Alf wants answers in Home and Away

This week in Summer Bay…

Mali and Rose soak up each other and the sun, basking in their temporary “honeymoon”, with Mali having moved in since Zara is crashing at his place. Meanwhile Mackenzie arrives home to a shock when she finds Zara in her kitchen. Mackenzie interrupts Mali and Rose’s lovefest to demand an explanation from her housemate – a heads up would’ve been nice! Mali tries to explain the complex situation with Zara and Rose, but Mackenzie is clear – “Not my promised wife, not my problem.” A torn Mali informs Rose he’s moving back home, and that Zara isn’t leaving. Rose is crushed – “I knew this was too good to last”.

News that Alf is heading back to the Bay early reaches John and Irene, who throw themselves into planning for his presentation at the Surf Club. But the threat of jail time still looms large for Irene. When John learns that his friend hasn’t spoken to her lawyer, he’s alarmed – her case should be a priority! But Irene claims she’s been too busy with Alf’s presentation to worry about that – is she throwing herself into this project to avoid facing the more pressing matter of her freedom?!

When Cash and Eden invite a lonely Harper to join them for a drink, she expresses her own legal woes – her lawyer advised her to keep a distance from Irene due to her prior criminal record. Cash urges Harper to talk to Irene – she needs to be prepared if the prosecution is planning to come down hard on her. The next day, Harper confesses to Irene that she’s been avoiding her, and is honest about the reason. Irene is gracious – Harper needn’t worry about her; she should follow her lawyer’s advice. However, Harper can’t bring herself to freeze out a friend, and tells Irene that she’s not going to abandon her. Finally, John puts his foot down and demands Irene see her lawyer – if Harper’s is worried, then Irene should be too! Can John get through to Irene?

Having left things on a sour note with Rose, Mali must firm his stance with Zara – she has to go. Zara rails – she thought Mali of all people would understand how hard it is for her to go home. But Mali does understand, and he’s determined for her to do the hard thing for her own good. She has complicated his life because she can’t face her own, and that is not on. Amazingly, this time Mali gets through to Zara – she knows she has to face up to her problems without him. Zara bids Mali farewell, and Rose cheekily makes her boyfriend swear that there are no more promised wives waiting in the wings as they joyfully reconnect.

John continues to hound Irene – she’s sticking her head in the sand when she needs to face the very real threat of jail time. Why hasn’t she spoken to her lawyer yet?! Irene is resistant to her friend’s concern and manages to kick him out of the Diner, but privately she’s terrified. When Irene catches Harper and Dana looking up her criminal charges later, she hits breaking point. John stands by her – “Whatever happens now, you’re not going through it alone” he tells his friend, and Irene is grateful for it.

Mackenzie is still on a high after her week spent being a cool aunty, and picks up on something between Tane and Felicity when she pulls out the photos of her niece. Tane is quick to spill the beans that they’re trying for a baby, and Mackenzie couldn’t be anymore thrilled. But Felicity is filled with dread by more baby talk. She continues to dodge the subject at work until Mackenzie discovers Felicity’s contraceptive pills. “Please tell me you’re not doing what I think you’re doing” she tells a guilty Felicity. Mackenzie makes it clear she can’t condone Felicity’s lies and soon Felicity fronts up to Tane – “We need to talk”. Will Felicity come clean?

Felicity and Tane talk. It’s the perfect time for her to come clean that she’s still on the pill. However, she is once again swept up in Tane’s excitement for a baby, and she bottles it. Instead, she pretends that Tane telling Mackenzie all about their baby plans is what has upset her. Tane repents – he won’t do it again, but continually raises the topic, spiking Felicity’s guilt. How long can she live with this lie?

Bree delivers bad news to Leah – Justin has suffered a dip in cardiac function, a sign that he could have sustained damage to his heart. Leah can barely bring herself to be separated from him to talk to the police about their ordeal with Vita Nova. When she returns and he’s away having a scan, Leah panics, and it’s clear that her recent trauma has had a lasting impact. When Bree tells Leah it might be time to say her goodbyes, Leah refuses. “I’m not letting you go” she tells an unconscious Justin. Can he pull through?

