UK Air Date: 28th October 2016
Writer: Faith McKinnon
Director: Ian Gilmour
Cat No: HAAW09-053
Olivia finds herself a virtual prisoner in her bedroom when she becomes the victim of a cruel and depraved cyber bully.
Extended Summary
Romance is in the air as Hunter and Olivia prepare for their upcoming date. While Olivia, brimming with excitement, puts the finishing touches to her outfit in her bedroom, VJ teases Hunter about his date ideas. Perhaps it’s time to put a little extra effort in…
Olivia receives a Facecloud message seemingly from a girl named Winnie, and what it says leaves Olivia feeling deeply uneasy. Winnie claims she’s a victim of Kirk Sheppard, the same man who abused Olivia – and reveals that Kirk has finally been arrested for his crimes. When Winnie asks that Olivia share details of her abuse with her, Olivia realizes something isn’t quite right. Faced with Olivia’s probing questions, ‘Winnie’ finally comes clean. She confesses that she is in fact, Kirk, not Winnie. Olivia staggers back from her desk, repulsed by the very idea she is in contact with her abuser. But little does she know it’s only the tip of the iceberg. It’s not long before she discovers Kirk has somehow gained access to her webcam. He is watching her every move. What follows is a rollercoaster ride of emotion for Olivia as Kirk threatens to expose her to the world in the form of a video he claims he has of her. He warns that if she doesn’t do exactly as he says, he will release the video to God knows who.
Hunter, meanwhile, oblivious to Olivia’s ordeal, waits at the beach for their date. He’s clearly gone to a great deal of effort, dressing up, buying expensive movie tickets. So, it comes as a huge disappointment when she doesn’t show. When he confronts her, Kirk orders her to send him away. Quickly creating a cover story, Olivia tells Hunter she’s not in the right headspace for the date. Confused and hurt, Hunter leaves, but he’s thrown by her strange manner, which is in stark contrast to their playful, even flirty exchanges earlier in the day. Frustrated, he debriefs with VJ, who shares his suspicion that there’s more going on here than meets the eye. VJ urges him to return to Olivia to find out what’s really going on.
When Hunter does return demanding answers, Olivia’s determined to protect him from the nightmare she’s found herself in. So, she figures the only way to do that is to be cruel to be kind. She claims she has no interest in getting back together – insisting that they were never meant to be. Hunter’s reeling – it makes no sense to him. And when he notices she keeps glancing at her laptop, he questions whether she’s met someone online. Olivia insists that’s not the case, and realizing she’s unwavering in her decision, Hunter finally goes. Which leaves Olivia facing her abuser alone. When he then demands that she remove her dress, Olivia refuses. He reiterates his threat regarding the video footage he has of her – and Olivia becomes convinced she has no choice but to agree to his vile request.
Hunter makes his way to the Diner, where he tells Irene that Olivia was acting strangely. Irene can’t believe it either, Olivia was buzzing about their date. Hunter notices Tabitha sitting at nearby table with a laptop. He confronts her, suggesting that she’s somehow gotten Olivia again. Tabitha denies it, and Hunter walks away in frustration.
With her hands trembling, Olivia starts to slide the strap of her dress down. But then she suddenly has a moment of clarity and stops. Out of the shame and fear, she finds courage. She can’t do it – and she doesn’t care about the consequences either. To give in to Kirk now would be to give him even more power over her. She dissolves into gut-wrenching silent tears.
Back at the Diner, Hunter’s suspicions boil over. He wretches the laptop from Tabitha and sees Olivia, an emotional wreck. He shouts at her to stop, whatever Tabitha was doing to her, she’s safe now. Olivia is appalled. Tabitha claims it was meant to be a joke. The despair written on Olivia’s face shows us this is anything but funny. She is utterly broken by this ordeal.
Irene later tells Olivia that the police are talking to Tabitha now. They’ll want a statement from Olivia later. Irene will be there by her side. Olivia’s worried about Hunter, concerned that she ruined everything by pushing him away. They meet up and Hunter tells her she has nothing to be sorry about, placing his hand on her leg affectionately. She reacts to the innocent touch, pushing him away. She’s clearly very shaken up by the events of the day, stuck once again in her own personal hell.