Home and Away Spoilers – Mia says emotional goodbye to Summer Bay
Coming up this week on Home and Away in Australia, it’s finally time for Mia Anderson (Anna Samson) to look to the future, as she decides to leave Summer Bay for good.
Mia has been struggling since the death of husband Ari (Rob Kipa-Williams), who died of an aggressive cancer shortly after they were married in hospital.
Until recently, daughter Chloe (Sam Barrett) has been unable to see Mia in such despair and was avoiding her, whilst also going off the rails herself in becoming too attached to friend Bella (Courtney Miller).
When the two finally started talking properly, Mia revealed that being in Summer Bay was too painful for her—everywhere she looked she was reminded of Ari. She had already made the decision that she was going to leave Summer Bay and take Chloe with her, but Chloe made it clear that she had no intention of moving on.
Apologising to Chloe, who felt that the constant reminders of Ari are actually a comfort to her, Mia eventually decided that she was going to stay with her daughter.
“Ari was her mum’s soulmate and, in a lot of ways, the glue that held their family together,” Sam told TV Week.
Despite Mia’s insistence that she will stick around and work through her grief, her loved ones can see that it’s not what she really wants. Chloe knows that her mother needs to move on and start again.
When Tane (Ethan Browne) gifts Mia a one-way ticket to New Zealand, Ari’s homeland and the place of his burial, Mia knows that is her only way of closure.
It’s a bittersweet moment as the family gather for one final meal together, before Mia bids farewell to Summer Bay!
It’s only been 14 months since Mia arrived in Summer Bay, in search of daughter Chloe who had bumped into Nikau (Kawakawa Fox-Reo) whilst backpacking in New Zealand. The two had known each other in childhood, with Ari and Mia having been in a relationship before his incarceration for armed robbery.
Ari was the only father figure Chloe had ever known, until he disappeared out of her life when she was 9 years old. Chloe never knew the truth about Ari’s disappearance, with Mia choosing to leave the area and start afresh, and so was keen to reunite.
Ari meeting Mia again brought up old feelings, which spelled disaster for his relationship with Mackenzie (Emily Weir). Ari broke up with her as he realised he still loved Mia, unaware that Mac was carrying his child which she ultimately miscarried.
Mia initially refused to resume a relationship with Ari, after realising he was still involved with criminal activity when Chloe and her friends were kidnapped. But Mia realised where her heart lied when Ari ended up in a coma, and Tane convinced her to give him another chance.
The news of Mackenzie’s miscarriage brought up Ari and Mia’s own tragic history—they had miscarried three children, and when Mia prematurely gave birth to their son, Kauri, he died only 10 days later.
The couple were delighted, though cautious, when Mia found out she was pregnant again, but tragedy struck when Mia lost the baby during a car accident.
Feeling that she could no longer go through the pain of trying for a child, the couple decided to try adoption. They were turned down due to Ari’s criminal past, despite their attempt to set roots down in Summer Bay by buying the gym from Jasmine (Sam Frost).
The shock arrival of Chloe’s biological father Matthew (James Sweeny) was the beginning of the end for Ari. When it was finally revealed to an unsuspecting Chloe that her conception had actually been the result of a sexual assault, Chloe wanted nothing more to do with Matthew. When he later got into an argument with Mia, a protective Chloe lashed out and hit him over the head with a rock, killing him instantly.
Ari took the blame for Chloe and Mia, and ended up being charged and placed on remand. After a few weeks, Ari was rushed to Northern Districts Hospital where he received the news that he had terminal cancer.
Having got engaged just before Matthew’s death, Mia decided she didn’t want Ari to have any regrets before he died, and the couple married in his hospital room shortly before he passed away.
Elsewhere in the bay, Roo (Georgie Parker) was delighted last week when mother Martha (Belinda Giblin) changed her mind about a kidney transplant.
Facing renal failure since her exposure to the organophosphate attack at Salt, a new kidney has been Martha’s only hope of survival, and there seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel when it was revealed that Roo was a match.
However Martha refused at the last minute, not wanting to subject her daughter to possible lifelong medical issues. Martha’s decision has fractured her relationship with Roo over the past few months, with Martha moving back to Merimbula to avoid the tension in the household.
Roo finally visited a rapidly deteriorating Martha off-screen last week, only for Alf (Ray Meagher) to ask her to leave the hospital when her presence stirred things up with Martha.
In the end Martha insisted on discharging herself and returning to Summer Bay to talk with Roo properly, where she revealed that she would like to go ahead with the transplant after all if Roo is still in agreement—she doesn’t want to leave them! Roo of course was all too happy to go ahead, and immediately arranged an appointment with the transplant co-ordinators.
But this week the family hit another bump in the road that could spell tragedy, when the doctors decide that Martha is not currently fit enough to undergo surgery.
Martha has been showing signs of cardiovascular disease, and Logan (Harley Bonner) explains that her blood pressure is too high and her medication will need to be changed.
Whilst upset, Martha resigns herself to her fate. But Roo is determined to prove the doctors wrong.
“Roo has known her mother for only a few years,” Georgie told TV Week “Martha came back in her life, and then Roo could have saved her life, but her mother wouldn’t let her, and she thought she would lose her all over again.”
After researching various techniques to help de-stress Martha, and running it by Logan, Roo puts her plan into action. Alf remains skeptical, but Martha is happy to go along with Roo’s suggestions.
Surprised to later find Martha having a great time whilst meditating with Roo and Marilyn (Emily Symons), Alf wonders whether Roo was right all along…
Here’s the full spoilers for this week’s Home and Away episodes in Australia:
Monday 25th April (Episode 7777)
Jasmine and Rose go head to head. Is Martha fit for surgery? Leah gives Dimitri a piece of her mind.
Tuesday 26th April (Episode 7778)
Cash-strapped Mac bails out a player. John loses patience with Mackenzie. Martha prepares for the worst.
Wednesday 27th April (Episode 7779)
Mia clings to a struggling Chloe. Mac and Alf clash over cash flow. Dean fears Mac is in danger.
Thursday 28th April (Episodes 7780-7782)
Chloe cuts Mia’s lifeline. Roo kickstarts her positivity project. Ryder has big casino dreams.
Roo’s positivity program riles Alf up. Chloe has a compromising plan. Mia gets her ticket to closure.
A wealthy stranger buys a seat at Mac’s table. Mia says goodbye. Alf is horrified by Roo’s health revolution.