Monday
Felicity is thrilled to hear from Rory – it's clear that Cash's interrogation didn't scare him off after all. Rory hangs up to talk to Dingo, who reports that the new cop has started at Mangrove River. When they pull up outside the station, Dingo wonders what they should do next. Rory smirks that they'll welcome him to town.
Cash pulls into his new post to be met by Constable Devlin. She gives him due warning – the River Boys are everywhere, and he gets a taste first hand when he sees they've vandalised his vehicle.
As the culprits watch on gleefully, Cash's eyes meet Rory's. Both of their faces fall as Cash realises his sister is dating a River Boy. As if that wasn't bad enough, Devlin soon tells him that the gang is most likely responsible for his predecessor's murder.
Cash hurries to track down Felicity and quickly breaks the news that her boyfriend is in a gang, pleading with her to stay away from him. Felicity confronts Rory and he asks for a chance to explain. Felicity challenges Rory to give her one good reason that she shouldn't dump him right now.
Meanwhile, in the wake of their ordeal with Chase and Bronte, Dana's not ready to forgive Xander, while Irene can't forgive herself. Harper manages to coax Dana out of her bed, then doles out some tough love to her little sister.
Leah tries to buoy Irene after she helps Rose level charges against Bronte. Irene is shattered by feelings of self-loathing – describing herself as just a gullible fool. Will Bronte's victims be able to move on in the wake of her con?
Tuesday
Dana rails at an unsuspecting Xander, who'd said she owed him a conversation. She makes it clear that she doesn't owe him anything. John witnesses this and follows up with Dana at Irene's. He points out that none of them behaved perfectly during Bronte's con, so he doesn't understand why Xander is the only one she's holding accountable.
Irene holds only herself to blame. She rails at Leah's suggestion that she should take time off work, and at John's that she's only guilty of caring. At home, she implores Dana to give Xander a chance. In a private moment at Salt, Xander gives Dana an earnest apology and questions whether he sees a future for them. She admits that she doesn't know.
Later, Irene's at her lowest point when she returns home with a bottle of whisky, and frantically puts in a call to a drug and alcohol support line – she tells them that she's about one second away from falling off the wagon and she's hoping they can talk her out of it.
Meanwhile, Rory tries to justify being a River Boy and urges Felicity not to let his past mess things up. He explains that he wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for the boys. When he tells his story, of a rough start in life in foster homes before the River Boys found him, Felicity's given pause. Rory adds that Cash and Felicity have nothing to worry about.
When Cash crosses with Rory later, he's confident that his sister would never hang around with someone like him. However, when Eden talks to Felicity, she's horrified that Felicity is on the fence over whether to pursue things.
By the time Felicity talks to Cash, she's fed up with him interfering and warns him to get used to seeing a lot more of Rory. At the station, Devlin has another bombshell for Cash – Rory runs the River Boys, so chances are he's up to his eyeballs in trouble.
Wednesday
John owns up to Dana on patrol. He admits that he may have encouraged Xander to be a little more persistent in winning her back. It's had the opposite effect on Dana, who feels she can't commit to a life with him at this early stage.
Xander confides in Mali – explaining that he just wants to know where he stands with Dana and hopes they can get back together. Mali has sage advice for his mate, suggesting that actions speak louder than words. When Xander puts this into practice though, he tries to kiss her and Dana is offended. She reminds him that she'd asked for space.
Meanwhile, concern for Irene spikes when she doesn't turn up for work, but when John comes to check on her, she puts on a brave face and insists that she'd merely slept in. When John's comfort inadvertently upsets Irene, she swiftly kicks him out and runs to the whisky bottle she has been stashing under the sink. Unable to resist any longer, she throws one back, and a second for good measure – Irene's officially off the wagon.
At the coffee cart, Leah and Marilyn are puzzled by Irene's odd behaviour. She shrugs it off, but when she publicly interferes with Dana and Xander's relationship at the Diner, it's clear that something's very wrong.
Following her outburst, Xander follows an embarrassed Dana, who finally admits that she doesn't see a future for them. When Irene apologises to Dana later, she's upset to hear about her break-up, but when Dana speaks to the positives of eliminating toxic influences from your life, Irene's moved to pour the whisky straight down the sink.
Elsewhere, Levi wants to build a bridge with Tane, but is struggling to make ground. When he approaches with an olive branch, he's met with a cool response. He lies to Mac on the phone that they're getting on like a house on fire, and Mali gently tells Levi he's trying way too hard.
