go. As Matt is leaving, Emma makes her opinion of him plain. Viv follows her into the kitchen to question her attitude but Emma says she’s been out with enough guys to know they’re all the same. The last one she went out with suddenly deciding he was in love with her so-called best friend so she’s decided she can only trust herself.

Morag goes to the store and tells Celia she was right about the gossips having a field day with her and Danny and that she knows Celia is blameless in it all. When Morag mentions that she’ll be on her own again with everything that’s going on, Celia suggests she stays over at her place but Morag says it hasn’t got that far and she’ll manage to keep herself occupied. Later on, Morag is doing a jigsaw, whilst wearing her dressing gown. The clock chimes and she heads off to bed. Danny watches through the window and, as soon as she’s gone, he lets himself in.

Pippa is going over the books and notes that, without Tom’s wage from Macklin’s, things are going to be stretched. She comments on how they came to Summer Bay to concentrate on simpler things but it hasn’t worked out that way. Coral says she and Bert had the same problem but Pippa says they can’t have done that badly if she can afford to buy them expensive presents. Steven comes down and asks to borrow the calculator for his homework. He wonders about the chances of getting a calculator of his own as an early birthday present. Pippa admits they’re not good.

Early next morning, Adam, Matt and their crewmate are practising on their raft, singing jovial rowing songs as they try out the course. Bobby watches from the bank with a stopwatch and doesn’t look happy. In the kitchen at the Diner, she admits to Viv that the boys are managing to do it in sixteen and a half seconds. Viv tells her that Cathy has had to pull out of the team, since her mother’s in hospital and she needs to look after her sister. They wonder about a replacement as Emma comes in, not wearing her bomber jacket at present but still in a dark colour scheme. They invite her to join them but she isn’t interested. After Bobby’s gone, Viv asks Emma again but she says that, while she can see Bobby wants to win the bet, she doesn’t see why the rest of them should kill themselves for it.

Morag comes downstairs to find someone has finished the jigsaw. She mentions it to Danny when they meet up but thinks she must have finished it herself. Danny tries to convince her it was the intruder and thinks he should move back in but Morag tells her him moving out was the right choice and Celia was right. Danny heads to the store and talks to Celia about the situation. He says the psycho is now playing mind games with Morag and she shouldn’t be alone. Celia points out she was the one who thought Danny should move out but Danny says she should change Morag’s mind, if she wants her to be safe.

Pippa and Coral are sorting out a shopping list; Coral says she’s heading into Yabbie Creek because there’s more choice there. As she leaves, she passes Steven and asks him if he’s going anywhere and he says he isn’t. Steven points out to Pippa that when they first moved in Tom had Frank to help him around the caravan park and suggests he leaves school to help out, saying he can study part-time and go to university later. Pippa tells him that she and Tom both want him to graduate but he can still help out in the meantime with the maintenance, handing him a cloth and bucket. Steven goes to Danny’s caravan and begins cleaning it, stumbling across the photo just as Danny returns. Danny says he doesn’t want it cleaned. Steven comments on the photograph and Danny indicates his father is dead. Steven says his is too but Danny doesn’t want to talk about it. After Steven has gone, Danny tells the photo that it won’t be long now.

Bobby gets off the phone in the Diner and tells Viv that Bruce, a fishing mate of Alf’s, has told her that the current is stronger on the left, so if they get over that side they’re bound to win. Viv says she doesn’t want to be on the team anymore, saying she understands Bobby wants to win the bet but there’s nothing in it for her. Annoyed, Bobby points out they were meant to be raising funds for the surf club. Bobby realises Emma has spoken to her and rounds on her, telling her if she doesn’t get on with her job she’ll fire her, whatever Ailsa says, but Emma doesn’t seem to care. Later, Bobby moans to Pippa about it at the house; they tried to include Emma and not only did she throw it back in their face but she’s caused Viv to drop out and leave her and Carly on their own. Pippa thinks she should give Emma time, pointing out she went through it seven times. Bobby wants Pippa to talk to Ailsa and tell her about Dodge and how two-faced he was but Pippa says that hardly makes her an authority on the subject. Steven and Coral enter; Coral has given Steven an expensive calculator. Pippa thinks it’s too much but Coral says it’s only money.

Later, at the store, Pippa tells Celia about the incident and notes Coral’s always been the same, she gave Carly a designer sweater for her last birthday. Celia talks to her about Morag, saying she’s worried she’s not coping with the intruder. Pippa offers to drop in on her but Celia says it’s her responsibility. She heads round to Morag’s and tells her she has a proposal for her. In his caravan, Danny frets, saying it’s got to happen soon and Celia must get Morag to change her mind. He says he keeps having a vision where he’s driving a car at Morag when Bobby appears between them, causing him to swerve, then just looks at him and walks away. Taking the photograph of his father, he says if it wasn’t for Morag he’d be able to tell him what to do.

At the house, Morag has agreed to Celia’s proposal on condition she makes sure there’s no further gossip from the likes of Betty and Doris. Celia promises and they drink a toast to compromise. Danny arrives and Morag tells him he’s just in time since he and Celia have convinced her she shouldn’t be living alone: As of that night, Celia’s going to be living with her!