Episode 7368

Extended Summary

Maggie is finishing off a phone call with Coco, saying they’ll see her tomorrow and stay overnight. Ben arrives back, commenting that it seems like just yesterday since they moved in. He gets a call from Alf, who asks him and Maggie to spare an hour or so for a farewell lunch. Ben is touched and Alf says to turn up outside the surf club when they’re ready. Ben tells Maggie to unpack a party dress.

Dean greets Ziggy enthusiastically as she comes out of the room texting. Her response is muted and she says their quiet lunch has been hijacked, complaining she wanted to spend some quality time with her parents. Dean irritably says it’s up to her whether she goes or not. Ziggy asks about the board shop but is dismissive again when he says he’s said yes. Dean heads out, simply saying he’ll be back later.

Marilyn tells John about the farewell lunch. John says he’ll put a shirt on but Marilyn says she thought he’d be tired after his rehab yesterday. John says he’s feeling better but Marilyn says it’d be hard getting him and the wheelchair into the car. John backs down, noting the doctor has said he can be left alone now. He pretends he’s fine as Marilyn gives him a lunch and leaves but looks disappointed.

Justin asks Leah how many people are coming to the lunch, saying all the food she’s made might just be for them and Alf. They ponder about missing Ben and Maggie, with Justin noting they were like family when Brody and Ziggy were together. Leah says it’s a good excuse to visit them in Italy but draws the line at backpacking.

Shortly after, they run into Ben and Maggie at the lunch, with Ben and Justin bantering about who eats the most. Maggie tells Alf it’s a shame Martha couldn’t get back from the art show. Ben gets a call from John, who explains he’d like to come but it’s too much trouble for Marilyn to bring him. Marilyn turns up at that point. Justin says Tori had to sleep before a shift. Marilyn says John had a big day yesterday. Ben pulls Justin aside and asks if he fancies taking a drive.

Dean returns to the flat with Ziggy annoyed with him. Dean says he doesn’t fancy sitting around watching her cry over a bloke she hasn’t even divorced. Ziggy says she was crying over her parents, not Brody, and leaves. Outside the surf club, Maggie chats to Leah and Marilyn about the food in Italy. She says they’re going to travel around until they find a place they fall in love with and settle, like they did in Summer Bay.

Justin and Ben turn up at the Palmer house, telling John that it’s too hard for Marilyn to get him there but not them. John says he just needs his chair and walking stick. While Justin’s sorting it out, John tells Ben he’s glad he and Maggie have sorted things out. Ben notes that Marilyn said he’d had a hard day at rehab. John says it wasn’t that bad.

The three of them turn up at the lunch and are greeted by Alf and Maggie. Marilyn looks awkward to see him there but pulls out a chair for him. John, who is able to walk to the table with his stick, says he managed to get in the car by himself and it’s amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it.

Ziggy returns to the Diner flat, telling Dean she’s forgotten something: him. She admits she was insensitive but says she thought he knew he wasn’t included when she said she had no-one in the Bay. She says she wants to say goodbye to her parents and thinks Ben would like to say goodbye to him. Dean begrudgingly agrees to come.

Ben and Maggie greet Ziggy and Dean at the lunch. Alf recalls meeting the Astonis when they were broken down by the roadside, and he got them going again only for them to plough into the water tank and gazump him on a real estate deal. He says they’ve had a rough couple of years but got through it, and he thought they’d be sticking around longer but they’ll be missed and everyone there will keep an eye on Ziggy. He tells them they’ll always have a home there. Ben gets up, saying no-one has ever wavered in their support and thanking them.

Ben, Maggie, Dean and Ziggy pay a last visit to the farm house. Ben hands over the keys to Ziggy, who hugs them both goodbye. Ben also thanks Dean for being a rock for Ziggy and for helping him out. They also share an awkward hug. Ziggy says to call, text and e-mail, and say hi to Coco. She tells Dean to lock up, saying there’s something she has to do.

A short time later, Ben and Maggie are driving along the road out of town. Maggie says it’s their last look but Ben thinks they’re going to be okay. Maggie says there’s a lot of memories but they’ll make some new ones. They drive past the “You are leaving Summer Bay” sign. At the Diner, Justin and Leah discuss missing the couple. Ziggy arrives with the wedding album which she gives to Justin, saying she’s taken the photos she wants and there’s a lot of his family, including some beautiful ones of Mason. Flicking through it, Justin notes a lot has changed since then.

Ziggy meets up with Dean upstairs and tells him she’s going to sort out the paperwork to finalise her divorce tomorrow and doesn’t know why she hasn’t done it before. Dean suggests she had enough change for a year. Ziggy reflects on Coco, Brody, Ben and Maggie all being gone. Dean says he’s still here and they kiss.

Marilyn chats to John about how she’s full after the dinner. John tells her to stop talking about things that don’t matter and instead have an honest conversation about the fact that the living arrangement isn’t working out. Marilyn says she can’t talk to him when he’s like this and is going out to get some dinner. John looks frustrated. Marilyn finds Irene at the Diner; she says she got back five minutes ago and where Damian is was beautiful. Marilyn asks to hear all about it, saying she can leave John alone for longer now.

Marilyn arrives home much later, telling John that Irene wanted to have a catch-up. John stops her talking, and tells her to stop running around after him. He says she’s only there out of obligation and doesn’t love him, so they need to acknowledge that and work out what to do next.