A body washes up in Summer Bay. Who is it? Have they been murdered?
Just how they came to a grisly end we can’t say.
But the bombshell discovery will send shock waves throughout the Bay when it’s discovered the body is that of someone fans will know.
We can tell you one of four people – Leah (Ada Nicodemou), Justin (James Stewart), Susie (Bridie Carter) or Mac (Emily Weir) – will perish in Home And Away.
And there are very good reasons why it could be any of them.
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“Our viewers are in for a wild ride,” series producer Lucy Addario says.
The death will have a ripple effect over coming episodes, which includes an investigation into the body, a startling arrest, the introduction of a hot newcomer, and explosive action that will leave fans breathless.
Here’s where we find Leah, Justin, Susie and Mac this week…
Who will it be?
(Channel Seven)LEAH
Things are getting very dangerous for Leah – and in more ways than one. Ever since Susie fleeced her and Justin of their life savings, Leah has been scanning online forums in a bid to find the scammer.
When John (Shane Withington) received text messages from Susie, Leah thought this was her best chance yet to catch the conwoman. But is Leah about to make a wrong move that will see her face the wrath of a woman who’ll do anything to escape being caught?
“Leah thinks she’s getting close and doesn’t for a second think that this could be dangerous,” Ada, 44, tells TV WEEK.
Her obsession with tracking down Susie has come at the expense of her relationship with Justin – and she’s failed to see how serious his addiction to painkillers has become.
Leah locks herself in a bathroom for safety.
(Channel Seven)“Leah and Justin are not connected at the moment,” Ada says. “She’s on her own mission to seek justice to make Susie pay for what she has done. She wants a support system, but Justin isn’t there for her and vice versa. They’re both not communicating with each other about what they need.”
Justin’s need for pills overwhelms him this week as he frantically searches for his meds in the middle of the night. Desperate and delusional, Justin reaches out and tries to search for them on Leah.
Fearing for her safety, Leah hides in the bathroom as Justin pounds at the door, begging for his drugs.
“His behaviour is really erratic and he’s becoming aggressive,” Ada says.
Will Justin go too far and harm the person he loves?
JUSTIN
If you thought Justin’s recent overdose on painkillers might be a wake-up call, you’d be wrong. Justin has crossed a line, not only scaring the life out of Leah, but threatening Ziggy and brutally attacking Stephen.
“All Justin wants is to figure out a way to get more painkillers,” James, 45, says.
Ziggy (Sophie Dillman) finds Justin’s secret stash of painkillers at the garage and phones Leah. Together, they offload the bottles into the boot of Ziggy’s car.
But Justin shows up in an agitated state and demands to see what’s in her boot.
Justin’s addiction has taken hold.
(Channel Seven)When Ziggy and Leah refuse, Justin threatens Ziggy before speeding off. Later, Stephen (Bren Foster), another of Susie’s victims who has been helping Leah find the fraudster, gives Leah a comforting hug.
But it’s all too much for Justin, who’s been watching them from afar.
Once Stephen is alone, a jealous Justin confronts him before beating him to the ground.
“Justin starts to get paranoid, thinking that Stephen is edging his way in [to Leah’s life],” James explains.
In his strung-out state, Justin is liable to do just about anything. But will his ever-growing hunger for drugs turn lethal?
SUSIE
Oh, Susie McAllister. The last time we saw the con artist she’d fled town with a bag full of cash she’d stolen from the townsfolk.
What did she do? She impersonated a real estate agent, convincing Leah and Justin to hand over their life savings. She also siphoned off money from donations to the Surf Club.
Susie (Bridie Carter) tried to poison Irene (Lynne McGranger), instead accidentally spiking John’s (Shane Withington) drink. Not finished with Irene, Susie knocked her out with chloroform after a wily Irene had twigged what she was up to and tried to stop her in her tracks.
And, perhaps most heartbreakingly of all, she fooled John (Shane Withington) into thinking she was in love with him. But, of course, she was just using him.
Susie fled town after scamming the locals.
(Channel Seven)“Every person has a bag of life experiences that define who they are – Susie has that,” Bridie, 50, says. “Everything about her life has pushed her to where she is.”
In recent episodes, John was buoyed by text messages he received from Susie. Still smitten, even after what she’d done, he planned to meet up with her, while Leah (Ada Nicodemou) and Stephen (Bren Foster) hid from view. But Susie didn’t show up.
Judging by information Leah has found online, it’s obvious Susie has scammed a lot of people – and created a long list of enemies who want her to pay for her wrongdoing.
But would someone really go so far as to snuff her out?
MAC
As fans know, Mac is hurting: she’s hitting the bottle, alienating friends and sleeping with random strangers. Now, she goes missing – and Dean is so worried that he reports his half-sister’s disappearance to the police.
Did Mac (Emily Weir) tumble into disaster? Or has she mistaken a dangerous liaison for a sexy encounter?
At the heart of Mac’s behaviour is her struggle to deal with the loss of her and ex-partner Ari’s (Rob Kipa-Williams) unborn child. And seeing him move on with Mia (Anna Samson) has made her distress worse.
“It’s [Mac’s behaviour] a distraction from her emotional pain,” Emily, 29, tells TV WEEK. “It gives her a sense of control – and power – because internally she feels completely powerless.”
Mac’s been spiralling – but how low will it go?
(Channel Seven)This week, Mac crashes a party at Ari’s house and makes a drunken fool of herself. Mia attempts to coax Mac inside, but to no avail.
When Ari tries to remove Mac, she swipes him away and almost falls over as she lands on sometime lover Emmett (JR Reyne). Dean (Patrick O’Connor) is forced to step in, dragging his sibling out of the party kicking and yelling.
“Mac continues to self-destruct,” Emily explains.
In the cold light of day, Mac watches a video of her ignominious exit from the party – leaving her horrified and embarrassed by her actions. Later, when Dean offers to cook her breakfast, she’s nowhere to be found.
Both Dean and Jasmine (Sam Frost) try to call her, but there’s no answer. Dean even asks Alf (Ray Meagher) if he’s seen Mac around, but he hasn’t.
Racked with worry, Dean decides to go to the police station to report Mac missing. Surely the body can’t be hers…
Fearing the worst, Dean reports his half-sister missing.
