Episode 5002

Australian Air Date: 2nd February 2010
UK Air Date: 9th February 2010
Writer: Sarah Walker
Director: Lee Rogers

As fire rages in the diner, Geoff is badly injured when he tries to protect Ruby. Rabbit tells Miles about her secret. Mink can’t help rubbing people up the wrong way.

Extended Summary

With the Diner on fire, Geoff and Alf battle to put out the flames while Ruby calls the police and Irene and Colleen look after Hazem. Leah is in shock. and is struggling to comprehend what has happened. Outside the Diner, John tries to calm things down but has little luck – the rioters merely accuse him of changing sides. Ruby gets through to the police but everyone is tied up at a major accident in Reefton Lakes. Geoff suggests they try and move everybody outside, but Alf claims it will be a lot safer for them all to stay where they are. In the Diner, another Molotov cocktail flies through the window, causing another fire to break out, blocking off the doorway. Alf tries yelling at the drunks through the window, telling them to go away, but they refuse. When part of the ceiling falls, Geoff dives in to prevent it hitting Ruby, badly burning his shoulder in the process. Irene is concerned – Hazem is now unconscious having lost a lot of blood, and really needs to be moved soon.

Miles talks to Mink, to try and suss out if she’s planning on punching anyone else. Romeo goes to visit Xavier, bringing Mink, who immediately rubs Gina up the wrong way. She tells Gina she’s been out of the surfing circuit for a number of years due to spending time in a few institutions – information which Romeo clearly isn’t happy about her sharing. Romeo has told Mink about Xavier’s money and she takes some to go get some food at the Diner, after failing to persuade Xavier to spend it all on frivilous things. They take off, with Gina holding Xavier back to warn him to be careful around Mink.

Miles has a game of cards with Rabbit, who claims she is psychic – a fact she proves with the playing cards. Suddenly, she is unconscious, but quickly comes round and tells Miles she has seen a vision of fire, and frightened people hiding under tables. Miles, not taking it seriously, takes her to the Diner. When they see the flames and ambulances, Rabbit runs away. Miles doesn’t tell anyone it was Rabbit who tipped him off. Later he returns to Summer Bay House and finds Rabbit crying – she wishes the things she sees would go away – Miles comforts her by telling her he doesn’t understand her gift, but that it did good things that evening.

The ambulance arrive but the rioters block their path. Alf and John confront them, with Alf challenging them to make their next move, knowing full well there is no plan of action. However, someone receives a tip-off that the police have arrived, and the rioters disperse. Geoff and Hazem are taken by the ambulance, whilst Irene takes Leah to the hospital. Alf, Colleen, Miles and Ruby are left to survey the wreckage. Later at the hospital, Ruby blames herself for the riot, but Irene tells her not to be so silly – she was standing up for a good cause, but she still can’t help feeling responsible for what has happened to Geoff and Hazem. Leah is in shock as Hazem is taken in for surgery, and later confides in Irene that she thinks something is wrong with her – bad things happen to every man she gets close to. Romeo, Xavier and Mink turn up at the Diner and survey the damage – and it would seem that Alf, holding up a burnt Australian flag, has had his spirit damaged just as much as the Diner has been.

Scene cut from Episode:
Miles helps chase off the rioters by pretending to be a drunk claiming the police are coming.

Guest Cast

JOHN PALMER (SHANE WITHINGTON)
HAZEM KASSIR (BEN KERMODE)
RABBIT COPELAND (MITZI RUHLMANN)
MINK CARPENTER (MATYLDA BUCZKO)
NURSE GLORIA (MARIA MATTEO)
ANGRY DRUNK (ANDREW RIX)

Trivia

References to Vinnie Patterson, Dan Baker and Roman Harris.