Regardless, Levi steps things up by trying to join the gym, where he inadvertently brings up Tane's dead brother. When he apologises later, Tane again rebuffs him, too busy worried about being stood up by Perri. Bolstered by some wise words on setting boundaries from Alf, Tane picks up the phone to confront Perri and insists that they need to talk.
Thursday
When Perri finally fronts up to meet Tane, he reads him the riot act. Tane tries to set some expectations and explains that rule number one is to be on time. He introduces his young charge to the taiaha, hoping he will instil a sense of his culture, but when he scolds Perri for treating it like a toy, Perri storms off.
When Tane follows him down to the beach, Perri opens up. He explains that he doesn't know anything about his culture because his only Māori parent, his mother, is dead. When Tane shares how much family and culture have helped him when he's going through a hard time, Perri seems to be swayed, and soon he's asking to learn the taiaha.
The next day, Tane is shocked to find Perri curled up in the dunes and questions whether he slept there. Perri admits that he refused to help his dad with a job he'd promised and tells Tane he's going to talk to him. But as he leaves, Tane senses something deeper is at play. Will he be able to help Perri?
Meanwhile, River Boy Dingo is on a tear through Summer Bay, first hinting to Mali that he might like his own "mates' rates" surfboard and then hitting up Eden for free drinks at Salt. Levi steps in, ready to defend his sister, but she makes it clear she doesn't want his help. She offers Dingo and his mate a round on the house, by far preferable to having to talk to her brother.
When they hassle Eden later for another drink, Levi asks them to leave, stepping directly between the River Boys and Eden. They leave, but she doesn't appreciate the intervention and storms off her own shift. Levi follows and makes an impassioned plea, reminding her that she'll always be his sister. Eden's response is curt as she tells Levi to stay away from her.
Elsewhere, Bree tells Kirby she's set on an early night. Remi suggests a gig to Kirby and Theo, then promptly counts himself out too – odd behaviour that doesn't go unnoticed. As he and Bree tear each other's clothes off at home, Kirby wonders aloud what Remi could be hiding from her. At home, Bree tells Remi how much she's enjoying the privacy of this new version of them.
The next morning, Kirby tells Remi she's onto him – she knows exactly what's going on. Has she rumbled their secret already?
Friday
As Tane and Harper work out, she calls him on being distracted as his mind is on Perri. He admits he found him asleep on the beach and can't quite work out what's going on with him. When he does catch up with Perri later, he notices marks on Perri's arm, which are fresh cigarette burns. Perri confirms that it was his dad and he questions whether Tane still thinks he should respect him.
As Tane dresses his arm, Perri admits the job his dad wanted him to do was illegal, and that it's because of his dad that he ended up in juvie. Tane tells Perri that he's proud of him for standing up for himself – respect goes both ways.
Tane calls Harper, who provides a trained ear to Perri's problems, and he explains that his dad's abuse has gone on for years. He's terrified that she'll tell the authorities, but she assures him she can't if he doesn't want her to. Tane takes Perri back to his place and tells him he can stay as long as he wants, but Harper queries whether he is ready for this level of responsibility.
Later, Harper returns home and checks that she's alone before she retreats to the bathroom. Breathing deeply, she reaches into her bag, and pulls out a pregnancy test. Is Harper expecting Tane's baby?
Meanwhile, Kirby wants the scoop on Remi's new fling – she knows he's seeing someone. As he resists, she maintains that she's happy for him and it's great to see him moving on. When she gets nothing from Remi, she unloads her suspicions on Rose and Bree. When she mentions that Remi's happier than she's seen him in ages, Bree is secretly buoyed. When Kirby invites her to a single girls' afternoon, she has no option other than to accept.
Remi is waiting for Bree when Theo turns up unannounced. He quickly texts to cancel their hook-up, but when he joins Theo for a game of pool, they run straight into Kirby's troupe of single ladies, including Bree. She politely excuses herself, lying that she has been called into work, and soon Remi makes his own excuses too. Kirby teases that Remi may be off to see his secret girlfriend.
When Bree asks to go for a ride later, Remi gladly obliges and Kirby is struck when she sees them riding by. She wonders who the woman on the back of his bike is. When she confronts him later, he has to think on his feet, but he lies that it was Lanie, the backing singer who asked him out. Kirby's thrilled for him, and Remi reckons his secret's safe for now.