Dana accidentally spills the beans to Alf about having been Roo’s in-home nurse when she stops by for a reference, and Alf is blindsided – Roo’s got a lot of explaining to do. Though Dana is quick to give Roo a heads up, Roo and Marilyn nearly buckle when grilled by Alf over their reasons for hiring a private nurse. Later, Alf overhears Roo and Marilyn discussing the fact they’ve been lying to him – “What the flamin’ hell’s going on?”

It’s confession time for Roo and Marilyn now that Alf knows they’ve been lying to him. Marilyn selflessly covers for Roo, declaring it was her idea to move out while he was away. However, Roo can’t let her friend take the heat. She quickly tells Alf the truth – it was Roo who kicked Marilyn out of their home. When Marilyn scarpers to her shift at the Diner, Alf reveals the real reason for his upset – Roo put herself in real danger, and if something had happened, he would never have forgiven himself.

Eden tries to whip Lyrik into shape by pushing rehearsals, but Remi can’t see the point until Kirby is out of her contract with Forrest. Eden worries for Kirby – she’s not in the right headspace for this – while Remi is struck by inspiration – “We can’t fight this for Kirby, but we can fight with her”. His plan is for Lyrik to stage a fake gig, drawing Forrest’s attention. Then they can use their fans as leverage to force his hand. It doesn’t take long for Forrest to bite, and Kirby is confident when she meets him the next day – “I just want to talk about my contract”.

Things are looking grim for Justin, and given the timeline, Bree wants to know who Leah would like to call. She puts off calling Theo, but his intuition leads him to the hospital where he is filled in on the bad news by a sympathetic Bree. At Justin’s bedside, Leah tells Theo about her proposal, and Theo is optimistic – “I can’t wait for the wedding”. But soon Justin’s condition deteriorates further, and he gently encourages Leah to call family. Distraught, Leah snaps – Justin is dying, and nothing can change that now. She steps out of Justin’s room for a minute, just as Alf arrives, and unable to keep it together any longer, Leah collapses in his arms.

Kirby has arrived for her meeting with Forrest and tries to appeal to his better nature, but it isn’t long until she is forced to play her hand – if Forrest won’t release her from her contract, Lyrik will put out on their socials that Lyrik is pulling out of the gig, and Forrest Duke is solely responsible. But Forrest doesn’t take the bait – do that and he’ll sue them for both breaking contract, and defamation.

Kirby’s defeated, but Remi has a plan. They lay out a new prospective arrangement to Forrest. Should he release Kirby from her contract, he can have full control over her solo music. Forrest consults the label and reasons with Kirby – is she sure about this? Those eight songs she wrote for Forrest are better than anything she did with Lyrik. Kirby is certain, and she’s overjoyed when the label releases her from her contract.

At the Hospital, Alf, Leah, and Theo speak to an unresponsive Justin when he takes another turn. Bree rushes in to try to save his life, divulging to the family that Justin’s heart is failing. Meanwhile Justin is transported to an eerie church filled with mourners. When he glimpses a photo of himself, it begins to dawn on him – is this Justin’s own funeral? Theo plays guitar and a broken Leah sits in the front row – neither able to respond. Finally, Justin notices his own headstone – Justin Morgan, he gave up. He fails desperate attempts to make his loved ones hear him, but it is Leah snapping mid-eulogy to call him a coward, that fills him with the strength to survive. Suddenly, Justin wakes up, still in hospital, his family and friends gathered by his bedside.

Amongst joyful celebration, Theo spills the beans about Justin & Leah’s wedding. Everyone is thrilled they’re getting married, but Justin seems suddenly reserved. Only later, when Justin is alone with Leah, he tells her – “I know you only asked me to marry you because I was dying. I’m not going to hold you to that”, and Leah is clearly crushed. Will they make it down the aisle?

Home and Away airs 1:45pm on Channel 5 and 6pm on 5STAR. First-look screenings air at 6:30pm on 5STAR and the series also streams on My5.