Home and Away promo shows Mia and Ari’s bittersweet wedding day
A new Home and Away promo airing in Australia shows the arrival of Mia and Ari’s wedding day, and the dramatic aftermath which will change the lives of the Parata family forever.
These scenes will air in the UK from mid-April, and this article contains major spoilers for UK viewers.
Mia (Anna Samson) and Ari’s (Rob Kipa Williams) happiness has been ripped apart since Matthew Montgomery (James Sweeny) arrived in town.
Matthew was Chloe’s (Sam Barrett) biological father, the result of a sexual assault on Mia at a party almost two decades ago.
Mia fled town after discovering she was pregnant, and raised her daughter on her own, using money she had been given by Matthew’s mother in exchange for agreeing to terminate her pregnancy.
When she met Ari, he became a father figure to Chloe – until a botched bank robbery landed him in prison, and Mia was once again forced to raise her daughter alone.
Last year saw Mia, Chloe and Ari reunite in Summer Bay after over a decade apart, and, after plenty of turbulence, Mia and Ari’s old feelings for one another reignited.
They’ve been in a great place ever since, with Ari even proposing to Mia in the final week of 2021 season.
Sadly, Matthew’s arrival turned everything upside down. Chloe accidentally killed him, striking him over the head with a rock when he started to get aggressive towards Mia. Mia then drove off with the body, planning on dumping it in the bush. When she was caught, Ari took the blame for Matthew’s death, to ensure that his now fiancée and step-daughter stayed out of trouble.
He has spent the last few weeks in remand, awaiting sentencing, and the Parata clan have been coming to terms with the idea that he would be facing the rest of his life behind bars.
Mia has continued with her wish to marry Ari, even if it means doing it from within the prison, and recent episodes have seen her purchase both a wedding dress and bridesmaid dress.
However, the latest episodes, which aired in a triple-bill in Australia today (Thursday 3rd March), brought her world crashing down. Ari was rushed into hospital with a suspected ruptured appendix, but, when Logan (Harley Bonner) operated, he discovered that Ari has pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP), a rare form of cancer, and the tumours have already spread throughout his abdominal cavity.
The prognosis is bad, and it’s likely that Ari has very little time left to live. There was the possibility of an operation, but one with very little chance of long-term success, and Ari turned it down, wanting to control the narrative of his own death rather than face multiple uncertain operations in the years to come.
In heart-wrenching scenes in Thursday’s episodes, Ari told Mia that his biggest regret is that he should have married her a long time ago.
Now, a new promo shows that Mia brings their wedding plans forward, wanting to make the most of her remaining days with Ari by making them husband and wife.
In next week’s episodes, she enlists the help of Chloe, Tane (Ethan Browne) and Nikau (Kawakawa Fox-Reo) to organise a wedding in Ari’s room in Northern Districts Hospital, taking her fiancé by surprise when she turns up in a wedding dress.
“It’s time to get your game face on, boy,” Tane tells Nikau before the pair head to the hospital to put the plan into action.
Nik has been struggling the most since Ari’s arrest. The situation has brought back painful memories of losing his father Mikaere, who died in a botched armed robbery just over 18 months ago.
“Nikau is tortured,” Kawakawa told TV Week when the storyline began. “It isn’t a pleasant sight, seeing someone you love in an environment like that.”
Thankfully, Tane’s idea of taking his nephew into the bush to teach him to be a warrior – presenting him with Mikaere’s taiaha, a traditional Māori weapon, and teaching him the techniques required to master it – has helped improve his mental state.
However, will it be enough to prepare him for what’s about to come?
Tane heads to the hospital with a suit for Ari, using the excuse that he’s organised a family photo shoot. So, when Mia turns up in her wedding dress, with Chloe following closely behind in her bridesmaid dress, Ari has no idea what’s going on.
“What are you doing?” he asks with a smile.
