Episode 7552

Extended Summary

Dean hurries down the steps from the flat, passing Justin and nearly bumping into Marilyn, who is dropping off Grace in her pram. Marilyn tells Justin that Grace wasn’t sleeping, which he hopes means she’ll go to bed early. He tells Marilyn that Leah’s on her way back but doesn’t seem bothered whether she found Susie or not, just hoping that it’s over. Meanwhile, Dean arrives at the motel and knocks on a door. He is greeted by a drunk but happy Mackenzie, who is playing loud music and offers him a beer. Dean says he’s not there to be her drinking buddy but because he’s worried about her.

Mia apologises to Ari for not thinking about what he might find while unpacking. Ari says it just threw him to find the stuff again. Mia recalls him making the box and Ari notes it was the only thing he could do after Kauri died. They recall how excited Chloe was to be a big sister, finding a drawing that Chloe apparently did of the three of them with a baby. At the Diner, Marilyn notes it’s not like Justin to be dismissive and Alf suggests he might be at his limit. Irene wonders what will happen if Leah and John don’t have any news of Susie. Marilyn and Alf think that will be the end of it and they’ll leave it to the police. Irene asks if they’ve met Leah.

Leah and John pull up in town. Leah offers to drive John home but he says he’d rather go to the Diner for a bite to eat. He says he just wanted answers but Leah thinks they’ve got their power back. Meanwhile, Mackenzie is on the phone, ordering a club sandwich. She asks Dean what he wants: He says nothing but she orders a supreme pizza anyway. Dean says he wasn’t planning on staying that long but also won’t go without Mackenzie, trying to get her to come back to his. Mackenzie says she just wants to forget so Dean asks for a beer.

Leah arrives home and finds Justin has made a special dinner to welcome her back. Leah says it was just a real estate agent that looked like Susie but she’d still rather be out there than sitting at home feeling sorry for herself. She gets an alert from the site and says that she’d better post to let them know it was a dead end, even though they’re in the middle of eating. At the Diner, John tells Irene and Marilyn that they found nothing despite Leah knocking on every door in town. He notes he was a nervous wreck all day. Irene notes that, even though he didn’t get the closure he wanted, it might be best to let it go.

Leah reads Justin a story about someone who ran into three dead ends and then found his scammer on the fourth. Justin isn’t convinced the story is true. Leah says if he can’t support her then not to say anything. Back at the motel room, Mackenzie gets a phone call about a noise complaint and responds by yelling down the phone. Dean turns the music off and notes he’s heard about her hitting on Tane. Mackenzie says that he’s only there because his girlfriend and son left him. She immediately regrets the comment, explaining that Amber texted her to say goodbye. Dean somewhat coldly suggests they get some sleep, settling down on the couch.

Mia asks Ari if they should risk unpacking again. Ari apologises for dropping the baby idea on her and then clamming up. Mia suggests not talking about it was the right thing, recalling that losing Kauri destroyed him and their relationship and wondering what would happen if it didn’t work out again. Ari thinks they’re different people now. Meanwhile, Dean is woken during the night by Mackenzie crying. She weeps that she ruins everything in her life. Dean blames her comment on the whisky and says she’s stopped him being a drunk mess in the past. He tells her that he’s still going to see Jai and she wouldn’t be his sister if she didn’t self-destruct.

Next morning, Mia is setting up for a class near the beach. Ari appears and says he’ll talk to her when the class is over. Mia isn’t keen on the suspense but starts the class up. At the motel, Dean arrives with coffees, waking Mackenzie up. He tells her that she has to leave now, since she’s been kicked out for screaming at the manager, and is amused she’s been kicked out of two places. He says he’ll be a more understanding landlord and she doesn’t have anywhere else to go. He also notes the place will be quieter without Jai there and Mackenzie agrees to move in with him.

Ari joins Mia on the beach and tells her he’s stronger now and doesn’t want to go back to living without her. He also wants to have a baby. Mia nervously agrees. Meanwhile, Dean and Mackenzie are approaching the surf club. Dean asks her to shout him breakfast at Salt as a thank you. However, they then see Ari and Mia kissing nearby, unaware they’re there. Mackenzie walks in the opposite direction and Dean follows her.

Justin is handing Grace’s pram over to Marilyn and notes that Leah’s still keen to find Susie. Marilyn says she won’t be happy: At a nearby table, John is telling Leah that he can’t go after Susie anymore. Leah is distraught, saying he can’t do this, despite Irene trying to calm her down. Justin asks Leah to come outside and they walk onto the pier. Justin says she can’t have a go at John. Leah says that Justin’s the one that should be helping her and refuses to give up until she’s found Susie.

Dean and Mackenzie arrive at the flat with her bags. Mackenzie wonders how Bella will feel but Dean says she’ll be fine and insists Mackenzie’s staying there. They hug.