Ari races to save Mia as Home and Away returns
Home and Away returns to Australian screens in just one week’s time, on Monday 31st January. In the show’s dramatic return week, Mia and Chloe’s actions quickly catch up with them, and Ari has to act fast if he’s to save the pair from jail.
The final few weeks of Home and Away in 2021 changed the lives of Chloe (Sam Barrett), Mia (Anna Sampson) and Ari (Rob Kipa-Williams) forever.
The three had blossomed into a secure, loving family unit in the nine months since Mia and Chloe walked back into Ari’s life after a decade apart.
Mia had bought the gym – admittedly using some questionable cash left over from Ari’s criminal past – the trio were living under the same roof, Mia and Ari had started to look into adopting, and Ari was planning to propose.
Then, Matthew’s (James Sweeny) arrival changed everything. This unexpected newcomer was Chloe’s dad, a man who she had never met, knew nothing about, and who Mia had never wanted to see again.
It transpired that Chloe was the product of a sexual assault, after Mia met Matthew at a party but didn’t consent to anything sexual happening between them.
Mia initially refused to tell Chloe the truth about her conception, and was forced to watch on in desperate dismay as her daughter bonded with a man she despised.
Eventually, the truth came out, and a distraught Chloe told Matthew that she didn’t want anything to do with him. He didn’t take the news well, and turned up at the Parata house demanding that Chloe leave for the city with him.
A struggle ensued, and, when Matthew grabbed Mia forcefully, Chloe hit him over the head with a rock. He was killed instantly.
The season ended with Mia bundling Matthew’s body into the back of her boot, and, after ordering Chloe back inside the house, driving off.
Her plan was to dispose of the body and pretend as if the whole affair had never happened… but her luck ran out within minutes.
In the dying seconds of last year, Mia found herself being pursued by Cash (Nicholas Cartwright), who had noticed her erratic driving as she headed out of Summer Bay.
She briefly pulled over, but, when she spotted the blood on her hoodie and realised that Cash would be sure to notice it too, she panicked. As Cash walked towards her car, she sped off.
A high speed chase ensued, and Aussie fans have endured a nine week wait to find out what happens next.
When the show returns next week, Mia is in quite the predicament. Speeding away was, unsurprisingly, a terrible idea. Cash calls for backup, and now she’s surrounded by flashing blue lights as multiple cop cars chase after her.
Speaking to TV Week about her actions, Anna Sampson explains that “sheer panic takes over Mia. She had no plan other than to protect her daughter.”
As police cars speeds towards her from the other direction, she knows the game is up. When one of the cars skids to a stop on a diagonal, blocking her path, she has no choice but to come to a stop.
“She’s frozen. Mia has run out of option,” Anna explains. “There was no plan in her thinking, just to get as far away as she could.”
Cash is stunned to find that it’s Mia behind the wheel. When he spots the blood on her sleeve, he knows that something bad has happened, but isn’t ready for what he’s about to find in her boot.
Opening it up, he finds Matthew’s lifeless body inside.
His mind is racing – this isn’t the Mia he knows – but the evidence is right there in the back of her car.
While forensic officers remove the body from the car, Cash handcuffs Mia and escorts her into the back of his police car.
Meanwhile, Ari comes home to the Parata place to find Chloe an emotional wreck on the sofa. She breaks down as she explains what happened, and he can’t believe what he’s hearing.
Soon after, he gets the call he’s dreading – it’s Cash, explaining that Mia has been arrested on suspicion of murder!
Cash knows the Paratas and knows that there’s more to this story than meets the eye. When Ari arrives at the station, he lets him speak with his fiancée, despite knowing that it’s against the rules.
Mia and Ari hug, and she begs him to protect her.
“I’ve got you,” the Parata patriarch responds as he promises her that he’ll do whatever it takes to free her.
However, Mia is equally protective of her daughter, and will do whatever it takes to keep her out of prison – if she needs to take the rap, she’s ready to.
Ari, who is no stranger to dealings with the cops, comes up with a plan. It’s bold and it could end up with him losing everything, but he’ll do what it takes to save his family.
Talking to TV Week, Rob Kipa Williams explains, “Ari sometimes acts first and thinks later. He’ll do anything to keep his family safe.”
However, Chloe’s own guilt could soon see her plan unravel.
Bella (Courtney Miller) ends up learning the truth about what went down outside the Parata house, as Chloe breaks down and admits to murdering her father.
Bella tells her to keep calm, and uses her own experience of her father’s death to try to hatch a plan for Chloe’s survival.
“The only way you can pull this off is if you act normal,” she explains, but it seems that acting normal is too much for Chloe to handle.
When her guilt gets too much for her, she heads to the police station to speak to Cash. Is she about to admit to what she’s done?
Home and Away returns to Australian screens 7pm on Monday 31st January.
UK viewers will see these scenes in 6 weeks’ time, with the 2021 season finale airing on Friday 4th March, and the return episode airing on Monday 7th March 2022.
Here’s the full spoilers for the final week of Home and Away in Australia:
Monday 31st January (7716) – 2022 Season Opener
Will Mia’s escape end in cuffs? Ari puts his life on the line. Will Ryder be buried alive? Alf asks Martha for answers.
Tuesday 1st February (7717)
Have Theo and Ryder dug their own graves? The Paratas are splintered by Ari’s actions. Roo and Martha reach breaking point.
Wednesday 2nd February (7718)
Ryder says his final goodbye. Alf seeks justice for Ryder. Guilt-ridden Chloe goes to the police.
Thursday 3rd February (7719-7721)
Logan and Mackenzie rekindle their romance. Felicity gets shut out. A mysterious woman arrives for Logan.
Logan’s secret kiss is exposed. Mackenzie faces Logan’s past. Bella discovers Chloe’s crime.
Mia tries to hold her family together. Logan faces his ex. Mackenzie has an unlikely plan.