Episode 3672

Extended Summary

RECAP
Sally tells Alf that a new principal has been appointed, and also that she doesn’t want to stay at the school if she can’t be principal – if she doesn’t get a transfer she’ll leave teaching.
Helen Poulos is furious at Brodie’s behaviour towards Alex
Noah reassures the still unconscious Hayley that it’ll all be alright soon
Noah breaks down as he looks at an old picture of he and Hayley

***

THE PALACE
Dani and Scott discuss the accident with Noah, Dani devastated at the prospect of losing her. Chris (Kris?) is also present, and checks that it’s alright to stay there for a few days – it’ll be world war three over at Leah’s now that they know about Alex and Brodie.

PATTERSON HOUSE
Helen bad-mouths Brodie, and Jesse recieves a glare as he points out that Alex actually played a part in what went on. She changes the subject, opting to blame Leah for everything instead – she should have told them about it, and Theo blacks her up. Leah can’t believe what she’s hearing – she no one could have stopped Alex and Brodie anyway – Alex doesn’t listen to them. Helen angrily dwells on the fact that neither Alex nor Leah listen to their parents, and Jesse decides to retaliate, taunting Leah’s parents about not being at VJ’s party – it would have meant so much to have the whole family there, and VJ missed them. Helen and Theo’s excuses don’t wash, and the pair decide to stir up more trouble by refusing to sleep in Jesse and Leah’s bed, then going on to reject Hay;ey’s bed as well (“we can’t sleep in that poor girls bed”). For once, I can actually understand Leah’s glare.

BEACH
Alf is off fishing as Jesse catches up with him, having been on a jog. He has had more than enough of “Cyclone Poulo’s” which has struck the Patterson House. Jesse still has his knickers in a twist over Alex, and Alf advises him to put the agro to one side – he can’t possibly blame Alex for everything, and he ought to make some effort with the family, as somewhere down the track Alex will be his brother-in-law. Alf asks Jesse to stick his nose into Sally’s business instead, and make sure she knows “what she’s doing”.

PATTERSON HOUSE
More tension strikes over what time VJ will be getting up in the morning, with Helen wanting to change the usual routine. Stubborn as ever, Jesse asserts that he ALWAYS gets VJ up, and will do so after he has had a shower.

THE PALACE
Noah is in a quandry about what to do… it’s his first day as school counsellor but he wants to go and see Hayley. Scott advises him to speak to Sally about the situation, and he goes off to make the phone call.
Dani is up and about, and hasn’t slept properly due to worrying about Hayley. Scott reassures her and as Chris enters she leaves to have a shower. A look which I didn’t really ‘get’ is exchanged by Chris and Scott behind Dani’s back. It just felt significant as the music came to quite an abrupt halt, restarting after ‘the look’… kinda a sympathy look I guess.

DINER
Seb and Jade are are already fed up of school, counting the days to freedom – 206. Jesse arrives for breakfast at the diner, having escaped the wrath of Helen. Alf helpfully points out Sally and Jesse goes to have his chat. Sally decides that she is in a rush, and they resolve to talk later, and in her hurry to get out she spills her coffee over a mystery man in a suit. He is surprisingly understanding, and as Jesse refers top her as Sal, he wonders whether she is Sally Fletcher? It transpires that he’s Barry Hyde, the new principal… and she’s his deputy. He didn;t expect their first meeting to be as such, but tells her that next time he likes his coffee black, no sugar.

PATTERSON HOUSE
Theo and Helen worry and argue about everything that is going on in their family, with Leah getting increasingly wound up by them. Helen isn’t impressed about Leah moving from one guy to the next (!) and is even more disaproving about Leah’s poor sense of family – she’s giving away ‘their grandchild’. That old arguement repeats itself, and Theo’s intervention asking how the coffee’s coming along doesn’t recieve a good reception either. Theo indicates for Chris to leave he and Helen alone.

NEAR THE BEACH
Matilda, Henry and Max walk to school, with the former two criticising the school before they’ve even stepped inside. They continue to refer to Max as ‘Nigel’… but he doesn’t know what it means. Jade and Seb approach, and they exchange words about Robbie and Tasha’s naked escapades! Matilda blames Tasha for everything (presumably the feral girl tore Robbie’s clothes off), and Henry comments that people would pay for Jade to keep her clothes ON. Needless to say, Seb doesn’t take well to the criticism of his other half. Henry, charming as ever. reckons Jade’s family’s mad anyway – her Dad’s always mad at someone, and her sister has run off with a criminal! Jade tells him that they don’t know the first thing about the family, and Jade, Seb and Max take off together, leaving Maltilda to tell Henry that Robbie would NEVER have got away with his nude run whilst Jack was around.

SCHOOL
Sally is showing Hyde around his new workplace, with him enquiring about music programmes and plans that she has for the place. She tells him that it’s about HIS ideas now (most likely a cover-up for the fact she has no plans of her own!). He is horrified by the fact that girls are allowed to wear jeans to school, and requests a list of underachieving students from all classes. She refuses on the grounds that she won’t be sticking around, claiming there to be personal problems involved. He has clicked onto the fact that there were no problems whilst she was being considered for the post of principal and tells her she’s a good teacher, that he wants to keep – he won’t be supporting her bid for a transfer.