“We’re getting married,” Mia explains, as the celebrant arrives and the small but intimate service gets under way.
“With this ring, I marry you.”
As Ari places the wedding ring on Mia’s finger, he gets his dying wish to make Mia his wife.
“Remember this moment,” Ari tells Mia. “Forget everything that’s happened before, and everything that’s about to happen. This is all that matters.”
“I love you, I’ve always loved you, and I will always love you,” Mia responds, holding back the tears.
In another promo which aired after Thursday’s episode, we hear Mia say, “I know we don’t get our happily ever after that we always dreamed of, but I will take great comfort, great joy in being your wife.”
It’s a difficult, bittersweet day for all of the Paratas, as they know that it could be Ari’s last.
They share their first kiss as a married couple, and the room is all smiles as they celebrate the marriage of Mr and Mrs Parata.
As jubilant and joyous as the moment is, their happiness will be short lived, and the moment they’ve been dreading arrives seconds after they finish saying their vows.
Ari collapses to the floor, as Mia cries out, “what’s happening?”
They were all expecting to say goodbye, but nobody expected that it would come so soon.
The new promo shows Tane arrive back at the Parata house, looking downtrodden.
Felicity (Jacqui Purvis) is there waiting for him, and the shocked look on her face likely confirms what we know is coming – Ari hasn’t made it.
The promo recaps the moments after Ari first asked Mia to marry him, with the pair dancing in the Parata garden.
Then, we see Nikau using the taiaha on the pier – finding his inner warrior strength to get him through the grief of his uncle’s death.
Ending the promo, we see Chloe and Mia at the beach, still in their dresses. Mia heads into the water, her eye makeup smudged from tears, as the waves wash over her.
Ari’s potential exit has been rumoured for quite some time. With the show filming a significant amount of external scenes at Sydney’s Palm Beach, it’s usually possible to tell when a character has left when fans stop seeing the actor or actress behind them shooting scenes at the famous beach, and actor Rob Kipa-Williams hasn’t been seen filming there for quite some time.
When Sam Frost posted an Instagram story from the Paratas’ garden late last year, in which a number of cast members were dressed in black as if attending a wake, it was almost definitive proof that a character would be bowing out in the months to come.
As the actors behind the remaining members of the Parata clan – Anna Samson (Mia), Kawakawa and Ethan – along with their close friends and partners – Courtney Miller (Bella), Lukas Radovich (Ryder) and Jacqui Purvis (Felicity) – had all been spotted filming after the wake scenes, it soon seemed almost certain that the funeral would be for the Parata patriarch himself.
Sadly, that now appears to be the case, and spoilers for next Thursday’s episode (10th March) state that “Mia says goodbye to her past and future,” while “Nikau and Tane find their warrior strength through pain.”
Get the tissues at the ready, as we prepare to say goodbye to Ari Parata, next week on Home and Away.
Here’s the full spoilers for this week’s Home and Away episodes in Australia:
Monday 7th February (Episode 7742)
Will Ari get his dying wish? Mia’s dream is short-lived. Are Karen and Brett moving in?
Tuesday 8th March (Episode 7743)
Dean looks for someone to blame. Logan discovers Mackenzie’s romantic history. Ryder stomps on Alf’s kind gesture.
Wednesday 9th March (Episode 7744)
Theo and Ryder use their videos for good. Will Cash have a change of heart and home? Felicity gives Ryder some wise words.
Thursday 10th March (Episodes 7745-7747)
Mia says goodbye to her past and future. Nikau and Tane find their warrior strength through pain. Will Jasmine make room for Cash?
Mia takes her crusade to the police. Half-naked Cash makes an awkward housemate.
Why is Logan spying on Mackenzie? Cash has a problem with Irene. Justin tests Theo’s trust.
Home and Away Arrivals and Departures
We bring you a roundup of all of the characters set to leave Summer Bay in the coming months, and preview some of the new faces set to call the seaside town home.