Episode 8033

Extended Summary

Xander and Rose approach the surf club, chatting about Xander’s new job. Rose stops and asks Xander to see if Mali’s inside. Xander protests that they’ve been doing this for a week and refuses to indulge her anymore. Seeing John, Rose starts chatting to him about how busy it is inside. John tells her Mali isn’t there and isn’t convinced by her claim that she wasn’t asking.

Meanwhile, Leah is vacuuming the Morgan house when Justin arrives home, saying he convinced Andrew to stay with the social worker. Leah says if she was his mum then she’d know about him. She suggests they research Vita Nova in order to know how to help him.

Felicity congratulates Xander on his work. Xander says he might drop a tray of drinks today…or pour them over his sister’s head, he adds as Rose walks in. He explains that Mali broke up with her. Felicity didn’t even know they were dating. Downstairs, John approaches Mali and mentions Rose, trying to give him advice. Mali cuts him off when he sees Mackenzie coming in, since he thought she was spending more time at home. Mackenzie says she was so bored she started talking to the kettle and just wants to see some real people and check on Salt.

Felicity tries to encourage Rose to get over Mali, just as he comes in arguing with Mackenzie. Rose hides round the corner and gestures at Xander to distract him. Xander takes Mali out onto the balcony. Mackenzie wonders why Rose is in the kitchen, just before she runs off. Xander makes small talk with Mali about rips and his new job, before admitting Rose is avoiding him and telling him to sort it out. Mackenzie tells Xander this isn’t one of his breaks.

Looking online, Leah finds that the cult believes the world will end in a biochemical attack. Justin recalls Cash saying they try to be self-sufficient. Leah says they cut off family and friends and one woman hasn’t seen her daughter in thirty years. Justin says at least Andrew had his dad with him. He finds a report from ten years earlier: Workmen went into the compound to repair an electrical pole after a storm and were driven off by cult members with bows and arrows. No charges were laid.

Downstairs in the surf club, John tells Mali that he had a messy break-up a couple of years back. Mali says it can’t be worse than this. John says she ended up dead, giving a vague explanation about a real estate scam. Mali senses John’s advice was just to sort it out. John adds quickly.

Leah reads of a man who ran away from the cult at fifteen after getting punished for asking questions. Children who speak out get locked up in a room without food or water for days. Justin realises that is what Andrew was scared of and says he must have been desperate to break the rules and leave him a note.

Rose is alone in the flat and ends up grabbing a box of cereal and starting to eat from it. She gets a text from Mali asking to talk but ignores it and settles on a couch. Meanwhile, Justin and Leah are walking through a park area, wondering if they’re the right people to help Andrew. Leah says Andrew chose them and has started to trust them. She doesn’t want to send him away. Justin admits what happened with his own parents has never left him. Leah says it might have helped if he had people there for him.

Mali turns up at the flat, noting Rose didn’t respond to his text. She says she didn’t want to talk. Mali gives her his schedule for the next week, saying it’ll make it easier for her “not to avoid me”. He leaves. At Salt, Mackenzie asks Felicity if she’s sorted out next week’s laundry yet. Felicity says she was going to do it after the lunch rush, along with the wages and rosters. Mackenzie offers to do it, disappearing into the store room. Xander gets an emergency text from Rose and Felicity lets him take a break.

Leah and Justin have run into Alf in a park area and outline the situation with Andrew to him. Alf thinks they’re decent people to help him. Meanwhile, Xander arrives home and Rose shows him the schedule, upset he told Mali she was avoiding him. Xander is bewildered that she’s upset that the guy she wanted to avoid is helping her do so and tells her that she’s the only one who thinks that what happened is a big deal. Rose closes the cereal box after he’s gone.

Felicity tells Mackenzie she has to pop home. Mackenzie insists she’ll be fine looking after the place. She retreats into the store room where she ends up looking up her conversations with Gabe on her phone, getting teary when she sees one saying “I love you”. Meanwhile, Rose is waiting downstairs near the board shop and tells John that Mali will be there any minute according to his schedule. Mali turns up on time and Rose asks if he wants to talk.

Mackenzie sits in the store room crying. Xander checks in on her and she tells him just to give her a minute, snapping that he’s her employee, not her therapist. Xander reluctantly leaves her alone.