Felicity is thrilled to hear from Rory – it's clear that Cash's interrogation didn't scare him off after all. Rory hangs up to talk to Dingo, who reports that the new cop has started at Mangrove River. When they pull up outside the station, Dingo wonders what they should do next. Rory smirks that they'll welcome him to town.
Cash pulls into his new post to be met by Constable Devlin. She gives him due warning – the River Boys are everywhere, and he gets a taste first hand when he sees they've vandalised his vehicle.
As the culprits watch on gleefully, Cash's eyes meet Rory's. Both of their faces fall as Cash realises his sister is dating a River Boy. As if that wasn't bad enough, Devlin soon tells him that the gang is most likely responsible for his predecessor's murder.
Cash hurries to track down Felicity and quickly breaks the news that her boyfriend is in a gang, pleading with her to stay away from him. Felicity confronts Rory and he asks for a chance to explain. Felicity challenges Rory to give her one good reason that she shouldn't dump him right now.
Meanwhile, in the wake of their ordeal with Chase and Bronte, Dana's not ready to forgive Xander, while Irene can't forgive herself. Harper manages to coax Dana out of her bed, then doles out some tough love to her little sister.
Leah tries to buoy Irene after she helps Rose level charges against Bronte. Irene is shattered by feelings of self-loathing – describing herself as just a gullible fool. Will Bronte's victims be able to move on in the wake of her con?
Tuesday
Dana rails at an unsuspecting Xander, who'd said she owed him a conversation. She makes it clear that she doesn't owe him anything. John witnesses this and follows up with Dana at Irene's. He points out that none of them behaved perfectly during Bronte's con, so he doesn't understand why Xander is the only one she's holding accountable.
Irene holds only herself to blame. She rails at Leah's suggestion that she should take time off work, and at John's that she's only guilty of caring. At home, she implores Dana to give Xander a chance. In a private moment at Salt, Xander gives Dana an earnest apology and questions whether he sees a future for them. She admits that she doesn't know.
Later, Irene's at her lowest point when she returns home with a bottle of whisky, and frantically puts in a call to a drug and alcohol support line – she tells them that she's about one second away from falling off the wagon and she's hoping they can talk her out of it.
Meanwhile, Rory tries to justify being a River Boy and urges Felicity not to let his past mess things up. He explains that he wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for the boys. When he tells his story, of a rough start in life in foster homes before the River Boys found him, Felicity's given pause. Rory adds that Cash and Felicity have nothing to worry about.
When Cash crosses with Rory later, he's confident that his sister would never hang around with someone like him. However, when Eden talks to Felicity, she's horrified that Felicity is on the fence over whether to pursue things.
By the time Felicity talks to Cash, she's fed up with him interfering and warns him to get used to seeing a lot more of Rory. At the station, Devlin has another bombshell for Cash – Rory runs the River Boys, so chances are he's up to his eyeballs in trouble.
Wednesday
John owns up to Dana on patrol. He admits that he may have encouraged Xander to be a little more persistent in winning her back. It's had the opposite effect on Dana, who feels she can't commit to a life with him at this early stage.
Xander confides in Mali – explaining that he just wants to know where he stands with Dana and hopes they can get back together. Mali has sage advice for his mate, suggesting that actions speak louder than words. When Xander puts this into practice though, he tries to kiss her and Dana is offended. She reminds him that she'd asked for space.
Meanwhile, concern for Irene spikes when she doesn't turn up for work, but when John comes to check on her, she puts on a brave face and insists that she'd merely slept in. When John's comfort inadvertently upsets Irene, she swiftly kicks him out and runs to the whisky bottle she has been stashing under the sink. Unable to resist any longer, she throws one back, and a second for good measure – Irene's officially off the wagon.
At the coffee cart, Leah and Marilyn are puzzled by Irene's odd behaviour. She shrugs it off, but when she publicly interferes with Dana and Xander's relationship at the Diner, it's clear that something's very wrong.
Following her outburst, Xander follows an embarrassed Dana, who finally admits that she doesn't see a future for them. When Irene apologises to Dana later, she's upset to hear about her break-up, but when Dana speaks to the positives of eliminating toxic influences from your life, Irene's moved to pour the whisky straight down the sink.
Elsewhere, Levi wants to build a bridge with Tane, but is struggling to make ground. When he approaches with an olive branch, he's met with a cool response. He lies to Mac on the phone that they're getting on like a house on fire, and Mali gently tells Levi he's trying way too hard.
