Episode 78

Australian Air Date: 4th May 1988
UK Air Date: 31st May 1989
Writer: Maureen Ann Moran
Director: Gaye Arnold

The tension between Tom and Pippa reaches a peak when Danny attempts suicide.

BERT KING (KEVIN HEALY)
First appearance. Pippa and Danny’s father. Coral’s husband. World War II veteran who oversaw Danny’s admittance to hospital following his suicide attempt.
CORAL KING (JESSICA NOAD)
First appearance. Pippa and Danny’s mother. Bert’s wife. Oversaw Danny’s admittance to hospital following his suicide attempt.
NURSE (KIRSTEN OJERHOLM)
Informed Tom of Danny’s wish to see him.

Extended Summary

Martin and Lance tell Tom that Danny is in hospital after trying to commit suicide. Tom gets very worried and tells Pippa about it.

Sally hears about Danny’s suicide attempt. She can’t see how serious it is and she plays suicide with Lance!

Floss and Sally talk. Floss explains what suicide means and why some try to kill themselves. Sally understands it better now and sees the whole thing differently after Floss has talked to her about it.

Tom and Pippa and her parents Bert and Coral King visit Danny in hospital. Tom and Pippa find out from her parents that Danny took a lot of pills in his attempt to kill himself.

Coral blames herself, sort of, for Danny’s suicide attempt. She feels she should have done something differently with him.

Tom speaks to Danny. Danny says it wasn’t fair what he did to Pippa on ANZAC day. Danny had left a note on Tom and Pippa’s television set also. Tom is puzzled what Danny meant with all he said since he doesn’t know that Danny asked Pippa to help him commit suicide.

Tom asks Pippa what Danny meant. After a while she tells Tom the truth that Danny asked her to help him to stop living.

Lynn and Carly collect more bugs for Lynn’s biology project.

Tom gets a bit angry and disappointed at Danny for what he asked Pippa to do.

Tom asks Danny to come with them to Summer Bay. Tom says he and Pippa want to show Danny that there are things in life that makes it worth staying alive even if you are stuck in a wheelchair.

Ola Carlsson, 1999