When Home and Away made its grand feature-length return to Aussie screens on Monday evening, it would be safe to say a large portion of the country went into meltdown.
As with any soap, dramatic showdowns and sudden tragic deaths are part and parcel to the lives of the much-loved fictional characters.
But there was something about Home and Away‘s Robbo, who was killed off after a devastating car crash during the season premiere that’s really knocked fans for six.
Robbo is dead and we are not okay.
(Channel Seven)There’s no denying Robbo, who is played by Aussie actor Jake Ryan, grew on us all.
He had humble beginnings on the show – the mysterious tattooed character arrived in the Bay after living rough on a nearby island.
The curious lot of Summer Bay were sceptical about the buff lad’s claims that he had no memory of his life before then.
Later, a classic twist-filled narrative unfolded to reveal that he had been part of an elaborate plan with the Australian Federal Police, of which he previously worked for, to protect Kat Chapman, a fellow copper.
Once we’d all established that Robbo was in fact a goodun’, our love for him blossomed.
We watched as he and Tori navigated the tricky landscape of having a baby while he dated Tori’s colleague and pal Jasmine.
Then, we wept tears of pure joy when he and Jasmine managed to make things work against the odds after getting married in a beautiful countryside ceremony.
Yep, his story was a downright roller coaster of emotions – so you can only imagine the depth of despair we felt when just like that, Robbo was gone.
Robbo and Jasmine had only just tied the knot, cue more sobbing.
(Channel Seven)That’s why it’s only natural that fans were in complete denial – and they sure as heck have good reason to be.
As viewers flooded social media with comments in the hours and days following his death, a distinct few snippets have been brought to the forefront of our attention – and they definitely make a compelling theory to convince us we mightn’t have seen the back of poor Robbo just yet.
An image shared originally by fan page @haa_media unpacks the theory, and it all begins with a wink.
Yep, here’s the fan-fictional narrative: Robbo winked at a nurse, which suggests he then consumed something that would enable him to fake his own death and go into witness protection.
In a comment on TV WEEK‘s Facebook page, another fan seemed to have the same idea, saying: “He’ll be back when he realises Jasmine is pregnant with his baby, and she’s moved on with Colby. He will come out of [witness] protection at the last minute before she gives birth at the end of the year.”
Yes, it’s a stretch, but we’ll damn well hold out hope for more Robbo down the track.
WATCH: Robbo and Jasmine tie the knot in a Summer Bay spectacle. Story continues after video…
There’s also merit to the fact that actor Jake Ryan has just welcomed a brand new baby boy with his partner Alice Quiddington.
The ridiculously adorable bub Wolf William Ryan will no doubt be the new dad’s main focus right now, but what comes next for the actor career-wise is anyone’s guess.
Speaking to TV WEEK this week, Jake said he was “open to both film and TV”.
“There’s so much quality content being made right now. If it challenges me, I’m open to it. I just want to do roles I’m proud of.”
Perhaps, if the story line allows, that could mean a return to the much-loved Aussie soap – although the 35-year-old actor hasn’t exactly given us a lot of hope.
“It’s sad to leave but my time was done there,” he said.
“They did such a great storyline with Robbo and there wasn’t much else to do with him. You want to go out on a high while you can.”
Fair dinkum, we suppose… we’ll just go back to weeping at the loss of yet another of Summer Bay’s finest.
