Episode 408

Extended Summary

Ailsa tells Alf that it’s going to take Emma time to get past her abuse and trust men again and anything physical has to be on her terms. Alf isn’t sure he’s up to it and Ailsa admits it’s difficult. They are interrupted by a persistent knocking at the door: It’s Morag, who tells them a man wearing a mask has hung himself in her front room and asks them to call the police. The three of them head back to the house where Alf goes in alone only to find no sign of the man or of the overturned chair Morag saw. Morag and Ailsa come in and Morag is unable to explain it. A policeman arrives and asks what the problem is.

Carly asks Steven if he’s put the solder gun back but Steven is still working out how to do it. Carly reminds him he still has a record from what happened with Dodge and Steven reflects Dodge could probably tell him what to do. Pippa calls for help from the kitchen and Carly goes to her. She tells Pippa about Adam two-timing her with Emma and Pippa says she needs to apologise to Emma for blaming her. Carly goes to the Diner and tells Emma she’s sorry, it was easier to blame her than accept Adam wasn’t interested. Emma is initially caustic but eventually softens, telling Carly you can’t trust men and they should all be drowned at birth.

Alf and Ailsa are downstairs at Morag’s house, wondering about what happened. Danny arrives, saying he needed to drop off some papers, and Alf tells him what happened. Morag comes down and accuses them all of thinking she’s crazy, ordering them out. The three of them decamp to the Stewart house where Danny says he thinks Morag needs help. Ailsa suggests she comes and stays with them but Alf disagrees, saying he’ll arrange for Morag to go to a rest home if that’s what she needs.

Danny goes back to his caravan and places the rope and mask on the table. He says it worked like a charm and they’ve got Morag on the run. During the night, Morag goes downstairs and sits in a chair, hugging a cushion. She is asleep there the next morning when Danny comes in and opens the curtains, claiming the back door was unlocked. He reminds her she has an appointment in half an hour but she tells him to cancel everything for the day. He tries to talk to Morag about what happened but she brushes him aside and tells him to go to the office to take calls. Danny looks annoyed that Morag still hasn’t cracked.

The Stewart household are getting ready to leave: Alf is taking Duncan to the babysitter and giving Ailsa and Emma a lift to the Diner. Morag arrives and asks to speak to Ailsa. Ailsa tells Alf and Emma to go on ahead but Emma says she’d rather walk and she and Alf leave separately. Ailsa makes Morag a coffee and Morag admits that, with the hanged man and the door being unlocked, she thinks she might be going mad. Ailsa says that if she thinks that she probably isn’t but worries that she’s stressed and suggests she seeks professional help.

Alf opens up the store, where Steven has been waiting outside. He is wearing a big coat to hide the solder gun. He tells Alf he needs a folder for school and Celia keeps them out the back. When Alf is gone, he puts the solder gun back on the shelf. Alf finds him standing by them and says he’ll put one of them aside until Steven’s got enough money. In the Diner kitchen, Carly and Emma are preparing sandwiches. Emma asks Carly about Samantha and why Carly was fostered and she wasn’t. Carly says her dad hates her. She asks Emma about her family and Emma says her real father was the best man in the world but he died when she was eight. When she was ten, her mother married her stepfather and always insisted he wasn’t doing anything to her. She makes a hasty exit, colliding with Steven as she does so. Steven tells Carly he’s replaced the solder gun and they can’t tell Coral they want anything from now on.

Morag gets home and finds the phone ringing. Danny is speaking to her from a call box, with a distorted voice, and tells her it could be her body swinging soon. Morag hangs up and smiles, saying now she knows he’s real so she can defeat him. At the Stewart house, Ailsa talks to Emma about her misunderstanding with Alf, saying she has to start trusting him. Emma walks out but Ailsa follows her and tells her Alf was upset and wasn’t trying anything. Emma says that’s what her mother always said about Eric but Ailsa insists the situation’s different and asks her to give Alf a chance. Emma reluctantly agrees.

At the Diner, Carly is serving a customer a rather elaborate sandwich while Morag makes caustic remarks at the counter. Ailsa and Emma arrive and Morag suggests Emma wash her hands before handling food before talking to Ailsa. She tells her about the phone call and asks her to keep quiet about it. She is convinced she doesn’t need the police and can handle it on her own. Later, at the caravan park house, Carly asks Pippa if she knows anything about Emma’s past with men. Pippa says she doesn’t know anything specific and it’s not really their business and Carly agrees. Pippa says Coral’s taken Sally down the beach and Carly comments on her expensive presents. Pippa says she’s not to ask for anything else and Carly insists she wasn’t going to.

Morag gets a locksmith round the house to change the locks on both the doors and the windows, with him noting she just needs guard dogs and landmines now. However, Morag then goes to Danny’s caravan and asks him to move back in with her…