Hyde steps onto the stage for his first assembly, his staff sat behind him. He makes a formal speech about the challenging year that awaits them, and by reciting the school motto. Henry, Matilda and Henry talk through the speech, and Jade notices that Max is downhearted – he’s thinking about Eloise. Hyde tells them that proper uniform WILL be worn in school – this includes dresses for the girls. Henry calls Max ‘Nigel’ again, and gives him a shove, which manages to land Max smack-bang in the middle of the seats (ie. the gap up the middle of the rows, right in front of Hyde). Henry and Matilda are greatly amused by the embarrassment Max gets from Hyde for his interruption. Hyde remarks that he has heard of Max Sutherland – a plagiarist, and although Mr Fisher liked his books, Hyde makes it clear that he is NOT Fisher.

BREAK

DINER
Alf and Leah discuss Hayley – she’s still being stabilised and is not up for visitors. Helen arrives, asking Leah for a spare key, which Leah actually left on the kitchen bench for her. Leah has to give her mother her own key, and is hoffified to discover that Helen has left VJ outside in the car! (and remembering that this is the same super-baby that once disappeared from Jesse’s sight in a split second on the beach, then there’s some cause for concern).

SCHOOL
Max rushes up to Henry, demanding to know what Nigel means, but apparently he’s “too much of a Nigel to understand”. A fight ensues (I must admit, a pretty decent fight for Summer Bay) in which Max lunges at Henry, and is sent sprawling onto the floor. Henry promptly gives Max a good kick up the backside, before holding him in a headlock as Max attempts to get revenge.

Hyde and Noah walk through the school, joined by Sally, and Hyde is enquiring as to what skills Noah will bring to his new position as school counsellor, and as Noah talks about wanting to help kids, Sally chips in to tell Hyde of Noah’s work at the Drop In Centre. Hyde takes Noah’s connections with the Drop In Centre as a positive, for rather different reasons than just his experience – he wants a list of names of clients from the Drop In Centre so he can ‘keep on top of things’. Noah refuses, on privacy grounds, but Hyde doesn’t see privacy as a priority when they’ve been entrusted with the welfare of every child in school.
Hyde comes across the warring Henry and Max, who spring apart as he arrives on the scene. Neither boy explains the situation, giving one another daggers instead. Hyde reccommends that they sort things out in the boxing ring.

Max and Henry’s class file into class and take their seats, with Henry ignoring Max’s protest at him sitting down in a particular seat. Sally explains the situation to the class – they lost Eloise to cancer the previous year – and Henry swiftly moves. Max suggests a minute silence in rememberance, and as the class stand and bow their heads, Hyde enters to enquire what is going on. Max rudely asks Hyde to be silent, and Hyde reacts with his usual disciplinary style, objecting not to the silence, but to Max’s attitude. He announces that due to Max the class will be in detention – and they can observe an hour of silence.

OUTSIDE SURF CLUB
Dani wants to see Hayley, and Scott tries to comfort her that Hayley will be fine. Sally arrives, wondering what is up with Robbie – he didn’t turn up for school in the morning. Neither is Tasha – but she doesn;t want to worry Irene about it. Scott decides to take the matter into his own hands.

Matilda is complaining about her sandwich being gross, and they go to ask Max, who is seated alone, where all his friends are. A couple of older guys approch to talk to Max, and as Matilda oggles at them, they fool around making Henry look stupid – he leaves. As the guys leave, Matilda marvels at how Max knows them, and tells Max that Henry calling him a ‘Nigel’ just means he’s “really stupid or something”. She then sits down to join Max, telling him that she DOESN’T think he’s stupid. He has clocked onto the fact that she’s only after his friends, and sends her away.

Leah is getting more and more wound up at Helen’s interference in her life, and Jesse says that there is two options – either they stick it out, or they tell Theo and Helen to find somewhere else to stay.

SCHOOL
Hyde arerives in a classroom to see Sally and Noah, wanting to set up an office for him – preferably near his own, so that he can keep an eye on things – he isn’t bothered about whether kids feel relaxed. He makes it clear that he is no fan of counselling – in his eyes it encourages victim mentality. Resiliance and self-alliance are the qualities that kids need. Noah’s phone interrupts them, to Hyde’s disapproval, and Noah has to rush off to the hospital. Hyde comments that Noah seems very ‘young’ to take on the responsibilities of the job, but Sally backs Noah up with confidence.

PATTERSON HOUSE
Helen is now whining about Leah’s lack of communication to her family to Jesse, who not surprisingly isn’t all that willing to listen, and reminds Helen of everything that Leah has on her plate. Helen assumes that this is why Leah is letting Alex run wild, and that she should be looking out for her borther – and JESSE should be looking out for Leah. Jesse comes out and tells Helen that the ONLY problem Leah has is her, and it escalates into an arguement. Theo intervenes to explain that they just care about Leah, and it’s not in ‘the same way’ as Jesse does. Helen isn’t prepared to be talked to in her daughters house with the tone that Jesse is using on her, but he coldly tells her that it is he and Leah’s house – he pays half the bills and for the food. Leah loves them both to death and she just needs their approval and support – otherwise they can leave.

SCHOOL
Seb is concerned about Hyde un-doing all the good that Fisher put into the school and Jade and Max join in the whinge about their new head. They reckon it’ll be like living in the dark ages. Max then goes on to do an impression of ‘the evil’ Dr Jeckell, and fails to notice Mr Hyde walking up behind him. Hyde advises him to read – because he got Hyde and Jeckell mixed up… Jeckell is the bad one, whereas HE is Hyde, the evil one… and he never changes back. With that, Hyde continues his stroll up the corridor, leaving a shaken Max behind him.

HOSPITAL
Noah races into the hospital, desperate to know what is going on. Chris is the only person around, and he knows nothing at all… presumably he has just been sitting there and not thinking to ask anyone. It is Noah who confronts the nurse, who goes to find out – Noah NEEDS to know if something is wrong…