Episode 7061

Extended Summary

Ben hails Brody down outside the Diner. He comments on him and Ziggy going through a rough patch, saying she doesn’t know how Brody’s feeling and is blaming herself. Brody says it’s not her fault. Ben suggests Brody and Ziggy have a chat about the future. Inside the Diner, Jett sits with Alf, John, Marilyn and Martha, being introduced to the latter. Leah comes over and Jett says he Skyped VJ who says hi. John and Marilyn gush over the fact he’s now a lieutenant and a platoon commander.

Brody runs into Justin, who tells him about Ziggy’s run-in with Simone. Brody notes that Ziggy’s talking to a lot of people, complaining about her talking to Ben. Justin says Ziggy hasn’t done anything wrong. Brody says he’s going to talk to her about the future. Justin wonders if that was Simone’s idea. Brody says it was Ben’s, but is expecting it to just prove they want different things. He meets up with Ziggy near the beach and invites her for a drink. Ziggy says she’s swearing off alcohol for the day. Brody suggests they need to sit down and talk.

John and Jett arrive back at the Palmer house, with John noting Marilyn’s looking to cook up a storm. Raffy is pleased to see Jett, wondering why no-one told her he was coming. John protests they didn’t know themselves. Jett asks if it’s okay to sleep in his old room and John says it’s always there for him. At the bait shop, Marilyn is inviting Alf, Leah and Martha to join them for a barbecue. Martha thinks it should be a family affair but Marilyn says they are family. After she’s gone, Martha wonders if they’ll be intruding. Alf says Marilyn’s determined to turn it into a party.

Brody and Ziggy have headed to Salt with Brody suggesting they talk about what they both want for the future. He says he’s hoping for a house of their own, kids and moving to the city to open a restaurant. Ziggy says she likes it in Summer Bay and Brody suggests in a year or two. Ziggy asks if they need to decide now, asking if they can just have fun, but says their marriage is important to her. Later, Ziggy goes round to see Ben with a pizza, saying his half is the one with the anchovies. She mentions the conversation with Brody about the future. Ben admits he gave him a nudge and says couples need common goals.

John and Marilyn look on as Jett helps Raffy with her homework. Raffy says her medication is clouding things. Jett suggests she change her study routine. Raffy notes she thought the army was about following rules. Jett says it’s more about working within rules. Marilyn mentions inviting Alf, Martha and Leah over. Jett was hoping it would just be them but Marilyn says there’s time for that later. John invites Jett to go for a walk with him and they chat about Jett adjusting to leading men with combat experience. Jett checks everything’s okay between John and Marilyn and with Raffy, and John asks if he’s still happy with what he’s doing. Jett says he’ll come to John if there’s a problem.

Ben and Ziggy muse on the fact that neither of them are really into planning. Ben notes that is Maggie’s thing. Ziggy says Ben and Maggie work together and it always seemed so easy. She admits she’s not ready for children. Ben suggests they look at getting a place first. Ziggy isn’t sure about the deposit, since they’ve been saving for a honeymoon. Ben suggests he and Maggie could help out but Ziggy says she and Brody should do it on their own. She heads to Salt and tells Brody that she’s ready to start making plans to buy a place of their own. Brody looks uncomfortable but agrees to talk to her about it when he’s got a moment.

Alf, Martha and Leah have joined John, Marilyn, Jett and Raffy, with Alf and John debating how well the sausages were cooked. Alf notes Jett will be deployed soon. Marilyn dismisses the idea, saying he’s only just graduated. Alf says he wasn’t much older when he was shipped out. John notes he never served in an active combat zone and Jett says there are different types of service. Marilyn quickly shuts down the conversation. Later, Alf, Martha and Leah are at the Diner. Alf realises he put his foot in it. While Leah heads off to Skype VJ, Alf and Martha reflect on his service in Vietnam. Alf has told her about his counselling and they wonder what things would have been like if his number hadn’t come up, before concluding at least they have a chance to get to know each other again.

Ziggy shows Brody a property worth $950,000. Brody tries to put her off, saying the deposit would be too big. Ziggy thinks they could save and protests that it was his idea to think about this. Justin interrupts them and Ziggy leaves. Later, Justin tries to get Brody to talk to him. Brody tells him about the conversation leading to Ziggy making plans to buy a house. Justin says that’s what Brody wanted and asks what Simone thinks. Brody admits they’re on a break. Justin encourages him to make things work with Ziggy.

Jett and Raffy are clearing the table, noting John has left some crumble. Raffy heads off to bed. John and Marilyn ask Jett what he wanted to talk about now they’re alone. Jett says it can wait, suggesting they watch a TV programme Marilyn mentioned. Next morning, Marilyn gets Raffy ready for school. John notes that Jett went for a walk. After Raffy has gone, John wonders why Jett suddenly turned up without telling them. Marilyn tries to dismiss his concerns. John heads off to find him.

John finds Jett by Gina’s bench. Jett explains his unit’s about to be deployed to Afghanistan for a six month tour. He says he has to be back on base tonight and they’ll be leaving in less than 48 hours.