Episode 7421

Extended Summary

Bella finds Nikau at the surf club. He wonders how Colby feels about her being back home and she admits she hasn’t seen him yet but still thinks she made the right decision moving back there. Nikau notes his uncles are messing up the house again and explains about Mackenzie moving out. Back at the Parata house, Ari continues to press Tane about Mackenzie’s decision. Tane tells him to ask her but eventually says that it makes it easier but he didn’t ask her to go.

Ziggy finds Mackenzie cooking breakfast. Mackenzie notes that it was nice to be woken by the sound of birdsong rather than the Paratas arguing. They discuss how isolated they are and Ziggy apologises for getting upset about Dean the previous night. Mackenzie offers to let Ziggy drive her Porsche to cheer her up. At the surf club, Bella is reunited with Willow, who has just returned from her trip away but says Dean has stayed on to get himself sorted out. Willow wonders if Colby has finished with Taylor. Bella doesn’t know but says she spent the night at the flat and Colby wasn’t there.

Colby is in bed with Taylor at the motel and ignores a text from Willow wondering where he is. Taylor admits she has to meet Angelo for breakfast and considers standing him up but Colby advises against it. He wonders about Angelo’s big break-through but Taylor doesn’t think he has one. Meanwhile, Mackenzie and Ziggy arrive at the surf club and meet Willow, who tells them Dean has gone to see Karen. Ari appears and asks to talk to Mackenzie upstairs. Willow takes the opportunity to talk to Ziggy about how cut-up Dean is. Upstairs, Ari asks Mackenzie to be honest with him: Did she move out because of Tane?

Ziggy and Willow are walking along the beach. Ziggy admits that she does miss Dean but can’t get past what he did or how long he lied to her for. Willow is worried that he’s spiralling and will ruin everything including his relationship with Jai. They run into Colby outside the Diner and Ziggy notes with disgust that she can’t stand seeing him walking around after what he’s done. Angelo and Taylor witness the altercation as Colby complains to Willow about Dean telling her. Angelo tries to question Colby but Taylor ushers him inside. Retiring to the flat, Colby complains to Willow again about Dean and Ziggy, saying he had it under control. Willow is annoyed that he doesn’t seem to care about Dean beyond what Angelo will think and questions him about his affair with Taylor. He disappears into his room but Willow sits down to wait for him.

Mackenzie tells Ari that she realised her being in the house was making things uncomfortable for Tane so decided to move out. She insists it’s for the best, pointing out they can now spend time together on the farm, but Ari is annoyed she didn’t talk to him. Meanwhile, Tane comes home to find Bella with Nikau. She admits she hasn’t even seen Colby since she moved out. Mackenzie also arrives and indicates she wants to speak to Tane. Bella decides to go home and Nikau walks her out. Mackenzie asks Tane why he said something to Ari. Tane says he didn’t and they need to sort it out themselves. Mackenzie is worried that Ari will finish with her.

Colby isn’t happy to emerge from his room and find Willow still there. Willow says that she needs him to promise he’s not going to take any more stupid risks. Bella arrives home as Colby assures Willow that he’s ended things with Taylor, saying he wasn’t getting any information from her and she won’t tell Angelo. Willow accepts it and leaves. Bella notes she saw Colby kissing Taylor in the car. Colby says he ended it that day and bitterly says he never stopped fighting for Bella and thought she’d be on his side. On the pier, Angelo tells Taylor he spent all night looking at crime photos and not seeing anything new, and should have spent it with her. Taylor encourages him to keep going and solve the case. Colby watches from the balcony: He isn’t happy to see Taylor kiss Angelo goodbye or to see Angelo stop Ziggy. Angelo says he’s talking to everyone that knows the family, asking her about her altercation with Colby and moving out. Ziggy gives nothing away but Angelo gives her his number and says to call if she remembers anything. Bella approaches Colby and apologises, saying she is on his side.

Tane and Mackenzie are sat chatting. Mackenzie is upset at Ari’s reaction. Tane thinks it was just a knee jerk response and Ari wouldn’t give her up. Mackenzie wishes she’d been honest, just as Ari arrives home and agrees. Tane leaves them to it. Mackenzie insists it’s not about having feelings for Tane but Ari is still upset she wasn’t honest. At the surf club, Nikau and Tane are playing pool when Bella snaps a photo of them. She says it’s for a candid photo assignment but the pair instantly start striking poses. Willow joins Bella and they talk about Colby’s turnaround. Bella says it felt like she had her brother back.

Ziggy hears a banging at the door: She thinks it’s Mackenzie, who doesn’t have a key yet, but it’s Colby. He wants to explain but Ziggy tells him to save it for the courts, since he’s not going to be able to hide it. Colby asks what she said to Angelo. Ziggy says nothing, but she’ll call and tell him everything if Colby doesn’t leave. Colby says if she does that, she’ll be condemning Dean as well since it was his idea to cover it up and bury the body: Dean would get twenty years and wouldn’t survive another stretch in prison. Later, Colby meets Taylor in a bush area and kisses her. Taylor isn’t sure about doing it in public but apologises for kissing Angelo. Bella sees them from a distance and photographs them kissing.

Tane and Nikau return home to find a morose Ari, who says he didn’t sort things with Mackenzie and is resentful of Tane. Tane says to blame him, not Mackenzie, and not throw away the best thing that’s ever happened to him. Nikau has to get between his uncles before they both retreat to their rooms. Meanwhile, Colby returns home to be greeted by Bella. He claims he was at work. Bella points out he isn’t in uniform and was at work last night and he says he was doing paperwork and covering for someone who was sick. Bella tells him about her candid assignment, saying she got lots of photos of people acting normally. She goes to her room and looks at the photos of Colby and Taylor.