Episode 7184

Extended Summary

Ben is slumped at the farm house as Ziggy celebrates the fact that not drinking during her night out means no hangover. She drops hints and eventually outright asks if Ben wants to go surfing with her. She reminds him he tried to get her out there after Brody and he points out she told him to get lost. He says some other time. Near the surf club, Ziggy relates her failure to Maggie but is confident it’ll be over soon when the charges are dropped. Maggie wonders if she should stay home but Ziggy tells her to concentrate on the HSC trials. Heading towards the beach, Ziggy encounters Dean and wonders why he isn’t in work. He admits he stuffed up. He calls out to a nearby Mackenzie but she snaps back that she told him to stay away from her. Ziggy notes he really did stuff up.

At the Diner, Alf and Ryder chat about the day’s exam: maths. Ryder is confident and is also still saving to buy a car. Noting Marilyn nearby, Alf observes that it isn’t that straightforward for Raffy. Ryder heads to school where he files into the classroom with the other students and looks around. Maggie is in there; she starts to text Ben saying she’s worried about him, then changes it to suggesting they have lunch together. She gives her exam conditions spiel to the students. Ryder asks where Raffy is but Maggie tells him to concentrate on the exam before telling them all to begin.

Mackenzie meets Colby near the Diner and says he should have told her that Dean put pressure on him to break up with her. She says it’s her choice but Colby says it’s more complicated than that. Down on the beach, Dean has filled in Ziggy; she is sympathetic but also understands why Mackenzie’s upset. Colby and Mackenzie also walk on the beach; Colby has told her about Dean going to prison for him. He also says Dean has a point that he does make a mess of relationships and thinks it would never work. Frustrated, Mackenzie says he and Dean deserve each other.

The exam finishes and Ryder hands his paper to Maggie after a few last second adjustments. He tells her he thinks he did okay. He again asks about Raffy but Maggie again deflects the question. Back at the farm house, Ben is looking through papers at the table. Maggie rings from her office and, before she can ask, Ben says he’s off the couch. He is looking at how much they owe. Maggie asks if he got her message but he says he’s been busy and notes that the barristers’ investigation has found nothing.

Maggie goes to see Colby at his flat. Colby says Bella’s with Irene but Maggie is actually there to ask about the case. Colby says the AFP won’t update a local cop but he’s heard they’re working with the Indonesian police, which shows that at least they’re following up Ben’s statement and might catch the real culprits. At the surf club, Ziggy chats to Dean about Ben. Dean goes over to Mackenzie and tries to talk to her but she snaps at him and heads upstairs. Ziggy and Willow are amused and Dean goes to find Colby.

Willow and Ziggy join Mackenzie in Salt and warn her not to try and understand Dean and Colby. Mackenzie notes it’s like there’s some weird code that only the two of them understand. The others tell her that Dean was worried about things going wrong but Colby actually does tend to mess up relationships. Mackenzie wonders why it’s so hard. Down on the beach, Dean approaches Colby and tells him that he’s happy with him dating Mackenzie and won’t stay away from them if they do. Colby is annoyed, asking why Dean couldn’t have done this before. As they are threatening to punch each other, Mackenzie arrives and orders them to come with her.

Mackenzie has sat down Dean and Colby in Salt with Willow and Ziggy sat nearby, amused. She says it’s been good getting to know Dean and what he did was sweet in a weird way but she doesn’t need protecting. She notes it’s obvious Dean and Colby have a bond but unless they’re going to date each other, Colby needs to make his own choices so at least his stuff-ups are his own. Ziggy and Willow drag Dean away as Colby follows Mackenzie to the bar, although they linger long enough to see them kiss. Meanwhile, Maggie arrives home and fills Ben in on what Colby said. Ben however is unimpressed, saying nothing’s changed. Maggie tries to get Ben to go out with her, suggesting dinner and a walk on the beach, and says he can’t stay locked up. Ben says he should get used to getting locked up. Maggie loses her temper, saying he’s given up and she can’t be around him. She storms out; Ben looks bewildered for a moment before resuming his TV watching.

Dean is trying to play pool as Willow and Ziggy wax lyrical about how Mackenzie handled things. Dean says she and Colby won’t last; Willow says they might be together forever rubbing his nose in it, before heading off to work. Dean invites Ziggy back to his bed but Ziggy gets a phone call from Maggie and meets her on a bench. Maggie says she’s tried to be patient and support Ben like he did when she had cancer but she’s never seen him so low. Ziggy says they need to go home and tell him to stop.

At the Diner, Ryder tells Alf he did well at the exam. Alf suggests they go on a fishing trip as a reward; Ryder says they should only go if he gets top marks. He asks Marilyn about Raffy. Marilyn thanks him for caring but says it’s not her place to tell him what’s going on. Back at the farm house, Ziggy and Maggie arrive. Ziggy has a go at Ben for upsetting Maggie while Maggie tells Ben she wants to support him. Both agree he needs to get off the couch. Ben angrily stands up, saying getting off the couch changes nothing: He’s got no job, no money and no future and there’s nothing he can do about it. He storms out.