Episode 7159

Extended Summary

Dean and Ziggy have just finished a surf and banter about each other’s skills. Dean has to get to work to open the shop for Ben. Ziggy worries about how the board order is going. Dean insists that life’s good. At the Diner, Alf and Roo have both seen the article and learned Dean and Mackenzie are brother and sister. Roo sees they’ve only just found out and wonders who Rick Booth is. Alf explains he’s an AFL legend and notes it was a bad idea to go into politics on a family values platform. Ryder and Raffy come in with Raffy worrying about Tori but Ryder cuts her off when he sees the article.

Dean and Ziggy arrive at the surf club where Maggie asks if Ben has called about the order, similarly worried. Ryder and Raffy appear and Ryder shows Dean the article. Dean goes outside to clear his head. Raffy asks Ryder if they should get a juice but Ryder has to work. Raffy gets a text from Mason. Ryder recalls she has an assignment to do. Ziggy goes to the gym where Willow is looking at the article and asks if what it says about Karen is true. Willow hesitates before confirming it is. Ziggy is shocked she has a criminal record and Willow explains about Colby using it to get her help.

Ziggy finds Dean down by the beach and wonders how Mackenzie could do this to him. Dean admits he said she could but it was meant to be about how Rick treated him, not about Karen. He worries about Karen learning he’s found Rick. Meanwhile, at Salt, Ryder chats to Mackenzie about her being Dean’s sister and says he went to her house. Mackenzie says that’s Rick’s new family’s place, not hers. She wonders why he went there and Ryder says he went with Dean when he first met Rick, and Dean was upset afterwards. Rick comes in and puts the paper down on the counter. Mackenzie notes she’s got his attention.

Dean comes into the surf club on the phone and tells Ziggy the hospital are keeping papers and journalists away from Karen. Ryder comes down, brushing aside Raffy’s attempts to talk to him, and tells Dean that Rick’s upstairs. Rick asks Mackenzie what she thinks his wife and kids make of it and is shocked she went through with it. He calls her a brat and Dean steps in. Rick leaves and Dean makes it clear he isn’t happy with the article. He wants Mackenzie to call off the journalist she spoke to.

At the Diner, Roo chats to Maggie about her tour of Italy. Maggie notes she’ll need someone to keep an eye on the school, before they discuss how Coco’s going. Raffy, who has been listening in from the next table, goes to leave and runs into Mason, who asks what’s wrong. Outside, Raffy notes she feels alone with Tori gone, John and Marilyn visiting Jett, Coco having a great time and Ryder always working. Mason notes he feels the same having to work at the gym instead of the hospital. He suggests she comes in with him and does her assignment in the office.

Mackenzie finishes a phone call and tells Dean there’s no chance of the story being halted. She also assures him she only gave them Dean’s name, not Karen’s, and the journalists must have found out about her themselves. She reminds him that he said to do whatever it takes and Dean says he didn’t think. After he’s gone, Ryder comes out to check on Mackenzie. She asks why he isn’t behind the bar, then apologises and asks how it’s going. Ryder says he’s ready to learn and Mackenzie says to carry on doing what he’s doing.

Downstairs, Ziggy tries to reassure Dean before Ben appears and says his phone died and he saw the boards head off. He suggests going upstairs for celebratory drinks. Ziggy answers the board shop phone and finds it’s a journalist wanting a statement. Dean indicates no, then his mobile rings with a similar request. Ben asks what’s going on and Ziggy shows him the article as the phones continue to ring.

At the Diner, Mackenzie smiles as she reads an article headed “Booth Shows True Colours”. Alf and Roo come in and ask her about the news. Mackenzie says Rick kept his families separate. Roo asks if she came there to find Dean. Mackenzie says partly that and partly wanting to stand on her own. Alf notes she’s better off there than in the city, while Mackenzie notes Rick’s political career is over.

Ziggy finds Dean sat in her room. She expresses sympathy over how he grew up. Dean says it’s not that bad, recalling how Karen once threw a party that went on all night into the next day and managed to talk the police into leaving them alone. Ziggy joins Ben and Maggie as Dean rejects another call from a journalist. Moments later, he gets a call from Colby telling him to turn on the telly. Rick is giving an interview where he dismisses Mackenzie’s account and says he provided Dean and Karen with a home and gave Dean $50,000 when he came to him for help. Dean says Rick gave him the money to go away. Ben realises that’s where he got the money from. Dean heads home.

At the gym, Raffy tells Mason she’s finished her assignment. Mason tries to convince her to have a workout since his next client cancelled. He starts giving her a pep-talk about doing things for herself rather than waiting around for Ryder but Raffy quickly rushes over to Ryder when he comes in saying he’s finished work.

Next morning, Ben comes across Dean, who says he just wants to forget about Rick. At that point, they see Rick waiting for him. Meanwhile, Raffy meets Ryder at the surf club, saying last night was fun and asking what they’re going to do today. Ryder says Mackenzie has gone to the city so he has to work. Raffy is disappointed. Ryder says he’s saving up money for a car to give them freedom and dismisses her claim that they never see each other.

Rick tells Dean that neither of them wanted this. He wants Dean to appear in front of the media with him to tell everyone they’re building a relationship. Dean is annoyed that Rick’s already organised it and refuses. Rick says he thought Dean was smarter than this. Dean says he’s not. Rick walks away, saying Dean will regret this.