Home and Away Spoilers – Dean says emotional goodbye to Jai
On this week’s Home and Away in the UK, Dean and Amber finally admit the truth to their situation, leading to Dean saying goodbye to his son once again.
Amber (Maddy Jevic) and Dean (Patrick O’Connor) have had a difficult relationship since Amber first arrived in Summer Bay in July last year. The two have known each other since childhood, growing up together in Mangrove River and previously being part of a close friendship group with Colby and Willow.
That friendship fell apart when Colby, Dean, and Amber’s brother Jai suffered a car accident while chasing after Bella’s father, Ross Nixon. The accident left Jai dead, Dean ended up behind bars, while Colby ran off and left Mangrove River behind.
While Amber always had feelings for Dean, he never felt the same way. They had a number of hookups during their time in Mangrove River, but it never led to anything more… or so Dean thought.
Five years after he last saw Amber, she arrived in the bay as John’s (Shane Withington) carer. She was reunited with Colby, Dean and Amber, and shocked Colby by punching him on their first encounter. However, the biggest shock was for Dean, as she revealed she had a son, and it was his!
Jai (River Jarvis), named after her late brother, was now five years old, and Amber was taking care of him with help from her mother, Francesca. Dean was initially stunned at the news he had a son, but soon embraced it and quickly discovered just how much he loved being a father. However, after five years of raising her kid alone, it took Amber some time to adjust to shared parenthood.
She refused to let Dean tell his mum about Jai. Amber saw Karen as a bad influence and didn’t want her to play any part in her son’s life. However, she had no issue letting her own mum play a major part in Jai’s life, despite it being plain to see that Francesca was hardly grandmother of the year. Things culminated when Dean found his son playing alone outside Francesca’s house, with the grandmother nowhere to be seen! Enraged, he took Jai and drove off, skipping town for days, leaving Amber frantic with worry and almost jeopardising any chance he had for a relationship with his son.
On top of the issues with Amber’s mother, Dean was struggling after Angelo Rosetta arrived in town to investigate the discovery of Ross’s body. He struggled to juggle his relationship with Ziggy (Sophie Dillman), his parental responsibilities, and Colby’s ever more erratic behaviour in light of Angelo’s investigation. He didn’t give Amber and Jai the attention that they both wanted, causing Amber to make a huge decision. She devastated Dean when she left the bay late last year, taking Jai with her and cutting Dean out of their lives.
It took an intervention from Willow to bring Amber back, after she convinced her that Dean was in a much better place now he no longer had Colby’s trial weighing on his mind. Dean, now broken up from Ziggy, was delighted to have his son back, and realised he finally had a chance of happiness and a ready-made family with Amber and Jai.
The two ended up in a relationship, and in recent months it’s seemed that happiness was finally on the cards for Dean. However, he’s confused his desire for a family with his feelings for Amber, and over the last few weeks she has finally realised that she’ll never have the emotional connection with Dean that she craves. She wants sparks, excitement, passion with the man she’s loved since she was a teenager; Dean just wants a ready-made family and unlimited access to his son.
In recent weeks, she’s noticed the connection between Dean and Ziggy, and has come to realise that she’ll never be able to complete with Dean’s ex. He and Ziggy share a love of cars and surfing, plus many years of history, while he and Amber just share a love of Jai.
In tomorrow’s episode (Friday 4th June), Amber finally admits what she’s known for a while – she and Dean aren’t going to work out. When she finds Dean and Ziggy engrossed in yet another conversation, she flips out, confronting Ziggy about “whatever this thing you have with Dean is. You just can’t seem to leave each other alone, can you?”
She berates her for the little texts, the constant meetups, asking Ziggy why she doesn’t just go and get her own life instead of trying to steal hers.
She soon realises she’s overreacted, but when she explains herself to Dean, she admits that while she accepts there’s nothing actually going on between him and Ziggy, she knows that she’ll never live up to what they had.
“You want the family, but you don’t want me. I’m not her, Dean, and I never will be.”
Amber and Jai leave Home and Away
Next week, we’re in for some of Home and Away’s most emotional scenes in years, as she comes to terms with the fact she’ll never be the one for Dean. What will that mean for Dean and his son?
As we rejoin the action in the UK next week, Dean begins to accept that he may lose his son once and for all. Confiding in Ari (Rob Kipa-Williams), he tells him that Amber and Jai are a package deal, knowing that if they break up then he may well lose his chance to maintain a relationship with his son. He doesn’t know if he can deal with losing Jai all over again.
He admits to Ari that Amber wants the sparks and the fireworks. He assures Ari that he does really like Amber and that they get on really well… but essentially, that’s it. While Ari can sympathise, having lost Chloe from his life for years thanks to his stupid decision making, he can see it from Amber’s point of view, and tells Dean that she deserves more.
