A desperate Jack compromises his professional integrity. Belle’s devastated to find her HSC major art work is ruined. Jonah makes a major breakthrough with Martha.
Extended Summary
On a day off Jack is alarmed to receive a call from Rowan, a criminal he’s had dealings with in the past. Rowan insists on a meeting where Jack learns that Rowan has Jack on voice tape arranging to set up Cam with drugs. Rowan will only give Jack the tape if Jack gives him the police evidence they have on Rowan over a recent felony. Jack is forced to agree to the deal, and steals the evidence, but arouses the suspicions of new cop in the Bay, George Watson. Sam is also concerned that Jack isn’t letting on about something as he becomes increasingly edgy and keeps going missing. But Jack manages to convince Sam that all’s well. Jack meets with Rowan again and exchanges the evidence for the tape, but George has tailed him and is watching the exchange. George later confronts Jack about the missing evidence, and lets him know he saw the exchange take place. Jack’s mortified that he’s about to be turned in, but George, being a bent cop himself, sees him as a fellow traveller. Jack’s secret is safe for now, but Jack knows that George has a hold on him.
When Drew, Belle, and Lucas return in high spirits, after scoping out the exhibition space, they walk in on Tony and Jazz making out. Drew and Lucas, are furious, but worse is to follow. Belle discovers that the dripping wine has damaged her photos on the installation. Angry words are exchanged. Later in the evening Tony offers Jazz money to give to Belle for some new prints. He tells Jazz to let the kids think the money was hers, in the hope that it might ease some of the bad feeling towards her. Jazz is grateful, but the same can’t be said of Belle when Jazz offers her the cash. Belle eventually takes it, but not before both she and Drew had well and truly vented their anger on Jazz. Lucas convinces Belle to exhibit the damaged photos anyway while requesting the markers use their discretion and only mark the piece when the replacement photos are ready. It’s Jazz who informs Belle that Sally and her art teacher have agreed to such a scheme. Belle gets cold feet at the exhibition and angst’s as she’s invited the editor of the local paper, Dale, to view her work. Belle is in the process of trying to withdraw the installation when Dale turns up. The boys unsuccessfully try to distract Dale from seeing Belle’s project and are shocked when Dale sees the ruined photos as being in keeping with the overall theme of “corruption of the planet.”
Martha is having trouble seeing Jonah around all the time. She hasn’t yet processed the time they spent trapped together – worse, she’s not even sure what happened in the dead of night between them. Jonah’s having similar problems, but while he wants to talk about them, Martha doesn’t. She does however feel bad when people continue dumping on Jonah and she talks George out of busting Jonah for breech of parole when he finds him drinking on the beach. Jonah thinks he sees some progress in his relationship with Martha, when for the first time she finally calls him Michael.