Grieving from the sudden loss of his brother, Tane is barely holding it together this week. Now, the rock-solid relationship he has with Felicity could fall apart when she announces her future plans.
In Home and Away, Tane (Ethan Browne) is back in Summer Bay after laying Ari (Rob Kipa-Williams) to rest in New Zealand. He and Nikau (Kawkawa Fox-Reo) left shortly after the community paid tribute to him with a traditional Maori ceremony.
Tane and Nikau performed an emotional haka in Ari’s honour, before carrying his coffin out together. While the Parata boys find closure at home, Mia (Anna Samson) continues to wrestle in her grief.
Back home, Tane and Nikau feel the hole Ari left in their life. Mia can’t bear to be in the house. Tane knows he has to step up for his family, but how? He seeks out girlfriend Felicity (Jacqui Purvis) for love and comfort.
He finds her at the caravan park, dancing with headphones in. The image is enough to bring Tane out of his funk and happily embrace the woman he loves.
“Flick can be herself around Tane – her loud, fun, stubborn at times, self. Flaws and all,” Jacqui tells TV WEEK.
In a heart-to-heart, Tane bears his soul to Felicity – losing Ari and what it means for his role in the family, as well as their financial burden. It’s weighing heavily on his mind.
Felicity listens and provides a shoulder to lean on. Tane then laments on what Ari and Mia lost and reveals that he sees a real future with Felicity. A house, a family, a life.
Felicity smiles gratefully, but inside, anxiety takes hold. Is this what she wants?
“This is a massive moment for Flick,” Jacqui explains. “That fear of commitment rises and she panics.”
Felicity runs to her brother Cash (Nicholas Cartwright) for advice. Due to their troubled upbringing, she isn’t sure she wants children. But she knows Tane does.
“If she tells him, he may not want to be with her,” Jacqui says. “Flick could ruin this relationship by getting in her own way.”
With some encouragement from Cash, she bravely tells Tane the truth. She may never want kids or marriage in her future.
Tane recoils and promptly asks her to leave: “I can’t do this”, he says.
Uh oh! Is this the end for Felicity and Tane?
Alf is stuck in the middle of his family’s drama
In the uphill battle for the Stewart family to reconcile their differences, this week may finally yield some positive results.
Alf (Ray Meagher) decides to visit Martha (Belinda Giblin) in Merimbula and invites his daughter Roo (Georgie Parker) to join him. She declines, not ready to play happy families yet.
Earlier in the year, Martha refused to take Roo’s kidney in a life-or-death transplant, the result of which means her grave health is on the decline. In Roo’s eyes, she has simply given up on her life and her loved ones.
Alf puts the pressure on for Roo to mend fences, but his efforts make the situation worse. Justin (James Stewart) tries to counsel the pair and suggests Alf use a lighter touch. He then tells Roo to make every day count – Ari’s tragic death proved how precious life is.
At the Surf Club, Alf tries once more to reason with Roo, but she won’t budge. He leaves for Merimbula, exasperated. John (Shane Withington), who is listening nearby, then reveals that he can understand Martha’s stance – he wouldn’t put his children in harm’s way either.
Roo is stunned. Perhaps, she’s been wrong this whole time…
Watch Home and Away Monday to Thursday, 7pm on Channel Seven