Home and Away begins tragic new Felicity storyline
Next week on Home and Away in the UK, Battle of the Bands takes a tragic turn as someone slips something into Felicity’s drink.
It’s supposed to be the beginning of an exciting new adventure for Lyrik, as Theo (Matt Evans), Kirby (Angelina Thomson), Remi (Adam Rowland) and Eden (Stephanie Panozzo) take part in the Battle of the Bands contest.
But instead, it turns into one of the worst days of their friend Felicity’s (Jacqui Purvis) life, when she is brutally assaulted after having her drink spiked.
Wishing for the band to record an album—not to mention the opportunity to spend more time at home with girlfriend Bree (Juliet Godwin)—Remi took the bold move of cancelling Lyrik’s upcoming away gigs so that they could concentrate on entering Battle of the Bands, in the hope of winning $20,000.
The rest of the band weren’t best pleased with Remi’s decision, but came round to the idea. After checking out some of the other bands entering the contest, Remi then decided to bring in an old friend, violinist extraordinaire Mercedes Da Silva (Amali Golden), to give Lyrik’s performance a unique edge.
After their final rehearsal next week, lead singer Theo goes to visit ‘band manager’ Justin (James Stewart) in hospital, and admits that he’s bricking it over the contest. It’s a much bigger crowd than he’s used to, and there’s so much more at stake, given the sacrifices Lyrik have made to get there.
Justin does his best to reassure Theo that the band will be awesome, and that he shouldn’t worry about things he has no control over.
It’s of little use to Theo though as the band pull up at the venue in the city the next day, with Flick and Bree joining them for support. Overwhelmed by the amount of people filing in, Theo promptly throws up in a nearby plant container.
As the band waits backstage, Theo is still looking extremely green around the gills (oh wait, that’s just the lighting), and both Flick and Eden attempt to counsel him.
In the meantime, Flick is ecstatic when she receives a phone call from husband Tane (Ethan Browne), he’s just landed at the airport having returned from his trip to New Zealand. As such, she explains to the band that she may have to bail early on them.
The time finally comes for Lyrik to take to the stage, and they go down a storm. Knowing that the band has an additional shot at reaching the final if the audience makes enough noise, Bree and Flick give it their all as they support their mates.
However, as the two are occupied, an unseen person slips a vial of liquid into one of their glasses… which is soon swigged down by an unsuspecting Flick.
Flick soon starts to feel woozy, so tells Bree she’s going to get some water.
As she makes her way to a back staircase at the venue, Flick’s vision begins to blur and she struggles to keep her balance.
Stumbling as she walks down the stairs, Flick makes it to the bottom before collapsing onto the ground, slipping into unconsciousness…
Lyrik are buzzing as they finish up their set, with Bree rushing backstage to congratulate them.
The band wonder where Flick has got to after Bree mentions she’d only nipped to get some water, but are then reminded by Eden that Flick had warned them she might disappear to meet Tane.
As everyone takes a group selfie together, none of them could ever imagine what has really happened to Flick, who is passed out in an empty room nearby.
When Tane can’t get through to Flick, he rings Eden to check up on her. Eden reminds him of what Flick’s like, she’s probably out on the dancefloor, but nevertheless she attempts to get hold of Flick herself.
Meanwhile, Flick is confused when she finally comes round in a room that she has no memory of entering.
“At first, Flick has no idea what’s happened – she’s very groggy, has no voice and her limbs don’t work as they should,” Jacqui told Australian mag TV Week. “When she tries to sit up and realises her dress is ripped and her bra is showing, she suddenly suspects what has happened.”
Lyrik are ecstatic when they learn that they’ve won the audience vote, but things soon take a dramatic turn when Flick stumbles back into the room and collapses into Eden’s arms.
Removing Flick to the safety of Lyrik’s van, Bree gives Flick a once over, asking Eden if there’s a possibility she could have taken something. But as a traumatised Flick adjusts her dress which has slipped down, Bree and Eden are horrified as the reality of what’s happened to her suddenly hits them.
Bree and Eden rush Flick back to Northern Districts Hospital, with the rest of Lyrik agreeing that there’s no way they’re going to carry on with the contest now.
At the hospital, Eden supports Flick as she tries to explain to Bree what she remembers, which unfortunately is very little—she just woke up in a room without any idea of how she got there.
“It’s torturous,” Jacqui continued. “She doesn’t want to believe it, but has to, unfortunately.”
After Flick confirms that she believes she was assaulted, she is adamant that she doesn’t want to get the police involved, particularly her brother Cash (Nicholas Cartwright).
Bree suggests that she have a forensic examination to gather any evidence, should she change her mind in the future, and Flick agrees—but only on the condition that Bree, who is trained in the procedure, is the one to carry it out.
Eden struggles to keep her composure as she supports her bestie, but once the longwinded process is over, she’s finally able to embrace Felicity who breaks down in her arms.
Back at the house, Tane has arrived home blissfully unaware of what’s gone on, until Remi comes to the door. As a confused Tane asks why he isn’t at the Battle of the Bands, Remi is forced to break the bad news…
“I was so nervous and scared because it was a lot of pressure,” Jacqui told NZ publication Stuff, recalling the moment she heard of the upcoming storyline.
“I knew that if I was going to take this on, it would be a lot of hard work because I wanted it to be real. I wanted to do the men and women who have been through it justice.”
The plot hit close to home for Jacqui who, whilst thankfully having not gone through such a horrific experience herself, was able to call on two friends for guidance as she researched the issue.
“Unfortunately, I have a friend who was drugged with GHB so I spoke to him. And another of my friends, a woman, had been raped and she very, very bravely agreed to speak to me. That helped as well.”
Flick has had her fair share of trauma since first appearing on UK screens in September 2021, but Jacqui admits that this storyline affected her far more than anticipated, and it wasn’t simply a case of switching off after filming wrapped for the day.
“I thought I’d be fine. I’ve done heavy storylines before, including my short film on mental health and suicide, but it did affect me,” she continued.
“I was having to go to a really dark place every single day at work for a long time and I think I just got stuck. I did get a bit depressed for a while but, thankfully, I got help (in the form of) a professional to talk me through it.“
UK viewers will continue to see the huge impact the assault has on Felicity over the coming months, with further shocking twists and turns on the horizon.
Also next week, Justin captured and shot by Vita Nova
Justin and Cash look set to finally end Vita Nova’s reign of terror, but at what cost?
Plus, the Summer Bay bomb explodes!
As our Summer Bay favourites play pass the parcel with a bomb, who will be holding it when it finally explodes?
Here’s the full spoilers for next week’s Home and Away episodes in the UK:
Monday 31st July (Episode 8051)
Justin will do anything to save Andrew. Xander is determined to support Kate.
Tuesday 1st August (Episode 8052)
Cash storms Vita Nova to save Justin. Leah defends Andrew. Marilyn has no idea of the danger she’s in.
Wednesday 2nd August (Episode 8053)
Can Lyrik triumph at Battle of the Bands? Felicity is in grave danger. John’s on the road to disaster.
Thursday 3rd August (Episode 8054)
The Battle of the Bands contest takes a dark turn. Eden is the friend Felicity needs. Remi breaks heartbreaking news to Tane.
Friday 4th August (Episode 8055)
Can Felicity confide in Cash? Marilyn is rattled by a chilling threat. Lives are on the line for some of the Bay’s most loved residents.