Episode 3761

Extended Summary

RECAP
Tasha shows Robbie the cash she has hidden on the underside of one of her drawers
Irene tries to talk sense into Tasha – the money is her future. Tasha tells her if she takes the money to put it somewhere safe she’ll hate her.
Jesse arrives home plastered after a night out, grabs he and Scott a beer, and proceeds to try and waken the whole house – “Jesse, Jesse, Jesse! OI, OI, OI!”
Jesse replaces his key to Leah’s on her table, and leaves – presumably without locking the door. Tsk.

***

NEAR THE BEACH
Alf looks out to sea, complete with long black coat and trademark straw hat (although I could swear it was a new one?), as Jesse walks up towards him. They each look as gloomy as the weather as Alf comments how the Bay has “gone to the dogs” – now it’s all secrets, lies and problems with no answers. As rain drops fall down from the sides of his baseball cap, Jesse admits that he knows how Alf feels – they can’t go back. Things change and people just have to move on – he and Leah haven’t got a “hope in hell” of getting back together. Alf warns him not to overdo it on the nights out, but Jesse assures him that he’ll get back on track once it’s all out of his system. However, he is unable to tell Alf which “track” he is planning on joining.

THE PALACE
As Jesse arrives back, Noah has a word to him about him staying at the Palace – it was only meant to be temporary, and they promised Will a room for the wedding. Jesse is cool about things, and assures Noah that he’ll be out of their hair by lunch time the following day.

ALF’S FLAT
Irene arrives to ask Alf a favour – she needs Kim taking off her hands for a while, as she is so preoccupied with Tasha and with Kirsty getting home that day she’ll have her hands full. Alf acknowledges her plight, but the thought of a big ol’ piece of wood sitting in the corner of his home doesn’t seem to appeal. Irene is desperate to be rid of him though, assuring Alf that Kim doesn’t complain – he’s just going through a rough patch, and the last thing he needs is to be caught up in Tasha’s problems – she has inherited her mother’s ability to get under people’s skin. Alf politely declines to take him in, and Irene assures him that she’ll cope. However, the minute she walks out, Alf chases after her to change his mind – it’ll probably do him some good to have somebody around the place. She can bring Kim around after school, and now all she has to concern herself with is Tasha.

SCHOOL
Tasha is surrounded by a group of supposedly cool random girls, who invite her to join them for dinner at the diner. She accepts, but after they leave, Robbie and Max ask why she agreed to hang around with a group of airhead snobs who are only sucking up to her because she has money. Tasha tells them that she doesn’t care – “if they want to suck up, let them”
Matilda asks Henry to keep Robbie and Max out of the way for a while – she wants to have a little chat with Tasha. Little dollar signs in her eyes give away her intentions.

In an empty classroom, Matilda advises Tasha to be wary about her money – some people will only try to take advantage. Matilda points out that they’re friends, and says that she needs some advice. She’s worried about Beth… Kim interrupts them, and Matilda has to abandon her scheming for the time being, arranging to meet Tasha for lunch at the diner.

BEACH HOUSE
Tasha’s room looks like a bomb has hit it as Irene stands in the centre of the mess, scratching her head. Kane arrives back, and she claims to be doing a bit of spring cleaning… her lie, howeverm, doesn’t wash and she admits to have been searching for Tasha’s stash of cash. Kane reminds her that Tasha will flip once she realises Irene has been through her things, but Irene is more concerned about what will happen to Tasha’s money if she is left to take care of it – it’ll either get lost or nicked, or she’ll start giving it out to “every Tom, Dick and Harry in the neighbourhood”. Kane insists that he’ll pay Tasha back every cent, but Irene assures him that she knows HE’LL do the right thing by her – it’s just the people she doesn’t know about that worry her. Kane offers her a hand in ransacking Tasha’s room.

DINER
Tasha meets Matilda, who at once begins with sob stories about her Mum, and how stressed out she has been. Matilda wishes there was something that she could do, and initially turns down Tasha’s offer of money – “money would probably fix the problem, but I could never ask you for it”. Matilda tells tasha that Beth is upset about a promise she made years ago to she and Henry – they could go on a holiday to LA at the end of YR9 – and she no longer has the money to make it happen. It would cost about $5000, and to sweeten Tasha up, Matilda suggests that Tasha and Robbie accompany them.

BEACH HOUSE
Kane and Irene are still searching, and Kane finds a letter taped to the underside of one of the drawers, joking that if that’s all that’s left of the money, Irene’s problems are over. Irene doesn’t even want to think about the possibility, and takes the letter, despite Kane’s warning that it could be private – something about her father. Irene is surprised that he knows anything, and he explains that Tasha told him the story in brief – just not who her father is. Against his advice, she opens the letter, adamant that if there’s a letter inside addressed to Tasha, then she won’t read it. She is anguished at what she does read, and Kane recites the message within – “Irene, if you’ve opened this letter I’ll never forgive you, I’ll hate you forever”. It seems the envelope was a trap. Oops.

