baywatcher

I gather from reading the Aus episode discussion it's been only a year since he died. Understandable that Willow was annoyed at Colby, who then did his best to put things right (again) and just when it looked like Jasmine was going to apologise, she went off on one again. Did Jasmine fire Willow off-screen to spare us another meltdown, or was something cut? John put Alf in a bit of a tricky position but I can see why he feels he doesn't want Marilyn around fussing over him. I'm sure she is genuinely concerned but part of it will be guilt about the last few months, which makes it more about her than John. It was nice of Ari to drop in at the hospital again, given his history with John. I know it's more about supporting Marilyn but he does seem concerned as well. It looks like Tane has backed off from Mac just to keep the peace with Ari, which is quite noble of him, given that Mac had started to show signs of interest. So, she gets Ari by default but does she still want him? I'm not so sure after what she said in the last ep.

It's not looking good for John. Jasmine is going the right way of being banned from having anything to do with Grace. What was she thinking?? Justin was remarkably composed. I really enjoyed Gemma & Nik's scenes. I'm glad Nik said what he was feeling about his dad. It sort of explains his reaction to Ben (not that there was really anything going on). Mac isn't as uninterested in Tane as she made out. She seems unsure about her feelings for Ari because she doesn't know where he stands? What difference does that make? She either likes him or she doesn't. She doesn't want to be in the middle of their posturing though. Tane has clearly been added to the cast because his wardrobe allowance is cheap. He has just taken over Robbo's vests ?

Happy belated birthday to Ray ?. Some nice comments, from cast past and present. https://www.newidea.com.au/home-and-away-ray-meagher-birthday-tribute-cast

I hope John will be ok. Well, it didn't take Ari & Tane long to square up to each other. Tane is a player and isn't used to being told "no" but Mac isn't really helping. She should look like she means it if she says she's not interested. The cultural start to the hangi was a nice touch. Nik didn't seem to like Gemma being friendly with Ben. I really respect Justin for putting aside his feelings to let Jasmine be a part of Grace's life. I don't think there's any suggestion that Jasmine would ever hurt her but my skin is starting to crawl whenever they are on screen together now.

In today's UK episode, Maggie told Ben that she was going for a walk up to the lighthouse. Has it ever been used as a location on screen?

I understand that Jasmine has issues but she seriously over-reacted with Willow. As was said, people aren't just talking about her for gossip but are genuinely concerned about her well-being. Her behaviour with Grace is now very disturbing. Leah looked amazing. I'm glad she and Justin got to have their date before it all hit the fan. Maggie and Ben seem to have reached an understanding, after her rather silly suggestion that they stick to their own parts of town. A few days away visiting Coco will go her good (even though it's odd she can just up and take leave during term-time). It was funny to hear Alf talking about Roo teething and picturing her as she is now ? O.T. I know but have to say that I'm not missing Bella at all (but that's no reflection on how well Courtney plays the role).

Here's an in-depth feature on Ziggy's time in the Bay. https://www.nowtolove.com.au/celebrity/home-and-away/home-and-away-ziggy-64460

Alf criticised Roo for not telling him what had been going on in the Bay re Marilyn & John and Ben & Maggie, saying he would have come back, yet he knew that Leah had been found after a traumatic event but stayed away. ?? It was nice to see Alf & Leah in a scene though. I'm not sure why Dean was so off about Ziggy moving home, as she hadn't officially moved in with him and he was the one who has been encouraging her to support Maggie. Ben did his best to make Maggie feel guilty about Ziggy moving back. Justin must have had a knock on the head that we don't know about entrusting the garage to Ziggy for a few days ? Colby, change the record. At least it looks like he's going to attempt to put things right with Jasmine (who I found very annoying in that episode).

I don't get Marilyn. She made out to Alf & Martha that she had been feeling that way about her marriage before the Parata's but we never had any indication of that. Perhaps it was how John reacted to Jett's situation that started it? Did we actually see Ziggy properly move in with Dean? I thought she had just been staying there after the Marco fallout. I'm glad she's feeling bad about how horrible she was to Maggie. ? at Alf calling Evan "Errol". I thought Roo was going to put her foot in it with Ryder after he'd spent some time with his dad but luckily she found out what he'd said by being cagey. Evan has put Roo in a really difficult position. I'm disappointed that Evan couldn't bring himself to tell Ryder because it's just going to make things worse when Ryder does find out.

Welcome home Alf ? We now know why Evan turned up in the Bay. Can't help feeling that it's more about him than Ryder. I wonder how long Ari & Tane's truce will last?

Here's Buddy! Love this photo ?

Ari & Nik carried on being civil, which was nice. Ben seemed happier. Maggie was putting a brave face on it. I'm glad she had some support from Roo. Marilyn was quick to get in contact with John once the nest was empty. Still, it was good for them to spend some time together. I liked Mac & Ari's scenes. She gave him a different perspective on the situation. It's a shame the writers only seem to use her as a second fiddle (like Willow). Gemma thanking Marilyn for what she'd done for them was nice. It's understandable that Gemma wants a proper home for her and Nik. I hope she doesn't come to regret it. We're still none the wiser where Tane got the money from to rent the house. I'm surprised he's prepared to give up his playboy lifestyle so easily. He said he wants to be there for Nik but Nik is now of an age where this shouldn't really be necessary. Ari is only reluctantly moving in to keep on eye on Tane. I guess he's lucky Tane will let him, given how hostile Ari has been towards him. I get that Ari feels responsible but I hope it's not going to be endless conflict between them.

The best thing about that episode was Mac ?. Please give her more screen time. Ben is an idiot, throwing his marriage away like that. Maggie is sadly resigned to the situation. At least they weren't arguing about it. Tane is a bit too fly for me. There's something off about him. Are the Parata's all going to play happy families in the house he's renting, or will Ari stay at the caravan park? If Ari does move in, John won't be too happy about him living just across the street. If he ever moves back in, that is. I say that partly in jest, as John seems to have come to terms with Marilyn's friendship with Ari and knows deep down that there's nothing more to it. I get that Ari has concerns about Tane, given everything that has happened (although it's still quite sketchy what did and when it took place). I thought it was nice of Ari to offer the olive branch to Nik.

Tori is making FAR too many excuses for Jasmine. If Justin doesn't end up say "I told you so", then I will. I hope Jasmine honestly meant her apology to Tori & Marilyn but I suspect she only said it because that was the only way she could continue to see Grace. Lustin were cute. No reason why they both shouldn't have differing opinions, so long as both respect each others opinion, which they do anyway. I don't usually find myself siding with Ziggy but she was absolutely right telling Ben to "try harder". Unfortunately it appears to have come to nothing because he just can't get past what has happened.

I'm glad Ryder changed his mind about seeing Evan after setting off for Salt. They seemed to get on ok but then Ryder seemed annoyed that Roo had let Evan have a van. Willow is back to being a go-between again. I usually like Jasmine but I actually agree with Justin that it would probably be best if she had a fresh start somewhere else, or at least went away for a break. Despite Tori imploring her to stay for Grace's sake, can they really trust her again?