Regardless, Levi steps things up by trying to join the gym, where he inadvertently brings up Tane's dead brother. When he apologises later, Tane again rebuffs him, too busy worried about being stood up by Perri. Bolstered by some wise words on setting boundaries from Alf, Tane picks up the phone to confront Perri and insists that they need to talk.
Thursday
When Perri finally fronts up to meet Tane, he reads him the riot act. Tane tries to set some expectations and explains that rule number one is to be on time. He introduces his young charge to the taiaha, hoping he will instil a sense of his culture, but when he scolds Perri for treating it like a toy, Perri storms off.
When Tane follows him down to the beach, Perri opens up. He explains that he doesn't know anything about his culture because his only Māori parent, his mother, is dead. When Tane shares how much family and culture have helped him when he's going through a hard time, Perri seems to be swayed, and soon he's asking to learn the taiaha.
The next day, Tane is shocked to find Perri curled up in the dunes and questions whether he slept there. Perri admits that he refused to help his dad with a job he'd promised and tells Tane he's going to talk to him. But as he leaves, Tane senses something deeper is at play. Will he be able to help Perri?
Meanwhile, River Boy Dingo is on a tear through Summer Bay, first hinting to Mali that he might like his own "mates' rates" surfboard and then hitting up Eden for free drinks at Salt. Levi steps in, ready to defend his sister, but she makes it clear she doesn't want his help. She offers Dingo and his mate a round on the house, by far preferable to having to talk to her brother.
When they hassle Eden later for another drink, Levi asks them to leave, stepping directly between the River Boys and Eden. They leave, but she doesn't appreciate the intervention and storms off her own shift. Levi follows and makes an impassioned plea, reminding her that she'll always be his sister. Eden's response is curt as she tells Levi to stay away from her.
Elsewhere, Bree tells Kirby she's set on an early night. Remi suggests a gig to Kirby and Theo, then promptly counts himself out too – odd behaviour that doesn't go unnoticed. As he and Bree tear each other's clothes off at home, Kirby wonders aloud what Remi could be hiding from her. At home, Bree tells Remi how much she's enjoying the privacy of this new version of them.
The next morning, Kirby tells Remi she's onto him – she knows exactly what's going on. Has she rumbled their secret already?
Friday
As Tane and Harper work out, she calls him on being distracted as his mind is on Perri. He admits he found him asleep on the beach and can't quite work out what's going on with him. When he does catch up with Perri later, he notices marks on Perri's arm, which are fresh cigarette burns. Perri confirms that it was his dad and he questions whether Tane still thinks he should respect him.
As Tane dresses his arm, Perri admits the job his dad wanted him to do was illegal, and that it's because of his dad that he ended up in juvie. Tane tells Perri that he's proud of him for standing up for himself – respect goes both ways.
Tane calls Harper, who provides a trained ear to Perri's problems, and he explains that his dad's abuse has gone on for years. He's terrified that she'll tell the authorities, but she assures him she can't if he doesn't want her to. Tane takes Perri back to his place and tells him he can stay as long as he wants, but Harper queries whether he is ready for this level of responsibility.
Later, Harper returns home and checks that she's alone before she retreats to the bathroom. Breathing deeply, she reaches into her bag, and pulls out a pregnancy test. Is Harper expecting Tane's baby?
Meanwhile, Kirby wants the scoop on Remi's new fling – she knows he's seeing someone. As he resists, she maintains that she's happy for him and it's great to see him moving on. When she gets nothing from Remi, she unloads her suspicions on Rose and Bree. When she mentions that Remi's happier than she's seen him in ages, Bree is secretly buoyed. When Kirby invites her to a single girls' afternoon, she has no option other than to accept.
Remi is waiting for Bree when Theo turns up unannounced. He quickly texts to cancel their hook-up, but when he joins Theo for a game of pool, they run straight into Kirby's troupe of single ladies, including Bree. She politely excuses herself, lying that she has been called into work, and soon Remi makes his own excuses too. Kirby teases that Remi may be off to see his secret girlfriend.
When Bree asks to go for a ride later, Remi gladly obliges and Kirby is struck when she sees them riding by. She wonders who the woman on the back of his bike is. When she confronts him later, he has to think on his feet, but he lies that it was Lanie, the backing singer who asked him out. Kirby's thrilled for him, and Remi reckons his secret's safe for now.