BREAK

BEACH HOUSE
Irene is looking kinda worried as Tasha arrives home, but is unable to prevent Tasha from heading straight upstairs and discovering that Irene has been through her room with a fine tooth comb. Predictably, she storms back downstairs to give Irene a piece of her mind – she had no right to go through her room. Irene tries to calm her down – she knows she was wrong, but she felt she had no choice. They descend into an arguement about sneakiness – Irene wondering what Tasha was trying to prove with her trap, and demanding that she and Tasha take the money to Flynn for safekeeping. It doesn’t come as a surprise that Tasha refuses point blank, and proceeds to storm out, yelling at Irene that she hates her.

BEACH
Irene catches up with a furious Tasha, still trying to get her to be reasonable about the money. Irene tries to crack down hard on Tasha, insisting that she start listening, but Tasha is in no mood to be dictated to. She has made the decision to move out, and Irene can’t stop her now that she has plenty of money . She tells Irene that she’ll be out of her life by that night and rushes away down the beach, leaving Irene to scream after her in desperation.

ALF’S FLAT
Jesse drops in, conceding that it’s time he strightened up, and mentioning that now Will’s coming down for the wedding, he’ll be needing somewhere to stay. He tells Alf that they got on well last time he stayed, but his hopes are dashed when he realises that Kim has beaten him to it, having moved in about half an hour ago. Alf and Jesse head downstairs for a coffee to give Kim some time to settle in.

DINER
Alf advises Jesse to look for a place of his own, or with someone a bit closer to his own age as opposed to living with a “silly old goat”. Jesse, however, wants to live with a silly old goat – he needs someone to keep him on the straight and narrow. Alf is somewhat amused at the idea of being a chaperone, before reminding Jesse of his recent recordin that department. Alf tells Jesse that he needs a new focus in life – something to take his mind off his troubles.

BUSH
It seems that Tasha has hidden her stash in the middle of the bush. She removes a bag from beneath an old tree trunk/a piece of rock, and stuffs some notes into her pocket. She replaces the bag before departing.

CARAVAN PARK
Max peers over Matilda’s shoulder as she uses the computer, telling her that Henry told him all about her masterplan. Tasha arrives in a fluster to see Robbie, needing somewhere to stay, and Beth rushes over to find out what is going on. Tasha asks if they can stay for a little while – just until they go away – and Beth is baffled to say the least. She knows nothing of the holiday plans, and Tasha explains to her about their holiday to LA…

Beth has dragged Matilda out to the back patio, where she tells her daughter how ashamed she is, but Matilda defends herself by insisting that no one is being hurt. Beth is incensed about the situation her daughter has created – Tasha has come expecting somewhere to stay because she’s paying them money, and now she must be told that she can’t move in after all. Matilda doesn’t see why not, if she can’t go back to Irene’s then she must live somewhere. Beth refuses to allow Matilda to walk away, forcefully telling her that she can’t go on treating people as she has been doing – she took advantage of Tasha’s naivety and generousity. Matilda almost honestly tells Beth that she didn’t just do it for herself – she did it for Henry and Beth as well, and thought they’d be glad of a holiday.

Beth returns inside, where Tasha begs her to let her stay – there’s no way she’s going back to Irene’s as Irene hates her. tasha offers to pay her way, but Beth rejects the offer, her jaw hitting the ground as Tasha pulls out a wad of notes from her pocket. Robbie backs Tasha up, offering to let Tasha share his room if need be. Beth agrees that if Irene allows it, Tasha can stay with them temporarily – it won’t be for money, but it will be because it’s the best thing for her. Beth makes it clear that Robbie and Tasha will NOT be sharing the same room.

BEACH HOUSE
Irene is teary as she comes off the phone, telling Kane that Tasha will be spending some time with the Sutherland’s. Irene is distressed that she was unable to get through to Tasha, and can only be happy that Tasha has chosen somewhere safe to stay – Beth will keep an eye on her. Kane assures Irene that Tasha probably just needs some time to cool off, before inadvertantly winding Irene up again by joking about Robbie and Tasha sleeping under the same roof.

DINER
Jesse seems brighter as he arrives for a coffee, and he tells Alf that he has thought about his advice, and has come up with the “obvious solution”. If it doesn’t settle him down, nothing will.

BEACH HOUSE
Kim arrives for his things, bringing in the post. Irene discovers a letter from Duncan, and Kim is surprised that Duncan actually kept his word. Irene demands that he tell her everything he knows, for Tasha’s own good. Kim can only tell Irene that Duncan had a letter belonging to Tasha that he promised to send back once he got to the States, and Irene works out that Duncan was using the letter to get money out of Tasha – the letter telling Tasha who her father is. No one knows what the letter says except Tasha or Duncan. Kim advises Irene that Tasha wouldn’t want her opening it. She mulls it over – the answers to a lot of questions could be in that envelope…