Meanwhile, Amber finds solace in John Palmer. She helped John through his rehab when she first arrived in the bay, and now it’s his turn to return the favour by helping her through this dilemma. He tells her that she deserves better than Dean Thompson, assuring her that she’ll be able to find happiness without him.
Coming to terms with things, Amber starts putting things right. She apologises to Ziggy for having a go at her the previous day – she knows it’s not her fault, she’s just caught in the middle of it all.
Then, she finally asks Dean the question she’s been dreading.
“Dean, just tell me, are you or are you not still in love with Ziggy?”
Hesitating but knowing he can’t lie, he answers. “Yes, I am.”
“Then we gotta go.”
They’re the words Dean has been dreading, and it hits him like a brick. But Amber knows it’s the right thing to do: “Deep down neither of us are happy. It wouldn’t be good in the long run, for us or Jai.”
“So that’s it, we’re done?” asks Dean. He’s terrified that he’s about to lose his kid, but Amber promises him that it’s different this time, and she has no intention of locking him out of Jai’s life. “You will always be his dad, okay. We’ll work something out, I promise.”
Then, just a few short months after Dean was reunited with his son, he’s forced to say goodbye. Amber and Jai are departing Summer Bay the very next day to go live with Amber’s mum while they figure out their future.
Get ready for heartbreaking scenes, as the two parents are forced to tell Jai that it’s best that his mum and dad don’t live together any more. Explaining it openly and honestly in an emotional conversation on the beach, Amber tells him that it’s because they just don’t love each other in that way.
“This sucks,” says Jai.
“I know mate,” Dean agrees.
The parents reassure their son that they are absolutely still going to Movie World, “and we’re gonna have the best time ever.”
As they head back to the flat for one final night as the family, Dean offers to take the sofa. However, Amber wants them to spend one final night together in Dean’s room. “Stay… with me, please,” she asks, holding back the tears as she knows it’s the last night she’ll spend with her childhood sweetheart.
As the morning arrives, it’s time for Amber and Jai to go. Both are devastated to leave each other; it’s not exactly what either of them want. “We gave it a good shot, didn’t we?” says Dean as they have one final goodbye.
And just like that, they drive off, leaving Dean more alone in Summer Bay than he’s ever been. It’s a year that’s seen him lose Ziggy, Colby, Willow, and now Amber and Jai too. He heads back to his newly empty apartment, with Jai’s football being one of the few remaining memories to remind him of what could have been.
As he’s forced to get used to single life again, he has another difficult question to answer. When Ziggy discovers that Amber has gone, Tane encourages her to go and comfort her ex, putting his own concerns aside as he knows how important their friendship still is to her.
Yet what Dean tells her is the last thing she expects. She pushes him to tell her why Amber left, knowing that there must have been something significant to cause her to take Jai away yet again – “you don’t go from happy families to leaving for no reason. Come on, talk to me, what happened?”
He gives in and reveals the truth: “You did.”
Ziggy is amazed that Amber would leave because she still thought there was something between them – “she’s making stuff up in her head and using it as an excuse”. She wants to call Amber and set the record straight… until Dean finally fills in the gaps.
“Amber’s not making this up. I still love you! But I know that you’re not there any more, you’ve moved on.”
Will the revelation change how Ziggy feels? And will she tell Tane what’s happened?
As Maddy Jevic and River Jarvis leave for most likely the final time, Patrick O’Connor took to Instagram to pay tribute to his little co-star.
“What a ride,” he posted on his feed. “Good job my little amigo ❤️ @river.andhiscurls“
Goodbye, Amber and Jai, we’ll miss you.
Here’s the full spoilers for next week’s Home and Away episodes in the UK:
Monday 7th June 2021 (Episode 7550)
Amber and Dean admit the truth to their situation. Leah is hellbent on finding Susie, no matter the cost. Ziggy and Amber make amends.
Tuesday 8th June 2021 (Episode 7551)
Ziggy’s stunned when Dean reveals the reason behind Amber and Jai’s departure. Ari and Mia struggle to talk. Justin’s dependence on his pain-killing medication begins to grow.
Wednesday 9th June 2021 (Episode 7552)
Leah’s determination to find Susie causes problems with her relationship. Can Ari and Mia get past their baby reservations? Dean rallies behind a pained Mackenzie.
Thursday 10th June 2021 (Episode 7553)
Sienna lays down the law to Nikau and Bella. A drunken tarot card reading goes awry. Justin’s on a dangerous path.
Friday 11th June 2021 (Episode 7554)
Can Nik and Bella handle the fashion party scene? Tori is shocked by Christian’s reckless behaviour. Ryder’s bludging angers Alf.