Home and Away Spoilers – Justin and Cash race to rescue Andrew
Next week on Home and Away in the UK, Justin and Cash rush to rescue Andrew from Margot and his Vita Nova captors – but will he go with them?
There’s fears for Andrew’s (Joshua Hewson) safety next week, as the identity of the woman who claimed to be his mother Esther is finally revealed.
The police had been searching for the vulnerable teen’s mother since they discovered that Andrew was abducted by his father, Archie, at the age of four. It was subsequently revealed that Archie was a member of a notorious doomsday prepper group named Vita Nova, and the pair had been living off the grid for all that time with Andrew kept sheltered from the outside world.
Although the police had contact details for Andrew’s mother, who had filed the missing persons report 13 years ago, they were long out of date.
It wasn’t until Theo (Matt Evans) posted Andrew’s information online that the woman (Mandy McElhinney) calling herself Esther Jamieson came forward.
Although Cash (Nicholas Cartwright) had warned Theo that the online page could draw the attention of Vita Nova, Cash checking Esther’s driving licence was enough for him to decide that she was the person she claimed to be—with her explaining that she’d changed her name from Esther Lawrence several years back.
It wasn’t long before Cash took Esther over to Leah (Ada Nicodemou) and Justin’s (James Stewart) place in order to meet Andrew. Andrew was rightly wary of this woman who he had no recognition of, and the fact that Esther didn’t recognise the name of Andrew’s teddy bear—seen in his missing poster—perhaps should have set alarm bells ringing.
After overhearing Leah and Justin talk about how heartbroken Esther would be if he wanted nothing to do with her, Andrew decided to give Esther a chance and the two left Summer Bay together the very next morning.
But when Cash was called into a meeting with the taskforce, he was shocked to learn that the woman Andrew had gone with wasn’t his mother after all… in fact they had no idea who she was!
Next week, there’s a further development when a woman claiming to be Andrew’s half-sister, Tegan, contacts the station. Although she’s currently stuck overseas on a work contract, someone had forwarded the online page to her. She explains that Esther had gone missing shortly after Andrew was taken, and she hasn’t heard from her mother in over a decade.
Needless to say, Justin isn’t best pleased when Cash is forced to reveal the truth to him about Esther, the woman they invited into their home and convinced Andrew to get to know. Cash has already been reprimanded by the taskforce, and admits that the address on Esther’s licence (which even we could see was a fake) has now led them to an empty property.
Justin is all set to wallop Cash, before Rose (Kirsty Marillier) steps in and reminds Justin that he’s in the police station, and that he’s on a good behaviour bond!
Despite the latest developments, the taskforce continues to maintain that Andrew’s case isn’t a priority for them—Andrew is over 16, and left with the woman of his own free will. We guess the fact that Andrew has been assessed to only have the social and educational skills of a 8-9 year old doesn’t count for anything.
Once the taskforce bothers to do something useful, they find that the woman was none other than Margot Dafoe—the leader of Vita Nova! If only someone had thought to take a look at photos of known members when they first heard of the cult…
Meanwhile, in a remote plot out in the middle of the bush, the Vita Nova compound is a hive of activity. As members of the group practice archery, tend to the veg patch, and take part in strenuous exercise, a sinister voice plays in a loop over the tannoy system… “The strength of a group is not defined by its strongest members, rather the group is only as strong as the weakest member.”
Margot is subjecting an exhausted Andrew through a brutal punishment regime. As he’s forced to roll a tractor tyre over and over again, he asks Margot why she’s doing this to him.
“You gave those people information, you let them into our lives,” Margot replies. “You understand, don’t you, why we can’t discuss our way of life with strangers? We need to be strong, and if we don’t prepare, we don’t survive.”
Andrew tries to explain that he’s sorry and has learnt his lesson, but Margot doesn’t believe him, telling him to start over.
“She’s a woman of great belief and faith in her way of seeing the outside world – as a dangerous place that’s falling apart,” Mandy McElhinney told TV Week. “There’s an element of truth in that – you just have to look at the news. So she’s created a place that protects her family from the world.”
“Everything she’s doing is to protect Andrew. She feels it’s her duty to save him, even if that means punishing him to make him see what she does,” continued Mandy, whose role of Margot is a far cry from her much-loved portrayal of ‘Rhonda’ in a series of comedic car insurance ads in Australia.
Back in the bay, Cash learns that he’s been booted off Andrew’s case, but knowing that the taskforce aren’t likely to take things any further, he naturally decides to go rogue once again. Learning from Rose that they now have an address for the compound, Cash sneakily uses his computer at work to look it up.
The next day, Cash and Justin visit the compound together where they find a heavily secured gate with cameras watching their every move. A ute immediately pulls up, and two men armed with compound bows and arrows emerge.
As Justin and Cash are escorted into the ground to meet with Margot, she drops all pretences as she greets them like old friends. Justin is seething as he tells her he knows she’s not Andrew’s mother, but Margot takes it in her stride, explaining that he is happy to be home with his ‘family’ regardless.
She explains that she had a visit from the police earlier today, who found nothing untoward, and therefore deduces that Cash is there unofficially.
Justin insists on seeing Andrew and Margot is only too happy to oblige.
As Andrew is brought out, he rejects Justin’s hug as he asks them what they’re doing there. Andrew has realised by this point that Margot isn’t really his mother, but even when Justin explains that they’ve found his actual family, half-sister Tegan, Andrew insists that he is happy in the commune—it’s the best place for him, and it’s where he is safe.
It’s clear that Andrew has been coerced as he pleads with Justin and Cash to leave, but with Margot threatening to report them for trespassing, there’s nothing more they can do.
Back in Summer Bay, Cash promises Justin that they’ll find a way to save Andrew… but how?
Here’s the full spoilers for next week’s Home and Away episodes in the UK:
Monday 17th July (Episode 8041)
Justin fears for Andrew’s safety. Cash is determined to right a wrong. The threats against Marilyn escalate.
Tuesday 18th July (Episode 8042)
Margot torments Andrew. Justin and Cash locate Vita Nova. Marilyn’s friends rally around her.
Wednesday 19th July (Episode 8043)
Marilyn doubles down in her fight against Stunning Organics. Theo confides in Justin. Xander attempts to ease his survivor guilt.
Thursday 20th July (Episode 8044)
Xander and Kate take comfort in each other. Mali and Rose’s siblings push them back together. Theo and Kirby call it quits.
Friday 21st July (Episode 8045)
Kirby drowns her sorrows. Mali finds his way back to Rose. Rock chick Mercedes explodes into Summer Bay.