Episode 688

Extended Summary

At the caravan park house, Pippa is clearing up after Mrs.McGinty’s rampage and complaining to Alf, who is delivering some groceries.Steven returns home and tells them he passed, speculating that he might get into Science or Electronics at university.Pippa and Alf both congratulate him and Pippa says Tom would have been proud.Alf asks how Marilyn did and Steven says she passed everything.Alf wonders about the exam she missed and Steven says they passed her on the work she did during the year.

At the Diner, Marilyn thanks Don for helping her through the exams.Ailsa congratulates her, noting she never passed her HSC.Bobby checks over Marilyn’s results and notes she could get into any course she wants, such as Law.Adam scoffs at the idea but shuts up when Bobby snaps at him.Later, Patricia arrives and Don tells her how proud they all are of Marilyn.Marilyn and Adam leave.Don and Patricia reflect on teaching and Patricia asks if he’s heard from Grant.Don hasn’t and Patricia wonders if she’s still got a job. She says she’s happy to stay as long as Don needs her and Don says if he doesn’t hear from Grant he’ll assume he’s not coming back.

Blake and Karen are trying to fix Alf’s old pushbike by the side of the road;the chain has come off again. Haydn comes along on his new speeder bike.Karen decides to walk to the shops.Haydn offers her a lift on his bike but she turns him down and leaves.Blake also refuses Haydn’s offer of help but Haydn isn’t bothered and cycles off.At the Fletcher house, Pippa and Steven suggest Ben is keeping his head down after his goat ruined the celebratory breakfast.Pippa suggests they have a special dinner instead.Steven thanks her for helping him take his exams after everything that happened with Jennifer.Pippa admits that, now it’s all over, she understands why he behaved the way he did and thinks he was lucky to have the experience.

Don and Bobby arrive home.Bobby is trying to convince Don to ask Patricia out to dinner but he doesn’t want a repeat of what happened with Pippa and only sees her as a friend.Bobby suggests that the three of them go for a picnic on the beach instead and Don agrees.At the beach house, Adam wants to take Marilyn out to buy her a graduation present.Marilyn notes there’s a family of stuffed wombats at the store that she’s had her eye on and suggests Adam buys her the baby.As they’re about to go, Alf arrives with a present for Marilyn.She opens the large box to find the biggest of the wombats.As she’s thanking Alf, Adam leaves the room, looking disgruntled.

Blake and Karen are still trying to fix the bike when Haydn comes back in the opposite direction.Haydn mocks their transport but Blake insists he could beat Haydn in a 2km race, using the bikes they’re using now.Haydn tells him to name the time and place and cycles off.Karen is exasperated at what Blake has just done.They head home where Karen tries to talk Blake out of it, thinking he’s got no chance of beating Haydn’s twelve-speed bike.Alf comes home and Blake tries to convince him to put gears on his bike.He admits it’s for a race with Haydn and Alf says he’s no chance.

At the beach house, Marilyn is telling Adam how delighted she is with Alf’s gift but Adam is in a bad mood and snaps at her.When she asks him what’s wrong, he tells her that he thinks she’s moving on with her life and leaving him behind.Marilyn tries to reassure him but it doesn’t have much effect.Meanwhile, at the Fletcher house, Don congratulates Steven on his results before telling Pippa he’s looking for Patricia, saying it’s about school business.At that moment, Patricia arrives to pay her rent.Pippa and Steven leave and Don invites Patricia on the picnic.Despite joking that she can’t swim and will have to buy a costume, Patricia agrees.

Blake insists to Karen that he’ll sort something but admits his best hope is the bike being stolen.Karen says nobody would steal it and Blake would have more chance of breaking his leg.They arrive at the surf club;Blake now has his arm in a sling.He tells Haydn the race is off until his arm gets better.Haydn throws a ball at him and he catches it with both arms.Haydn says the race is back on.At the Diner, Marilyn asks Ailsa’s advice about Adam’s behaviour.Ailsa thinks Adam is jealous that she managed to do something by herself.Marilyn is considering going to university but would want Adam’s support and neither of them are sure if he would give it.

At the Fletcher house, Pippa brings Steven a lettergram.He is delighted to discover the best university in the country has offered him a place in Science or Medicine.Pippa is slightly upset at how far away it is, since she was secretly hoping he would come home at weekends.She notes she’s going to miss him but accepts he’s eighteen now.She makes her excuses and heads upstairs as Blake arrives to talk to Steven. They go to the Diner, where Blake asks Steven to tell Haydn the gears on his new bike don’t work.Steven refuses but says he made a new set of gears in Metalwork;only problem is he never took them home and they’re still at the school.However, he does know a way to get in…

Marilyn goes to see Bobby to talk about the fact Bobby didn’t go to university.Bobby says it wasn’t because of Frank, she just didn’t know what she wanted to do.She suggests Marilyn should forget what Adam wants and do what’s best for her.Don comes home as Marilyn is leaving and tells Bobby that Patricia agreed to the picnic.Marilyn goes home;Adam thinks she wants him to move out but she tells him she’s not going to university.She’s been moving around all her life and is finally settled in Summer Bay, where she’s got friends, a job, a home and a boyfriend.She asks Adam how he feels about her and he says he really likes her.Marilyn points out he says that about his surf board and he admits he loves her.

Blake arrives home and tells Karen he’s sorted himself out a set of gears.He says Steven’s said he can have them but they’re at the school and admits he’s going to break in to get them.Karen tells him he’s set a new record in dumb and storms out.Blake doesn’t look particularly bothered.