Episode 1249

Extended Summary

It starts in the Diner where Fin’s on duty and Luke, Roxy and Bill order their food and while they wait, Tug comes in and talks about the party Sarah’s holding for him. Roxy warns him that Alf’s on the war path about the party and when he gets to Sarah’s, Alf’s ready with his lecture, after congratulating him on winning his Bronze Medallion. He assures him it’s pizzas and videos and nothing else, so Alf and Ailsa leave them to it. Back at the Diner, Luke gets nervous when Bill goes to help Fin carry the dirty dishes into the kitchen and Roxy tells him that Fin seems to be coping with him okay. She comments she hopes Bill will leave them alone for a while because since his arrival they haven’t had much time for themselves. When it’s time to go, Bill wants to stay and help Fin and when he says he thinks Fin’s sexy, Luke flips and drags poor Bill out, leaving Roxy and Fin baffled. He takes Bill back to the school and tries to explain why he mustn’t use the word ‘sexy’ in conversation when talking about girls but he makes a bad job of it and leaves Bill confused.

Pippa’s laid up with a twisted ankle which happened when she went to get the washing in, so Michael’s having to get the snacks ready for the card game and wonders if she would prefer to call it off but she won’t hear of it. Damian asks her if the story about Loopy Lorna killing her boyfriend was true and she says it was wasn’t because he turned up later and she was released. She goes on to say that because the woman likes to live alone, doesn’t mean she’s loopy. Michael advises he find another route to take and he says he’s got to go to the library to do some studying. Alf and Ailsa arrive as he’s about to leave and he presses Alf for more information on Loopy Lorna but he confirms what Pippa had told him. As the card game gets underway, the other party is not going smoothly. Sarah and Angel are watching a girlie video which is not to Tug and Shane’s taste and they are bored. When Shane spots the booze and thinks they should have a drink, Tug nearly flips and points out that Alf has probably marked the bottles and it is a bad idea. They go and join the girls but it’s not long before Shane starts moaning about being bored and suggests going bowling but Sarah says they can’t because she’s looking after Duncan.

Back at the Diner, Roxy and Fin try to understand Luke’s behaviour and Fin hopes her friendship with Bill is not in jeopardy. Damian comes in after his spell in the library but he’s not been working on the history assignment, he’s been delving into Loopy Lorna’s past. When Fin reminds him that he’s hasn’t done his assignment, he quips he’ll ask for an extension and goes on to say he knows Lorna Brennan’s name from somewhere and it’s bugging him. Roxy takes some refreshment to the school for Luke and Bill and when Bill goes to wash his hands, Roxy talks to him about the incident at the Diner. She tells him he’s only confusing Bill and that it’s not wrong for him to fancy Fin.

The card game goes well and when they start talking about Laurel and Hardy, they end up in stitches at some of the sketches they remember. Pippa laughs the loudest and suddenly feels guilty and Ailsa tries to comfort her. As Alf and Michael take a back seat, Ailsa manages to cheer Pippa up, just as Damian returns home. He tries to talk to Alf about his find but Michael stops him and tells him Pippa’s upset, so he goes upstairs. After Alf and Ailsa leave, Pippa turns to Michael and says she feels guilty and will apologise to Alf the next day. She decides to turn in as Damian comes back down and he tells Michael he know who Lorna Brennan is – she’s one of Australia’s top runners. He says she was a certainty for the Montreal Olympics but pulled out when her boyfriend, who was her coach, went missing and she’s still rated in the top ten today. Michael remembers the story but still tells Damian to stay away from her but will he?

The party mood is at a low ebb and Shane decides a game of strip poker will liven things up but he has to goad the girls into participating. When he’s the first to have to remove an item of clothing, Angel is delighted but he’s convinced her time will come. Sarah’s the next and she removes an earring and Tug is relieved but Shane’s got the hump. As the game progress, the boys are topless and it’s Angel’s turn to shed some clothing, so she removes her top but she’s got a petticoat on and Shane’s miffed again. At that point, Alf and Ailsa return.

It ends with Alf demanding what the hell is going on…

Avril M Harrison