Episode 1258

Australian Air Date: 16th June 1993
Writer: Greg Millin
Director: Russell Webb

Greg’s attraction to Fiona outweighs his good intentions. Fin is furious when the adults stop her teaching Bill to read.

Extended Summary

It starts with Pippa hobbling over to get Luke to come back to the house where Michael’s shouting at a bewildered Bill and Fin trying to get him to stop because the poor boy’s frightened. After a few heated words between Michael and Luke, Luke takes Bill back to the caravan and tries to explain what he did, was wrong. Back at the house, Fin is banned from teaching Bill again, despite her pleas to continue.
Next morning, Nick and Shane go for a run along the beach and they talk about his apology list and as Tug’s about to go for a surf, Nick calls him over, saying Shane’s got something to say. Shane refuses and storms off and Nick learns from Tug, about Sarah dumping him. At the Diner, Greg’s waiting for the go-ahead for some work at the Surf Club, as Nick and Shane come in. Nick’s still on at Shane to go and talk to Tug but he’s still adamant, he won’t do it. As Greg’s about to leave, Fiona arrives and Nick is not at all happy. She tells Greg and Bobby that she’s left Toby with her mother for a few days and Bobby comments on her being able to enjoy her freedom. Greg leaves and Bobby goes to get Fiona a cup of coffee, as Nick looks daggers at her.

Shane goes down to the beach and tries to talk to Tug but he doesn’t make things easy for him but he at least persists. He tells Tug to shut-up whilst he goes over their history and where their feuding started but Tug keeps interrupting. When he points the finger at Tug’s father for stealing an out-board motor which Greg got blamed for, as the root cause for their hatred for each other, Shane tries desperately to find the words to say sorry. He relates past clashes between them in their private war, using Damian as a classic example but Tug’s doesn’t want to know. So Shane tries to make him realise what effect the Detention Centre had on him but it falls on deaf ears. Shane gives up, calls Tug a moron and goes to the Diner and apologises to Angel and Sarah but they won’t accept it because he refuses to do the same to Tug. He doesn’t let on that he tried, instead he gets in a huff and leaves. Fiona asks Bobby how she and Greg met and when she gives her a short summary of her love life and how Sam was instrumental in them meeting, Bobby’s last remark about how much Greg loves her, is not what she wanted to hear.

Luke goes over to apologise to Michael and Pippa again and Fin tells him that she’s be forced to give up teaching Bill and tries to get Luke on her side, but he has to comply with their wishes. He leaves and Fin feels Bill’s being punished over and over and she hopes they’re proud of them themselves.

Sarah goes over to give Greg the paperwork he’s been waiting for but when she see Tug she refuses to talk to him and passes Shane on her way out. He goes over to Tug and apologises to him and says he’s not going to fight with him anymore and Greg is impressed. He leaves but Tug finds it hard to believe he’s sincere, so Greg tells him if anyone wants him, he’s gone to Yabbie Creek for the paint. His first port of call is to call in on Fiona and although there’s chemistry between them, they agree they should remain friends but as he’s about to leave, the clothes line breaks again and it looks like their shaky pact is about to crumble.

Back at the Diner, Roxy has joined Luke and Bill, who’s not very happy but when Roxy asks to use the kitchen to make some biscuits, he cheers up when she says she’ll make a few extra for him. He starts to talk about Fin teaching him and Luke upsets him when he says she can’t teach him anymore. He rushes out, passing Angel and Sarah. Sarah tells her about bumping into Tug at the Surf Club and they found it difficult to talk and now she feels awful. Angel goes home, just as Nick’s telling Shane he’s proud of him for apologising to Tug and tells her. She congratulates him but when she calls him Shaney, he tells her off.

Fin goes over to Luke’s van to take some clean laundry, when he arrives with Bill and she gets upset as Luke prompts him to apologise for the previous night. He also makes him tell her he understands why she can’t teach him anymore, which he doesn’t and he gets upset as well and she has to leave. Luke’s pleased with the way Bill acted but he’s taken aback when Bill tells him he doesn’t like him anymore because he won’t let him be friends with Fin. He runs out and Luke looks dejected. Fin goes back home and Pippa asks her to give Christopher a drink, but she refuses. She tells her and Michael just what Bill had been put through and blames them. All they had to do was to tell him not to do it again but instead they’ve made it out to be something dirty. She goes to her room, leaving them lost for words.

Back at Fiona’s, Greg’s first attempt at fixing the line is unsuccessful but it makes them laugh. He does a better job at his second attempt and then he has to leave.

It ends when they finally give into temptation and kiss passionately…

Avril M Harrison